Concordia crafts a family space for such youth daily where they receive the support they need and deserve.
NESsT focuses on improving economic autonomy because it improves community autonomy. As much as "Workforce Diversity and Inclusion" is used to solve this problem, it will not. We must pursue Workforce Equity and Justice.
Meet Victor. Victor is a coppersmith in the Romanian village of Brateiu. There used to be 200 Roma coppersmiths in his village. Now there are only six left. He says he’s proud he can continue to practice the craft of his ancestors and make a living doing so.
NESsT's portfolio director for the Andean Region offers three top tips for social entrepreneurs: (1) Look Deep, (2) Seek Feedback and (3) Test, Test, Test.
The NESsT Fund loan will increase Kulkao’s organic production capacity and improve the yield of more than 1,000 smallholder farmers living in the Peruvian rainforest, expanding the income possibilities for local indigenous communities in the buffer zone of the Cordillera Azul National Park, which covers more than 1.5 million hectares of land.
To produce specialty coffee, Cafe Compadre eliminates the intermediaries and works directly with farmers located in the remote central Peruvian jungle, training the farmers to pick only the coffee beans that are free of defects and at peak ripeness from each harvest. This way, the farmers preserve the quality and flavor of the coffee while maintaining a traceable and sustainable production process. In 2019, the social enterprise paid farmers 50% more of the average price paid to farmers for normal commercial beans.
On November 22nd, the CVC Young Innovator Awards (YIA) ceremony took place in Brazil. The award recognizes innovative business solutions that can bring about positive change for communities. The competition was organised by NESsT with support from its portfolio companies Movimento Black Money (MBM) and Maré de Sabores, which invited entrepreneurs from their respective networks as participants.
Pedala was acquired by Ame Digital, a fintech company controlled by B2W Digital, one of the largest e-commerce companies in Latin America, and Lojas Americanas three years after joining the NESsT portfolio. How did this local Rio de Janeiro startup become an attractive model ready for scale in such a short period of time?
85 million people in Latin America live with a disability, yet only 10-20% participate in the workforce. Four social enterprises in the NESsT - IKEA Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator are building inclusive workplaces across Latin America.
To connect women to decent employment in well-paid sectors, while helping employers to become more gender inclusive, NESsT partnered with portfolio company Mamo Pracuj to create Talenti - a job-searching platform tailored to the employment needs of women.
Movimento Black Money (MBM) aims to transform the economic reality of the Black community in Brazil through entrepreneurship, education, and financial services. NESsT welcomed MBM into its portfolio to initially support Mercado Black Money, an online marketplace for Black-owned businesses, sustaining its growth with capital and business mentorship. Google for Startups announced Movimento Black Money as one of the 12 new Brazilian startups that will receive equity-free funding through its Black Founders Fund.
In Latin America, at least 430,000 tons of waste is produced daily, yet only two percent of total waste is recycled. Four social enterprises in the NESsT - IKEA Social Entrepreneurship Latin America Accelerator are reshaping unsustainable production and waste management patterns across Latin America. A circular economy model that reduces waste allows the region to preserve its biodiversity by offering opportunities to create regenerative value from its abundant natural resources.
