Raising Venture Capital With Impact – Webinar Series in Feb-Mar
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Raising Venture Capital With Impact – Webinar Series in Feb-Mar

The EIB Institute is hosting a series of five webinars on “Raising venture capital with impact” with Wladimir Nikoluk from ImmerLearn . This series will explore how entrepreneurs can successfully use impact measurement to raise funding from existing and emerging venture capital funds.

Session 1: Raising venture capital with impact – An introduction

General introduction to trends and players in the impact venture capital investing field, including (i) the sources of demand for impactful products, (ii) the surge in talent to found impactful companies, (iii) the emergence of impact ‘verticals’ in existing VC funds, (iv) the emergence of new impact VC funds, and (v) the growing consensus around and maturity of impact measurement standards.

When: February 18, 2021 from 17:00 to 18:00 (CET)

Register here

 

Session 2: The discovery of impact – how traditional VC firms came to care
Deep-dive into traditional VC funds that are now building ‘impact’ verticals. In recent years, funds that were traditionally not known for impact focus have come to create capital pockets to focus on areas like climate, clean tech, food, health, and education. This session explores what drives those funds to establish new verticals, how they distinguish between impact and non-impact startups, how their impact investment performed over time and what their (dis)advantages are relative to traditional verticals.

When: March 4, 2021 from 17:00 to 18:00 (CET)

Register here

 

Session 3: VC 2.0 – how a new generation of VCs is challenging the status quo
Deep-dive into ‘pure-impact’ VC funds that have emerged in the last couple of years. This session explores why they are focusing exclusively on impact, how they assess startups’ impact, how they see their performance relative to traditional VC firms, what they see as the biggest impact trends and what the best-practices are for startups to manage both profit and impact at the same time.

When: March 18, 2021 from 17:00 to 18:00 (CET)

Register here

 

Session 4: Measuring what matters – how to create genuine impact and monetise it
Deep-dive into impact management standards that have recently emerged, such as the Impact Management Project (IMP), lifecycle analysis (LCA), and the impact multiple of money (IMM). With the knowledge of the previous sessions, this session explores how entrepreneurs should measure and communicate the impact of their products and services and how to balance credible impact management with the need to run a successful business.

When: March 31, 2021 from 17:00 to 18:00 (CET)

Register here

 

Session 5: Strategic and tactical lessons for building your impact management system
Concluding session that walks entrepreneurs through the practical steps of building their own impact measurement and management systems, paying attention to how they can use their data strategically to meet demands from their investors, customers, and employees. The session presents practical examples of best-in-class impact management systems of selected companies and points to resources that entrepreneurs can use today to enhance their own.

When: April 15, 2021 from 17:00 to 18:00 (CET)

Register here

 

More about the EIB Institute initiatives can be found here: https://institute.eib.org/whatwedo/

 

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This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

Ashoka – Everyone a Changemaker
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Ashoka – Everyone a Changemaker

Ashoka is an international organization that promotes social entrepreneurship by affiliating individual social entrepreneurs into the Ashoka organization. Their stated mission is “to shape a global, entrepreneurial, competitive citizen sector: one that allows social entrepreneurs to thrive and enables the world’s citizens to think and act as changemakers”. Ashoka identifies and supports the world’s leading social entrepreneurs, learns from the patterns in their innovations, and mobilizes a global community that embraces these new frameworks to build an “everyone a changemaker world.”

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfiY9rRsWqE[/embedyt]

Ashoka supports an “Everyone a Changemaker” world through its programs in more than 90 countries, building and amplifying this global movement in three stages:

  • Identify and support the world’s leading social entrepreneurs

    Ashoka finds and cultivates social entrepreneurs in every corner of the world, whose system-changing innovations solve deep-rooted social problems. After a rigorous application process, Ashoka invites them into the Ashoka Fellowship – providing early stage financial support and a lifetime membership into an expansive network of peers and partners – enabling them to achieve their vision and have even greater impact. The organization then draws on the insights and patterns of these 3,500+ Ashoka Fellows to understand what the future needs and how to create new solutions for building a better world

  • Accelerate the “Everyone a Changemaker” world

    Ashoka mobilizes a network of organizations to join them in shifting mindsets and reshaping how they learn, work, and live together to catalyze changemaking for the good of society. It partners with schools, universities, corporations, citizen sector organizations, media, and other influencers to co-lead this movement.

  • Equip Everyone to be a Changemaker

    Ashoka inspires and enables changemaking in the public-at-large, and work to give all citizens the confidence and tools to solve problems for the good of all. Specifically, it focuses on preparing the next generation to navigate this rapidly-changing world by ensuring all young people have the critical skills they need.

    Ashoka Social Entrepreneurship Programs:

    1. Ashoka Venture and Fellowship

    For more than 35 years, Ashoka has built and nurtured the largest network of leading social entrepreneurs in the world. After a rigorous selection process, they are introduced to a life-long fellowship, where every member is committed to championing new patterns of social good.

    2. Ashoka Support Network

    The Ashoka Support Network (ASN) is a global community of business leaders from a variety of fields who support Ashoka both financially and strategically.

    3. Ashoka Executive in Residence

    The Ashoka Executive in Residence program fosters high-impact collaborations between companies and leading social entrepreneurs (Ashoka Fellows) that have the potential to change the dynamics of traditional markets, enhance competitiveness, and create systemic social impact.

    4. Ashoka Changemakers

    Ashoka Changemakers is building a global movement where anyone, anywhere, can take action to solve a social problem in in their community. We work to build this movement by supporting social entrepreneurs, innovators, business leaders, policy makers, and activists who are changemaking, by delivering ground-breaking analysis, by accelerating intrepreneurship, and creating strong partnerships that will drive the movement forward.
    Read more here: https://www.ashoka.org/

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    This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

THE YOUTH’S PERSPECTIVE TO SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT
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THE YOUTH’S PERSPECTIVE TO SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We recommend this scholarly article  on youth social entrepreneurship available here:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324359854_THE_YOUTH’S_PERSPECTIVE_TO_SOCIAL_ENTREPRENEURSHIP_DEVELOPMENT

Urmanaviciene, Audrone & Raisiene, Agota. (2018). THE YOUTH’S PERSPECTIVE TO SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT.
A tendency to developing social entrepreneurship that aims at contributing to society’s welfare is evident globally. An increase in youth social entrepreneurship in Lithuania is also observed. However, it is not clear to what extent young entrepreneurs are concerned with social problems. The aim of the paper is to reveal the youth’s view of the possibilities of developing social entrepreneurship in Lithuania. The research shows that youth is insufficiently familiar with the concept of social entrepreneurship and lacks information regarding the possibilities of developing social businesses. The main obstacles to developing social business in Lithuania are the lack of motivation and professional training, negative society’s approach to special social groups, and lack of cooperation among entrepreneurs.

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This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

Bringing Artificial Intelligence to schools through entrepreneurship
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Bringing Artificial Intelligence to schools through entrepreneurship

Junior Achievement (JA) Europe is the largest non-profit in Europe dedicated to preparing young people for employment and entrepreneurship by creating pathways for employability, job creation and financial success.  At the beginning of January 2021 JA Europe announced a new collaboration with Intel, which aim is to empower and equip young Europeans in the area of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Intel® AI For Youth Programme (AI4Youth), will enable JA students to get a chance to learn and test AI applications during their entrepreneurial journey.

As the JA Europe states, the first step within this initiative will be a pilot for 240 young people aged 15-19 in four countries: France, Italy, Portugal and Spain, where Intel® AI For Youth curricula will be blended with JA Europe’s entrepreneurship programmes.

By integrating AI into JA Europe’s entrepreneurship programmes, youth will have a deeper and more accurate understanding of technology and its impact to society (e.g. employment, inequality or inclusion). The participating students will be able to understand and use the AI tools and methodologies in a responsible way to create purposeful solutions that address various local and global challenges. In addition, the partnership aims at demystifying artificial intelligence, equipping young people with the skills and mindset required to be ready for the jobs of tomorrow by providing them with a deeper understanding of AI.

The learning journey will be staged in 4 phases:

  1. Inspire thanks to the endless possibilities of AI through discussions around this topic;
  2. Acquire basic concepts in AI and understand computer vision through the use of relevant cases;
  3. Experience during technical workshops, using insights in data collection, model training and code modification; and
  4. Empower to build innovative solutions using AI through Junior Achievement’s Innovation Camps.

This new partnership aligns with JA Europe’s mission to ensure that youth acquire and apply the necessary competences to launch their own business to succeed in today’s digital economy, and that they make informed financial decisions. Doing so democratizes young people’s access to AI tools while training them on how to use them skillfully. In this way, AI will be a key component of Junior Achievement’s Innovation Camps at national level, as participants will use it to propose meaningful solutions with social impact.

Read about the initiative and many more JA Europe programmes here.

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This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

 

TOOLKIT FOR MENTORS: #NGO TRAINED APPRENTICESHIP IN CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS
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TOOLKIT FOR MENTORS: #NGO TRAINED APPRENTICESHIP IN CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS

 

Co-funded by the EEA grants project SOCIAL INNOVATORS presents an innovative model of simultaneously addressing the challenges of high rates of youth unemployment and low employment rate in NGO sector, which all present a tremendous waste of human potential and missed opportunities for greater contribution to the social transformation not only in partner countries but in EU in general. In NGOs, young people will hater work experience and become involved in some of the most relevant initiatives and programmes dealing with social challenges in Europe today. As a result, the participants will be supported to create their own jobs within the social sector, where their educational background is essential for further development.

The toolkit is a part of the #NGOTrained Apprenticeship program in civil society organisations. The goal of the program is to provide young people who have no work experience in civil society organisations with knowledge, skills, and attitudes important for working in civil society organisations.

Download here: https://www.social-innovators.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Showcase-longer-version-TOOLKIT-FOR-MENTORS_ENG_final-approved.pdf 

At the same time, the program enables mentors from civil society organisations to improve their mentoring skills and to create a custom 80-hour training program that can be adapted and used for any new person entering their organisation as a volunteer, employee or associate. Including youth!

We hope that a custom training built on the basis of the apprenticeship program and the toolkit will have a long-lasting impact on the way new people are introduced to civil society organisations.

The purpose of this toolkit is to serve as a set of guidelines as well as an inspiration for mentors in civil society organisations, helping them to plan the activities for the apprentices, as well as a repository that includes all templates and other materials used during the apprenticeship program.

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This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

Do you know youth support programme “YOUTH PROP UP”?
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Do you know youth support programme “YOUTH PROP UP”?

The Youth Prop Up action plan is part of the wider Estonian Youth Guarantee National Action Plan initiated by the European Union.

The main aim is in supporting young people in need, who may have been made redundant or have not completed their education and are not currently studying. The programme attempts to assist them in realising their potential and return to being a productive member of society as quickly as possible, raising their confidence and self-esteem.

The activities take place under the “Inclusion of youth at risk of social exclusion and improvement of youth employability” programme. The programme is approved by the Ministry of Education and Research and co-financed by European Social Fund. Programme is lead by Education and Youth Authority.

 

Objective:

The Youth Prop Up programme is a new action plan which has been implemented in Estonia. The programme is designed to specifically target:

  1. Young people aged 15 to 26 years.
  2. Young people who are not currently involved in any kind of academic study or employment.

The Association of Estonian Open Youth Centres is the organisation responsible for the development and implementation of the Youth Prop Up action plan for the estimated duration of 2015-2021. The programme supports currently the 13000 individuals who meet these criteria.

Read more and get more inspiration on the Youth Prop UP website: https://tugila.ee/support-program-youth-prop/

All info is available to youth in Estonian, English and Russian.

 

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This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

 

New EU & Council of Europe study „Social inclusion, digitalisation and young people”
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New EU & Council of Europe study „Social inclusion, digitalisation and young people”

This study aims to explore the existing state of play when it comes to digitalisation and social inclusion of young people. The overall question leading this study was: “What is the intersection between social inclusion and digitalisation?”

Read the full report here: https://pjp-eu.coe.int/documents/42128013/47261953/053120+Study+on+SID+Web.pdf/0057379c-2180-dd3e-7537-71c468f3cf9d?fbclid=IwAR34n763ROD8XTkGeUVk-vHCL8dVBXZQchdSL4SqCfG_ykpRm9JPX94Yt7c 

Executive summary:

Social inclusion is a process that enables a young person to build up self-esteem, self-realisation and resilience, to become an autonomous and productive member of society, able to reach self-fulfilment and contribute to the development of society as a whole. In order to support the social inclusion of young people, their participation in social, economic and political life should be promoted, based on the equality of rights, equity and dignity. However, certain groups of young people face multidimensional barriers or disadvantages, encompassing political, social, cultural and economic dimensions. These young people may comprise, among others, youth with disabilities, NEET youth, young refugees and migrants, LGBTI youth, young women and girls, youth suffering from substance abuse or dependency, youth from minority ethnic, racial or religious backgrounds, socio-economically marginalised youth, homeless youth, youth in abusive households and youth who have committed or have been a victim of crime. Acknowledging the EU-Council of Europe youth partnership’s extensive work on the topic of social inclusion and inequalities, and the findings from the 2018 symposium Young People, Social Inclusion and Digitalisation, there is an understanding of the need to better approach the topic of digitalisation in relation to the lives of young people and its implications for youth policy, youth work and youth research.

The purpose of this study is thus to explore the intersection of these two themes – social inclusion and digitalisation, examining the concepts of social inclusion and exclusion, and how we can make use of inclusion opportunities arising from the new digital reality.

The introduction sets the framework for the study by looking at what has been done so far in terms of creating a common approach to understanding the two themes: social inclusion, a common topic for policy, practice and research, and digitalisation, a new but fast-developing phenomenon which has an impact on the youth field and youth work. In order to explore in more detail the opportunities for social inclusion in the digitalised world, the second part of the study offers an inventory of the different policies put in place by European, national and local authorities (where available). It also reflects on the need to move towards smart youth work and/or to the outcomes of the work done so far in the area of social inclusion in order to ensure easier access for young people with fewer opportunities. The study presents a collection of existing digital platforms, online tools and educational and training opportunities available to young people and youth workers or teachers. It is based on a desk review and online questionnaire, which was completed by correspondents of the European Knowledge Centre for youth Policy (EKCYP) and youth organisations around Europe.

The data collected from 38 questionnaires from 23 countries show that the formal education system benefits from a wide range of projects and initiatives that bring teachers and pupils closer to the online world. Platforms have also been developed by national and local authorities to engage citizens in decision-making processes. Moreover, local youth organisations and European umbrella youth organisations have developed online training opportunities for youth workers and youth educators, most of which now operate transnationally. The final section of the study looks at the risks and opportunities associated with social inclusion of young people within the digital realm, also reflecting on the approaches and recommendations for addressing the risks.

 

The conclusion invites the reader to reflect on the future of participation of young people with fewer opportunities in the digital arena. At the time of this study’s compilation, very few identified initiatives directly targeted young people, and even fewer focused on young people experiencing multiple disadvantages. However, the growing digital reality, if its potential is used by governments and organisations, still presents a definite opportunity for developing digital solutions for social inclusion, which need to involve a variety of stakeholders and young people as partners and co-creators.

 

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This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

Knowledge capital in social and commercial entrepreneurship: Investigating the role of informal institutions
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Knowledge capital in social and commercial entrepreneurship: Investigating the role of informal institutions

Abstract

This paper utilizes the lenses of knowledge capital and institutional theories to examine the role knowledge capital plays in the context of entry into social versus commercial entrepreneurship. We also investigate the moderating role of national culture in the relationship between knowledge capital and entrepreneurship. Using data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, we find that social capital is relatively more important in social entrepreneurship than commercial entrepreneurship. We also find that national culture moderates this relationship such that in high individualism cultures, specific human capital is directed towards commercial entrepreneurship compared to social entrepreneurship. However, in high uncertainty avoidance cultures, social capital is directed towards social entrepreneurship rather than commercial entrepreneurship. Our findings uncover the nature of the contingent effects of informal institutions on the relationship between knowledge capital and entrepreneurship, leading to important implications for theory and development policy.

By: Sreevas sahasranamam, M.K. Nandakumar, Vijay Pereira, Yama Temouri

Download the full article here. 

Source: Science Direct

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This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

See How Young Entrepreneurs Are Transforming Communities Worldwide
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See How Young Entrepreneurs Are Transforming Communities Worldwide

Today’s young social entrepreneurs are driving change in new and unexpected ways. In these videos prepared by YouthActionNet Fellows , Laureate Global Fellows share their motivations, their inspiration, and what makes their ventures unique. Watch Goal Getters series to learn how Fellows are advancing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Some of the brightest youth social innovation and social entrepreneurship examples you can watch below.  To access the entire collection of inspiring interviews with fellows on a range of social innovations, view the Change series, Fellow talks and Programmes.

     
    
     

Additionally, a series of webinars are available at the YouthActionNet platform. Webinars focus on youth-led social change, including emerging trends, strategies employed by young social entrepreneurs to increase impact, and approaches for solving common challenges faced by young leaders. Guest speakers include industry experts and Fellows who share their first-hand experiences in leading and sustaining successful social ventures.

About the project
A signature initiative of the International Youth Foundation, YouthActionNet was founded 20 years ago in the belief that youth are uniquely positioned to build a more just and inclusive world. The global network of 24 locally-owned and operated youth leadership institutes ensures that aspiring and accomplished young social entrepreneurs gain the support they need to deliver on their social change goals.

 

 Source: https://www.youthactionnet.org/who-we-are
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This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

Social INTRApreneurs – How Do They Contribute To The Common Good?
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Social INTRApreneurs – How Do They Contribute To The Common Good?

In order to achieve the SDGs, it is very clear that we need an economy built on the principles of accountability, inclusivity, and sustainability. We believe that companies can remodel business into a force for good, even beyond the model of stakeholder capitalism. But it takes strong individuals and changemakers from within powerful organizations to ignite and drive real change. We call these changemakers ‘social intrapreneurs’.

A social intrapreneur is an entrepreneurial employee who develops a profitable new product, service, or business model that creates value for society and her company. Social intrapreneurs help their employers meet sustainability commitments and create value for customers and communities in ways that are built to last. These corporate employees are able to ‘future-proof’ their organizations by ideating, developing, and deploying effective solutions to solve the world’s pressing challenges.

Social intrapreneurship (SI) is becoming recognized as a tool for positive global change and as an assistant to future-proofing large organizations. Utilizing the energy and drive of social intrapreneurs is a fast-track strategy to change the culture within corporations — and prepare them for a new social and ecological age. But in order to fully realize the potential of Social Intrapreneurs, organizations must provide them with community, culture, support, and freedom to operate.

So far, little is known about the work of social intrapreneurs and their challenges. Yunus Social Business has attempted to evaluate the work environment of social intrepreneurs and has provided with findings in 3 three documents.

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1 Business as unusual. How social intrapreneurs can turn companies into a force for good

The research draws from interviews with more than 50 globally based executives and social intrapreneurs, at corporate giants such as IKEA, Allianz, BASF, Renault, and SAP. It evaluates success factors and challenges for social intrapreneurs to implement their initiatives, as well as their initiatives’ impact on their parent companies. It evaluates success factors and challenges for social intrapreneurs to implement their initiatives, as well as their initiatives’ impact on their parent companies.

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2 Making The Case

‘Making The Case’ is a follow-up study to the qualitative ‘Business as Unusual’ research ‘How Social Intrapreneurs Can Turn Companies into a Force For Good’. Through qualitative interviews, the Business As Unusual research so far highlighted five key benefits of social intrapreneurship. ‘Making The Case’ has started to build an empirical basis that will quantify these benefits. The data highlights correlations between social intrapreneurship and corporate performance metrics – such as brand equity, employee engagement and employee skill sets. ‘Making The Case’ is just getting started and will continue to build evidence for SI in the future.

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3. The Playbook

This playbook outlines methods to create an environment where social intrapreneurship can thrive. The playbook is based on the experiences of 10 interviewed program managers representing global impact programs such as the UNDP’s Call to Action, MIT’s Practical Impact Alliance, and Barclays’ Eagle Labs. The findings demonstrate the value of SI, beyond an authentic display of corporate purpose, and reveal several core areas of potential business success.

About the author 

Yunus Social Business (YSB) is an organization harnessing the power of business to end poverty through social business — a model pioneered by our co-founder, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus. YSB has supported or invested in over 1,800 social entrepreneurs worldwide to build meaningful social businesses in agriculture, health, education, mobility, clean water, and energy. We also accelerate the transformation of corporations into net ‘people and planet’ positive businesses by applying their core competencies to some of the greatest human challenges.

The source: https://www.yunussb.com/business-as-unusual

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This publication has been prepared within SENBS project No. 2020-1-EE01-KA204-077999. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.