Express Online Incubator 2.0
In spring 2023, together with the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund, we conducted a rapid online incubator for creating and developing social enterprises. The program was aimed at teaching initiative groups and registered organizations that have a clear idea of creating a social business or are already piloting it. 25 teams were selected to participate in the program. Based on the teams' participation in the incubation program and the business plans presented by an independent expert committee, 5 projects were selected and received financial support of up to 7000 euros to launch their enterprises. Learn more about the program.
Impact Business
In February 2023, together with Impact Force, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Diia.Business, and the Office of Entrepreneurship and Export Development, we launched an acceleration program for Ukrainian businesses that support post-war recovery and social impact. The program is designed for 25 Ukrainian companies operating in agriculture, energy, infrastructure, healthcare, cybersecurity, and other industries. The program lasts for 9 months, and after completing the accelerator, two companies with the best results will have the opportunity to receive financial support of up to 20,000 euros per team. Learn more about the program.
Express Online Accelerator
In the fall of 2022, together with the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund and with the support of the 1to4 Foundation (Switzerland), our team conducted an express online accelerator for scaling and developing social enterprises. The program was aimed at accelerating existing active social enterprises that have been operating in the market for at least 12 months, have a clearly defined product/service, and generate profit from their activities. 30 teams were selected to participate in the program. Learn more about the program.
Express Online Incubator
In June 2022, together with the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund and with the support of the 1to4 Foundation (Switzerland), our team conducted an express online incubator for creating and developing social enterprises. Selected from among the graduates, the enterprises received social investments in the form of smart grants ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 euros! 20 teams were selected to participate in the program. Learn more about the program.
Grant Program "Social Enterprises for Emergency"
At the end of March 2022, USVF and SILab Ukraine announced the call for applications for the fast response social enterprise smart grants program. Thanks to this program, we were able to support 13 social enterprises that needed to relocate, transform their production, hire new employees from among the IDPs, focus on the needs of civilians affected by military operations. More details about the program and winners.
Shelter.Ukraine
Shelter.Ukraine is a charitable initiative with a primary focus on providing clothing, hygiene items, and food to internally displaced Ukrainians, as well as equipping shelters. The activity was implemented directly through collaboration with volunteer initiatives, civil society organizations, and local self-government bodies at the community level. Our activity covered all regions of Ukraine. Shelter.Ukraine has been helping Ukrainians since February 28, 2022. Report on the initiative's activities.
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Digital LABs for social entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship experts
Digital LABs is a joint initiative of SILab Ukraine and the British Council in Ukraine, supported by the House of Europe. This is a training program for social entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship coaches. The training takes place online with the participation of unique and inspiring both Ukrainian and international experts and cases that help to find new solutions and move forward. The current course is over, follow the announcements on our channels.
Collaborate for Impact
Collaborate for Impact project aims to support and develop social entrepreneurship ecosystems in seven Eastern Partnership countries: Armenia,Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The project will distribute € 300,000 to financially support social businesses. Such funding will stimulate the creation of new Ukrainian enterprises and the development of existing ones, which are based on the achievement of social and environmental changes. Separate focus will be paid to increasing the number of impact investors in Ukraine. https://usv.fund/cfi
Local programs for the social entrepreneurship development
During 2019-2020, SILab Ukraine experts with the support of the “PROMIS: Partnership for Urban Development” participated in the creation of the first programs for urban social entrepreneurship development in Ukraine. The very first program was approved by the Vinnytsia City Council in May 2020, the Program of Social Entrepreneurship Development in the Ivano-Frankivsk City Territorial Community was approved at the beginning of 2021.
SELab social entrepreneurship accelerator
SELab Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator is an ongoing program of the organization, aimed at helping future social entrepreneurs to find ideas for social enterprise, turn them into business models and prepare for their launch. The alumni community encompasses thousand of people who have participated in four acceleration programs, two international schools of social entrepreneurship, eight hackathons, more than thirty "idea garages" and training programs. More than twenty social entrepreneurs have launched their businesses. To participate in the program, follow the announcements. You can learn more about the accelerator here.
Ukrainian Social Venture Fund
In January 2020, SILab Ukraine became one of the co-founders of the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund. This is the first fund in Ukraine to support the development of social entrepreneurs. In February of the same year, the first social investments were issued made. You can learn more about the fund here.
Maximize Your Impact
The guide was developed within “Know Your Impact: Social Impact Management Tools for Young Social Entrepreneurs” by Estonian Social Enterprise Network, Koç University Social Impact Forum, Mikado Sustainable Development Consulting and Social Value UK. SILab Ukraine translated it in the Ukrainian language and promote it all over Ukraine. Download here.
Handbook "50 ideas for social enterprise"
Following the results of the four hackathons on social entrepreneurship held in 2019 in Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kryvyi Rih and Kharkiv, the SILab Ukraine team compiled a brochure describing the top 50 ideas that have become business models. Read and download the handbook.
Impact Investment Conference
In February 2020, SILab Ukraine initiated and organized the International Conference "Impact Investment: First Experience and a Glimpse into the Future". Experts and social investors from Ukraine and the EU analyzed the first experience of providing social investments by big business, funds and private investors, as well as opportunities for the development of this area in Ukraine. You can learn more about the conference here.
A guide to the experience of social order in Ukraine and Latvia
In 2019, based on the results of the joint project "Municipalities and Social Enterprises: Interaction for the Social Economy Development " with the International Accelerator of Social Entrepreneurship “New Door” (Latvia), SILab Ukraine prepared a guide "Successful cooperation practices in services procurement between municipalities and social enterprises". The guide demonstrates the best practices of involving social enterprises, which operate on the basis of public and charitable organizations, in the provision of social and medical services for municipalities, primarily on the basis of the "social order". The text of the guide can be found here.
Study visits
In July 2021, within the frame of the USAID “Economic Support for Eastern Ukraine” project, SILab Ukraine organized a study tour for social entrepreneurs from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts to Chernivtsi, where we they studied the experience of social enterprises in this community. Additionally, during 2017 and 2018, in cooperation with the International Accelerator of Social Entrepreneurship “New Door” (Latvia), “Kalmar” co-working space (Sweden) and with the support of the Swedish Institute, SILab Ukraine organized three international visits for social entrepreneurs and local governments representatives to Latvia and Sweden. Participants studied the ecosystem of social entrepreneurship and the practices of establishing partnerships among social businesses in these countries.
