Regardless, they came to us. They came with ideas, goals, and dreams. They came with the will to create something unique with the power to transform the lives of others. For that alone, they are winners. For that alone, they deserve our applause, respect, and admiration.

It takes a lot of courage to give Impact the body, soul, and spirit of an Entrepreneur. It’s not the obvious direction, and it’s not the easiest decision; it takes time and a lot of work. Not everyone is cut out for it. They’re, and regardless of where they’ve come from or where they’re going, this Impact bug will stay with them. We’re very proud to have followed their first steps.

Congratulations to this Cohort of excellence, which has worked tirelessly over many intense months. During many sessions, many workshops, pitches, photo shoots, events, visits, work sessions and a very enriching partnership with the Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics in the context of the Impact Entrepreneurship Master.

The sixth edition of RISE was also the first under the CONNECT initiative, during which we introduced several new features to the training process. It was truly one of the most intense and dynamic training phases in the history of RISE for Impact, living up to the standard that many other talented entrepreneurs have set over the years.

It was one of the most intense and dynamic training phases in the history of RISE for Impact, and they lived up to the standard that so many other talented Entrepreneurs have raised over the years.

The Demodays always end the same way: some stay in the race, others quit the program. It’s tough, but it has to happen. However, we ensure it’s not a final goodbye and continue to support all the projects, being available for whatever they need.

 

Those who remain with us until the end are still working to reach the top step of the podium:

 

• > DAT – Dance, Art and Therapy – Maria Eugénia Brandulo, Ana Stange Klix and Irene Labar Pirez:

DAT is an NGO that utilizes Tango Therapy and other artistic expressions as innovative tools to promote inclusion, health, and quality of life in the community, with a focus on the most vulnerable groups.

DAT promotes social change through the arts. To this end, it develops intervention methodologies and strategic actions that address concrete social challenges that threaten the Well-Being, Quality of Life, and Sustainability of the population. It offers various programs – artistic, therapeutic, and educational – tailored to the Community’s needs and implements social transformation plans with a Positive Impact.

 

• > Green Dash – Rita Pinhol and José Nave:

GreenDash is an all-in-one digital platform that helps SMEs and consultants collect and monitor ESG data, generating Sustainability reports more easily, automatically, and systematically based on VSME and CSRD requirements, suggesting improvements in ESG practices to Companies. The mission is to simplify the process, save time, and increase the quality and consistency of information with the support of AI technologies, promoting greater transparency and improving business practices. In addition, it also offers courses and certifications on SDG and CSRD.

 

• > Lampsy Health – Vicente Garção and Leonor Pereira:

Lampsy Health is developing an innovative device for monitoring epilepsy. Epileptic seizures can be fatal, yet 86% of nocturnal seizures go unnoticed, generating fear and anxiety. The Lampsy device detects these seizures and sends real-time alerts to parents and caregivers with 99% accuracy and 18 times fewer false alarms than alternatives, thereby guaranteeing users’ safety and peace of mind.

 

The finalists were chosen for their work, evolution, potential for scalability, and Impact. The Jury was composed of experts on the sectors that the ten projects focused on in this edition: Sara Valente – Director of the Health Department at Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, Frederico Fezas-Vital, Executive Director of the Católica-Lisbon Yunus Social Innovation Center​, our CONNECT Partner, and Anabell Acevedo – Founder & CEO of Equivalence, RISE for Impact Alumni Entrepreneur and honorable mention in the last edition of the program, and Nuno Comando, Director of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Social Economy at Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa.

We are also very grateful for the presence of SCML’s Executive Director, André Brandão de Almeida, for his words of motivation, which praised the ten projects for the sublime symbiosis between technical innovation, commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and building a more inclusive society – the mission of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa since the beginning, “Social inclusion is a collective responsibility. Regardless of today’s result, your work is already a victory. Every step you have taken has strengthened your Mission and inspired us all.” 

Curious Cotton, Impacte, Lask Portugal, NOSHAME Movement, RoyalTea Drinks, The Queer Spot, and Usawa Care – you know where to find us; we’re still in the same place, at your disposal. “Don’t be strangers!”.

“It was with great enthusiasm that we celebrated the talent and dedication of Entrepreneurs in yet another edition of RISE for Impact. We witnessed the power of Social Innovation and Impact Entrepreneurship to transform lives and organizations. This Demoday is an important milestone for the program, which is now heading into its final phase, but also for the Casa do Impacto project, which, after six years, continues to count on the support of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa and its people, to help these professionals on their Entrepreneurial and Impact journey. It was an enriching and inspiring afternoon for all those present, and we couldn’t be prouder of the path taken by this group of entrepreneurs.” – Nuno Comando, Director of Casa do Impacto.

We’ll keep an eye out for everyone! Stay, too; they’re going to achieve great things!

CONNECT – TRANSFORMING KNOWLEDGE INTO IMPACT is a Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative (IIES) that is the result of the application submitted by a cohesive Consortium made up of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa as the Coordinating Entity and the Partner Entities Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Universidade Católica Portuguesa (through the Yunus Social Innovation Center at Católica-Lisbon) to the Call for Applications No. LISBOA2030-2024-16 – Centers for Impact Entrepreneurship of the Lisbon 2030 Regional Program / Portugal Social Innovation Mission Structure (EMPIS). The CONNECT Consortium is funded by the European Union, and its Social Investors are Lisbon City Council, the Galp Foundation, and the Santander Foundation.

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