Announcement of the winning teams within the RISE Journey 3.0 project - Ideation Phase

On March 1, Balkan Green Foundation organized the “Demo Day” in the framework of the RISE - Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs project. This event served as an opportunity for innovative and impactful ventures that are dedicated to solving pressing social and environmental problems, showcasing their solutions, networking with like-minded individuals, securing funding, and continuing their journey to build the business prototype, offered in the incubation phase.

To ensure better preparation for this occasion and help them shape their idea, the entrepreneurs followed a total of 10 training, 15 individual one-to-one sessions and 5 mentoring sessions,  tackling important topics such as Market Research, Social Mission Value Proposition, Budget and Pricing, and Impact Measurement and the Art of Pitching. 

On this particular Demo Day, the five (5) diverse group of social entrepreneurs presented their ideas in front of a panel of judges, which evaluated the teams in four areas: (i) the composition and professional development of the team, as well as their motivation, (ii) the identified problem and the solution offered, (iii) the positive impact given the beneficiary's influential space, and (iv) the future development steps of the team to transform into successful social ventures.

After the jury evaluation, the selected teams to proceed to the Incubation phase were: “Panacea” and “ReUse”.

1. Panacea is encouraged to fight for the empowerment of women that lack professional and educational backgrounds, by establishing an aloe vera farm that provides products and services from the plant.
2. ReUse with its 3D printing filaments wants to improve the environment by reducing waste and pollution, conserving resources, and raising awareness by promoting sustainable practices. 

The two selected teams were awarded 2,500 € by the RISE 3.0 project and will continue their journey for the next four months, to gain further support for the development of their social enterprises.

Local Incubator - RISE activities are being implemented by six actors from the region: Balkan Green Foundation (Kosovo); ARNO (North Macedonia); Nešto Više (Bosnia and Herzegovina); Smart Kolektiv (Serbia); IPC Tehnopolis (Montenegro); and Yunus Social Business Balkans (Albania).

The Consortium and Supporters - This project is supported by the Agence Française de Développement, the European Union and Regional Youth Cooperation Office and is developed and monitored by the Consortium consisting of RYCO, PULSE, SEEYN and OFAJ DFJW. 

To find out more about RISE - Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs, click here.