The third edition of +PLUS from Casa do Impacto distributed 441 thousand euros for the development and scale of startups with a social and environmental purpose, inserted in two business axes: Testing (product tests) and Scaling (for early-stage startups).

 

These are the six impact businesses invested by the +PLUS Impact Investment Program, which now form part of our Hub’s community of more than 60 impact startups:

 

Testing: up to €50,000 investment per project:

• > Matterpieces – proposes the recycling and reuse of demolition waste through a process that involves separation, treatment and upcycling to transform them into coating materials to be used in floors, walls, furniture and countertops. The process combines artisanal Terrazzo technique with collaborative design to promote circularity in construction. The project has two circular strategies: a broader one that uses generic waste from waste management companies to create a standard material, and a more specific one that reuses demolition waste in rehabilitation projects to create a unique cladding material to reintroduce into the building.

• > Penylon by Circular Ocean – the project aims to end the unsustainable disposal of fishing nets in Peniche, recycling these nets and transforming them into a new sustainable material called PENYLON™. This material can replace virgin plastics in the manufacture of new products, such as furniture or accessories, using 3D printing or injection molding.

• > WeGuide – a project by Associação Terra dos Sonhos that aims to support and empower patients and caregivers to manage cancer, increasing their quality of life and achieving improvements in health outcomes. It materializes through the presence of a Health Guide, a new professional concept, which monitors the patient for a period of six months with a focus on support and training for managing the challenges of the disease.

 

Scaling: up to €100,000 investment per project: 

• > Café-Escola Joyeux Cascais – the project aims to employ and train young adults with Intellectual and Development Difficulties (IDD) in the catering sector in the Municipality of Cascais. The training model is free and offers permanent contracts to train young adults with DID as versatile workers in catering, graduating them in four different areas: Barista, Table Service, Cashier and Kitchen, over a period of two years. Each young person is accompanied by restoration professionals and experienced technicians, who help them overcome obstacles and encourage their autonomy and self-esteem. They applied for +PLUS to accelerate the opening of the next JOYEUX café-restaurant in Portugal, which will employ around 12 more young adults with IDD.

• > Koiki – aims to solve the problem of increased emissions generated by last-mile deliveries, through a sustainable distribution model and job creation for people in a situation of social exclusion in Greater Lisbon and Porto. Distribution is carried out on foot or by bicycle, with occasional use of electric vehicles, and couriers are hired by social entities in partnership with micro hubs – small installations for managing orders and circuits in areas and postcodes negotiated with distributors. The project already exists in Spain and intends to expand the activity to Portugal with the opening of six micro hubs in Lisbon and one in Porto.

• > NoCode Institute – digital reskilling platform that offers training and certification programs for professionals in transition who want to learn new skills and digital visual programming skills using NoCode tools. Offers employability support, including coaching and mentoring to accelerate integration into the job market. All participants have free access to tuition.

 

Over the last three years, Casa do Impacto has already invested in 23 startups under the +PLUS program that was developed to test new ideas with potential for social and environmental impact, in line with the 17 Goals for Sustainable Development of the Agenda 2030 of the United Nations, and to support the development of sustainable organizations with innovative ideas and proven results. In addition to funding, the program operates through various forms of support, such as a tailor-made follow-up plan, measurement of impact through performance indicators defined from the outset, involvement in the impact ecosystem, payment for results and even non-financial support oriented towards the success of the project.

Stay tuned for the next publications about +PLUS, we will present each of the projects and their founders.

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