Entrepreneurs — here’s how you can improve your funding outcomes
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Entrepreneurs — here’s how you can improve your funding outcomes

“Cambridge Judge Business School has collaborated with Esme Learning to launch executive education programmes to empower working professionals’ careers.

The multi-year collaboration commences with two inaugural six-week online executive education programmes in startup funding and RegTech, which start in October 2021.

Startup Funding: From Pre-Seed to Exit aims to help entrepreneurs overcome the trickiest funding challenges facing startups.

The programme will help professionals understand how to fund a venture and navigate critical inflexion points along a company’s growth trajectory to achieve a successful exit or long-term operational viability.

The programme will also walk learners through, step-by-step, how to improve their funding outcomes for their entrepreneurial project. 

“You will learn how to structure your project so it is more investable, communicate the investment merits of your project, be more efficient in the fundraising process, and improve the terms of investments,” notes the course description.

Margaret Thatcher Professor of Enterprise Studies in Innovation and Growth and Entrepreneurship Centre co-director Stylianos Kavadias notes: “This programme equips you with knowledge that fuses together the two important perspectives that drive successful development for startups — the fundraising skill set and the managerial competencies and skills that will help you balance the steps forward and the decisions needed to go from pre-seed through exit.”

RegTech: AI for Financial Regulation, Risk, and Compliance will prepare risk, compliance, innovation, and data sector business leaders to navigate the industry’s complexities, including technologies such as AI and machine learning that support automated regulation.

In this programme, professionals will learn to identify new applications and revenue opportunities for RegTech solutions, including technologies such as big data, cloud computing and AI.

University of Cambridge Judge Business School management practice professor Robert Wardrop notes: “This programme is a good example of the application of data science to solve real-world problems — in this case, challenges around regulatory change, regulatory compliance and risk management for firms operating in the economy.”

Both programmes will feature high-quality video instruction; interactive, timely media such as podcasts and articles; and correlating formative assessments that test knowledge retention.

The startup funding course begins on October 13, 2021 while the RegTech course will begin on October 20, 2021. Registration for both programmes will close one week after they begin. 

Both programmes cost 2,200 US dollars respectively. Successful programme participants will receive a certificate issued by the Cambridge Judge Business School. “

 

Source: https://u2b.com/2021/08/13/cambridge-esme-launch-startup-funding-regtech-exec-ed-courses/

More information: https://u2b.com/

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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 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
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The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation that works to build better policies for better lives. Our goal is to shape policies that foster prosperity, equality, opportunity and well-being for all. We draw on 60 years of experience and insights to better prepare the world of tomorrow.

Together with governments, policy makers and citizens, we work on establishing evidence-based international standards and finding solutions to a range of social, economic and environmental challenges. From improving economic performance and creating jobs to fostering strong education and fighting international tax evasion, we provide a unique forum and knowledge hub for data and analysis, exchange of experiences, best-practice sharing, and advice on public policies and international standard-setting.

Find out more about how to OECD can supports you both nationally and globally: http://www.oecd.org/about/

 

UpLink – a place where ideas can become a reality
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UpLink – a place where ideas can become a reality

Imagine you had a ‘eureka’ moment – an idea for a new way of doing something that could, in some way, make the world a better place.

How would you go about turning that idea into reality? One place you could go, is UpLink, a platform which lets anyone from anywhere in the world submit their ideas on how to solve global issues.

Announced during the 2019 Sustainable Development Impact Summit and launched at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2020, UpLink is a digital crowd-engagement platform that connects entrepreneurs and champions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Its goal is to link-up the best SDG innovators to a growing network of experts and decision-makers who can implement the change needed for the next decade.

As a global platform, UpLink responds to the demand for a more inclusive approach to SDG action by targeting the creativity and expertise of grassroots innovators who can meaningfully contribute to the delivery of the SDGs. Through its challenges and collaborative action groups, UpLink aspires to nurture a world whereanyone with impact-oriented ideas and solutions is empowered to address the world’s most pressing challenges.

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UpLink is the first World Economic Forum-managed online network that anyone can sign up and contribute to. Through its challenges, UpLink seeks to connect entrepreneurs with game-changing SDG solutions to experts and investors looking to identify and scale-up the most innovative solutions. Through its action groups, UpLink offers thought leaders and activists a curated platform to discuss ongoing roadblocks to SDG attainment and build alliances with like-minded champions from across the globe. UpLink also provides clear support for organisations that are keen to surface innovations that respond to specific needs by enabling them to co-design topics and challenges.

 

Read more here: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/03/uplink-radio-davos/

Source:  https://uplink.weforum.org/uplink/s/

 

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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.

IKEA Social Entrepreneurship
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IKEA Social Entrepreneurship

You all have probably heard of IKEA – a Swedish home furnishings company and world’s largest furniture retailer since 2008.  But did you know IKEA backs and boosts social entrepreneurs all over the world?

IKEA has long since had the vision to create a better everyday life for as many people as possible. Back in 2012, the company looked at how to achieve this by including products and services from social entrepreneurs in its offer. These first collaborations resulted in over 100 jobs created. Today, these business partnerships contribute to over 20,000 jobs and incomes.
Building on the success, IKEA looked to support programmes that accelerate the movement of social entrepreneurship in general. By supporting social enterprises with a vision to create a more inclusive and equal society, IKEA hopes to have a positive impact on people’s livelihoods. At the same time, the company is continuing to look for new and innovative partnerships that will offer IKEA customers unique handmade collections and services.

By boosting social entrepreneurs all over the world, IKEA gets to be a part of creating new opportunities for vulnerable people and communities – while fighting the root causes of poverty and inequality.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28t-AD3vCEY[/embedyt]

 

“Since 2012, IKEA has been collaborating with social businesses – pioneers with the ambition to create business that is ethical in all dimensions. This is the story of business done differently, which aims to create 95,000 jobs that positively impact 500,000 lives. And that’s just the beginning.

IKEA social entrepreneurship is a program that started with the vision of honouring unique skills and competences and gives them a global platform to stand on – resulting in better lives for those who need it most. This has been accomplished by partnering with enterprises that produce products and services that in turn empower people who struggle to provide for themselves and their loved ones. The result is financial independence and life-changing opportunities for families and communities; with improved health care, education and gender empowerment.

IKEA has high standards for all suppliers through something called IWAY. IWAY sets social and environmental requirements for all IKEA suppliers; making sure that people are well treated, resources are protected, and workspaces are healthy and safe. A social business meets these standards, but chooses to go beyond IWAY to reach people furthest from the job market.

Focus areas

By focusing on inclusion, equality and livelihood IKEA enables a better everyday life for people who struggle to provide for themselves and their families. To achieve this, every project the company engages in should address and positively affect one or all of these three areas.

  • Inclusion

    Supporting social entrepreneurs who strive to improve the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society. This involves providing jobs, incomes, capabilities and tools to those who are vulnerable and marginalised irrespective of their individual or group characteristics.

  • Equality

    Working with social entrepreneurs who look to make society more equal in terms of income, status, rights and opportunity. This involves supporting individuals or groups, but also changing systems, with a view to allow people to earn a decent and sustainable living.

  • Livelihood

    Ultimately aiming to lift people out of poverty by having the opportunity to earn a decent living. With increased inclusion and equality comes a better chance of a dignified life, where people have the possibility to provide for themselves and their families in a sustainable way.

How we work - woman with basket

 

Partnerships that inspires change

IKEA’s work is about inspiring and engaging others to make a change. It’s a collaboration between the company, civil society organisations and social entrepreneurs. By doing business with social entrepreneurs and giving them access to IKEA’s supply chain, the company also creates real and sustainable opportunities. To highlight the equal partnering, it focuses on mutual learning and build on each other’s strengths. They look at how to use their knowledge and experience to help social entrepreneurs grow and have a bigger impact.

  • Through real business

    Partnering with social entrepreneurs at a business level, IKEA designs and produces products and services that are sold and offered at IKEA stores worldwide. It is a win-win situation with high quality products manufactured and vulnerable peoples lives changed through the jobs created.

  • IKEA co-worker engagement

    What’s really unique about IKEA is how it uses colleagues as a resource. Their involvement ranges from operational support for social entrepreneurs who make products for IKEA, to strategic development for the ones that don’t provide products or services for IKEA. At the same time, it gives IKEA the opportunity to learn how to become more circular, sustainable and entrepreneurial in the business. It’s a relationship built on knowledge sharing, a mutual exchange of competences and inspiration.

  • Financial support to the partners

    Since the characteristics and needs of each social entrepreneur are different, IKEA will customize its financial support. This will be a choice between grants – without the demand for repayment or financial return -, loans and equity investments.”

Read more here: https://ikea.today/social-entrepreneurship/

Source: https://www.ikeasocialentrepreneurship.org/en

 

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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.

Are You Still not recycling? You Might Regret It!

Are You Still not recycling? You Might Regret It!

What is Life Cycle Assessment and How it helped BinFree to discover their contribution to the environment?

Life-cycle assessment for glass recyclables and deposit packages to discover our contribution to the environment.

2021 is behind the door and it’s been almost a year since the first pick up that BinFree delivered for deposit packages! With the incredible work of our intern, Udesh Wickramarathne, a life-cycle assessment was conducted for the pick up services operations for glass recyclables and deposit packages to discover our contribution to the environment.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is one of the techniques of environmental management being developed to assess possible environmental impacts associated with products/services. According to the ISO standards, LCA is defined as a method for analysing and determining the environmental impact along the product chain of the systems. LCA differs from other environmental methods by linking environmental performance to functionality, quantifying the pollutant emissions, and the use of raw materials based on the function of the product system.

environmental protection, nature, light bulb

Why BinFree collects deposit packages and recyclable glass?

BinFree offers pick up services for households, cafeterias and restaurants as well as companies that sort their waste and they want to contribute to their society and enrich themselves with knowledge regarding the environment, for deposit packages and recyclable glass packages.

  • Deposit packages

For deposit packages, a fee is charged on applicable beverage containers at the point of purchase, which retailers are required to collect from consumers. Intended to act as an incentive to recycle, deposits refunded when the consumer returns the empty container to an authorised redemption centre or retailer for recycling. For finding the closest reverse vending machine, Kuhuviia is an excellent digital tool that can help you. The deposit packages have assigned to their package the following labels:

BinFree collects the deposit packages to ensure that the end user recycles the packages and make the returning process smoother, faster and without any physical effort. We provide our service to the society to encourage the disposal of bottles and cans, and reward our clients’ efforts with financial incentives for sustainable purchases and blog articles regarding single use plastic alternatives such as menstrual cups, bamboo cotton buds, solid dish soap and shampoos and stasher bags.

During the past 11 months, we have collected 5120 deposit packages from households and specifically:

–17,4kg of equivalent plastic (with this quantity saved, 24 football teams can make their athletic shirts, as for every 7 plastic bottles, one football shirt can be produced according to Eesti Pandipakend)

–261,8kg equivalent glass (quantity equivalent with 1377 Coca Cola 330ml bottles, as each bottle weighs just 0,19 kg).

–27kg of equivalent aluminum  (quantity that would cover the production needs of 871 iPhones, considering the fact that each iPhone contains 0,031kg of aluminum  )

  • Recyclable glass

After a great demand of our clients, we decided to start collecting also recyclable glass for packages that are not included in the deposit system such as wine bottles, bottles from alcoholic beverages, glass jars from marmalades, sauces, children food, soups etc. as well as oil bottles. Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without loss in quality or purity.

We are here to help you to get rid of this “guilty” habit that we all have – keeping empty glass jars in a cupboard that we never use. We have unoccupied these cupboards space in many households, releasing space and sometimes we even received bottles from 19th century! We have noticed that creating a relationship of trust and reassurance can bring an increase in the consumers’ patterns regarding the packaging and specifically a preference on glass packaging than plastic, as it is known that the package will be safely and appropriately disposed of.

 We have collected 460kg of recyclable glass and thanks to our partner TVO, we were able to deliver them to recycling facilities and ensure its safe disposal. Recycled glass can be used in the production chain to make a new glass bottle, a soup or a marmalade jar.

  • What would happen without BinFree?

In Tallinn, a major amount of general waste ends up either to incineration plant or to a sanitary landfill. One of the main reasons that waste can end up there, is lack of sorting from the consumers’ side. Taking this into consideration, we analysed and measured the environmental impact in case of landfill and incineration, the amount of deposit packages and glass recyclables collected by us, taking into account 3 main variables: climate change, acidification and human toxicity.

Incineration plant
Climate Change kg CO2 eq 4.07E+01
Acidification kg SO2 eq 5.61E-03
Human Toxicity kg 1,4-DB eq 1.91E+00

Data used from the LCA conducted in November 2020

Landfill
Climate Change kg CO2 eq 2,87E-01
Acidification kg SO2 eq 4,50E-05
Human Toxicity kg 1,4-DB eq 1,48E+01

Data used from the LCA conducted in November 2020

During the period 01/01/2020 to 22/12/2020, the carbon footprint generation of our waste collection process was:

Carbon footprint of the collection process
Km completed 673
kg CO2 eq 180,2

Data used from the LCA conducted in November 2020

According to the above results, waste incineration has the highest impact on all 3 environmental impact categories. Specifically, if the quantities described above 17,4kg of equivalent plastic, 721,8kg equivalent glass and 27kg of equivalent aluminum were incinerated would emit 40.17kg of equivalent CO2 to the environment which would contribute to climate change, 0.00561kg of equivalent SO2 would emit to cause the acidification in air and water, and 7.13 kg of equivalent 1,4-DB will emit into the environment which is toxic to the human health.

We have committed to minimise the possibility of releasing these pollutants to the environment by collecting the materials and recycling them, saving CO2 emissions from incineration. We have achieved to maintain a positive carbon footprint besides the transportation carbon emissions from the collection process (180,2kg of equivalent CO2).

BinFree has saved with its operations 538,69kg of equivalent CO2 emissions!

We are very proud for this work and we wish for a prosperous continuation of our activities and contribution to the society and the environment! We are open to suggestions, collaborations and solutions that might help us minimize the impact of our transportation and collection methods and we are happily announcing that from 2021, it would be possible to make an impact analysis for each pick-up, upon request.

By Katerina Chantzi from BinFree, Estonia

 

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.

 

Entrepreneurship Training and Mentoring Circle for Women
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Entrepreneurship Training and Mentoring Circle for Women

Entrepreneurship Training and Mentoring Circle for Women (ETMCW) is a concept delivered by European Activism Incubator. It is a year-long innovative, flexible training programme directed to Brussels – based women, who wish to launch a social or environmental impact business, a social enterprise or a non-profit project. The training has been designed to support a diverse group of women living and working in Brussels in becoming economically empowered through entrepreneurship. Its aim is to provide women with solid and actionable skills, which will increase their initiative’s likelihood of success.

The design of the training will allow its participants to focus specifically on their idea for an impact project that they bring to the table. The skills curriculum is strengthened by a strong ICT element, as today’s entrepreneurial success strongly relies on proficiency in digital skills. The curriculum also addresses systemic challenges encountered specifically by women and teaches specific leadership and professional skills needed to overcome them on the entrepreneurial journey.

Innovative, responsive and inclusive

ETMCW provides a set of directly actionable skills for women, specific to their project. The participants immediately apply the business or project development principles, concepts or tools explained by a tutor to the project they wish to launch.

The progress of each participant is monitored and the content of classes is adapted and tailor-made to the individual’s needs. This markedly differs from a majority of classroom and online-based business and entrepreneurship courses, which teach a variety of principles that may or may not be relevant to a specific project, context, background or situation.

The responsive design of ETMCW also means that the course can address many important aspects that hold women back in addition to their gender, such as race, origin and class, making the programme truly intersectional.

The course departs from the traditional top-down, classroom-based approach to education, applying instead a mix of teaching methodologies that are highly empowering. It is interactive and participative, and includes circle discussions that build on emergent collective knowledge, experience exchange and mutual support.

The concept has been developed from experiences gained through the Beginner Entrepreneur Mentoring Programme for Women, which provided solid insight into the needs of women with entrepreneurship aspirations.

 

More information can be found here: https://activismincubator.eu/training/etmc-women

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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.

 

 

GARAGE48 – From an idea to a prototype successful entrepreneur in 48 hours!

GARAGE48 – From an idea to a prototype successful entrepreneur in 48 hours!

Are the following Estonian entrepreneurs behind successful startups known to you? Taxify, Pipedrive, Fortumo, Weekdone and Mooncascade.

Garage48 hackathons are shaped around diverse focus points varying from theme-based ones with IT-skillset requirements (e.g. AgTech, Cyber Security, Female Entrepreneurship, VR&AR etc.) to makeathon events where the main focus is on creating physical objects instead of IT-based prototypes (e.g. Wood, Hardware & Arts series, Defence etc.). 

How can Garage48 and its hackathon boost your own social enterprise to be executed? [button link=”https://garage48.org/en” color=”blue” size=”small” stretch=”” type=”” shape=”” target=”_self” title=”” gradient_colors=”|” gradient_hover_colors=”|” accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” bevel_color=”” border_width=”1px” icon=”” icon_divider=”yes” icon_position=”left” modal=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ alignment=”left” class=”” id=””]Find more [/button]

 

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[testimonial name=”” avatar=”none” image=”” image_border_radius=”” company=”” link=”” target=”_self”]European Enterprise Promotion Awards: “Encourage the Entrepreneur” winner for Garage48 Tourism Women’s Special[/testimonial]
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Presentation on social economy support system in Poland
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Presentation on social economy support system in Poland

Presentation: Social entrepreneurship – investments from the ESF in Poland by Aleksandra Dmitruk, Deputy Director, ESF Management Department.

 

National Programme for Social Economy Development (NSPED)

The social economy support system in Poland has two main components:

(1) Creating “environment” for SEE creation and growth including soft support by country-wide Social Economy Support Units

(2) Providing finance to SEE through the ESF 2014-2020, ESF 2007-2013 and state budget resources.

 

See full presentation here: DMITRUK_PL_presentation_case study_EP 2018

 

SEIKU – social entrepreneurship incubator in Estonia

SEIKU is Estonia’s first social entrepreneurship incubator located in Tartu, South-Estonia. The goal is to help local people, NPOs and other interested parties to start their own social enterprises.

The main target group for the incubation program are people who are interested in social entrepreneurship and are willing to work intensively for 3 months to form their concept of a social enterprise and create a business plan which would be the base to start their own enterprise.

Pre-incubation (3 months) mainly consists of a training program, which helps the participants to think through all aspects of starting a business. The main incubation program lasts for 7 months and the  goal is to help social enterprise ideas to function as real social enterprises.

http://seiku.ddakadeemia.ee/

Kodukant, the Estonian Village Movement

Kodukant, the Estonian Village Movement

Kodukant, the Estonian Village Movement is an association of non-governmental organizations, structured at three levels – village, county and national. Kodukant was set up officially in October 1997 and now has about 5,000 members. Kodukant embodies the spirit and values of the villages and is driven by a passion to retain rural life and traditions. Kodukant’s aims are to give technical advice; to promote networking and communication; to arrange training and capacity building; to act as advocate for rural communities; to support local initiatives; and to foster co-operation at all levels.

Kodukant is the most important promoter of the Smart Village concept in Estonia. Kodukant is supporting the social entrepreneurship in rural areas by consulting, training programs, development of teaching materials, etc.

For future information: https://kodukant.ee/.