It is always a valuable opportunity to witness firsthand how Impact transforms depending on the territory, addressing global challenges while simultaneously adapting to local needs. It also serves as an essential source of inspiration for the work we do here.

The trip began in The Hague, internationally renowned as the City of Peace and Justice and a pioneer in creating ImpactCity. ImpactCity is a community of Impact Startups and Scaleups that promotes, with the participation of The Hague City Hall, the coordination of a network of ten Impact Hubs scattered throughout the city. It also organizes the Young Digitals and Byewaste. The latter, a Startup dedicated to Circular Economy and technological optimization of processes, received the Casa do Impacto delegation with particular warmth, as their team had prototyped their project in Lisbon, running a pilot in the Telheiras neighborhood.

We also had the chance to meet with a representative from AISEC in The Hague at an events hall overlooking the city’s innovation district. Here, our Entrepreneurs presented their winning projects:

• Ninja Fedy, Co-Founder of Zipply, has developed a tech service with integrated AI that reduces food waste in B2B sectors, focusing on Circular Economy to create a positive Social Impact in Helsinki and other cities across Finland.
• Giovana Brunelli Kornfeld conceived Barra Concept, a brand that produces natural and organic cosmetic products in sustainable packaging designed by Brazilian artists. Barra’s value chain respects the environment by eliminating all chemicals, prioritizes the health of its users, and focuses on creating value for the fair work of raw material producers, such as Brazilian clay and Portuguese essential oils.
• Daniela Alvarenga, founder of Mulheres na Obra in Brazil, manages dozens of projects supported by longstanding Partners and Clients. Now, with Selma Ferreira, they are Ambassadors of the Collective of Architects and Trainers implementing a program for capacity building, professional training, and promoting female workforce integration in the construction sector, aiming to create jobs and self-employment in various roles.
• Luís and Angelica Pimenta, the duo behind Cuidador Humanitário, developed their project through the marriage of their professional expertise. Angelica’s specialization as a Physiotherapist and certified Trainer in eldercare was transformed into a DGERT-certified online training platform for Caregivers, thanks to Luís’s experience in IT Development and Infrastructure.

Every Hub we visited demonstrated an organic connection to its city and local administrative bodies. The New Farm hosts projects like Eiberbier Beer, Volskeuken, SOX3SOX, I Did, and Social Club The Haague—a national network of Social Entrepreneurs that operates between various local headquarters and initiatives. The Social Club serves as a networking and mentoring space, acting as a bridge between the supply and demand of innovative solutions with positive Impact, supporting Entrepreneurs aiming to implement their projects in the region.

The Hub Titaan, home to projects like Kico, provides a co-working space for sustainable and inclusive Kitchen projects. It is organized into multiple modular spaces that can be individually rented by Entrepreneurs, collectives, or even companies to carry out longer or more complex processes, such as developing and testing new products or recipes. Individuals can also rent fully certified and equipped spaces to prepare meals for events, parties, or catering. Impact projects operate out of several offices, and the Hub features training rooms equipped with 360º cameras and microphones, where some classes of the University of Applied Sciences—managed by the Unknown Group—are conducted. The diverse training programs, certified by the Dutch Ministry of Education, allow selected students to attend Bachelor’s classes in multiple cities across the Netherlands, and Entrepreneurial students incubated at Titaan can pursue a Master’s degree tailored to their specific projects.

The Humanity Hub integrates NGOs, Associations, and Organizations working directly on justice and peace topics aligned with the SDGs and the city’s municipal policies. It constitutes an Ecosystem with hundreds of actors, institutions, and national companies, as well as links to countries such as Ukraine, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom.

The Hague seems to have been designed with the DNA of Impact Entrepreneurship. All the spaces we visited are tailored to meet the diverse needs of Entrepreneurs, addressing not only their work but their entire life and well-being. Everything is designed to respond to current challenges and adapt to the nature of events, whether they are meetings, informal gatherings, performances, demonstrations, or meals—everything you can imagine.

In Amsterdam, we visited the The Netwerkpro Association, a nonprofit organization, and the headquarters of The Next Web, part of the Financial Times. This Hub is a central player in the tech innovation sector and a reference in media and events related to this field, organizing the TNW Conference, the largest event dedicated to technological innovation. We were welcomed by Tomás Sousa Machado, Sponsorship & Sales Manager, who hosted another round of presentations for the four winning PUSH projects.

The meetings and public presentations were both positive and exciting challenges, providing opportunities for our Entrepreneurs to showcase their work to colleagues and experts operating in one of Europe’s top-tier Impact Ecosystems. “Inspiration” is undoubtedly the keyword to describe the experience. The learning, sharing, and new connections were key added values for each Entrepreneur. The potential for project development, international Partnerships, opportunities to kick-start international production, and the expansion of cooperation networks are promising pathways to create even greater Impact.

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