October is a special month: seven years ago, Casa do Impacto was born. Seven years ago, Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa took the risky step of investing in Innovation and Impact. Seven years ago, we began to build a Community that would irrevocably mark the entire Impact Entrepreneurship Ecosystem. Seven years ago, several partners joined us, believing in the potential of what we could do.
And we continue to do so.
Today, with more partners, an ever-growing community, and the support of so many companies and organizations. With the promise to continue doing more and always better.
These have been seven years well lived, marked by significant milestones and recognition, but the responsibility to continue in this vein remains. We continue with the same purpose, and sustainability remains our greatest banner. The Sustainable Development Goals remain our compass. And we are not alone. If these seven years of history prove anything, it is that we are never alone.
As if it had been predicted seven years ago, this morning we held a board meeting at Casa do Impacto.
The decentralization of work undertaken by the members of the Administration of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa when promoting meetings in various structures of Santa Casa has brought together the different pieces of this enormous puzzle that extends to multiple areas and sectors throughout the city.
The visit to the Hub was also an opportunity to showcase in detail the daily work we do at Casa do Impacto and the team that makes it happen.
We welcomed Vice-Diretor Rita Prates and Board Members André Brandão de Almeida and Luís Rego, Administrator of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Social Economy, of which Casa do Impacto is a part, to meet the various members of our Community, representatives of the Impact Startups that make this Ecosystem tick.
During breakfast, the entrepreneurs sat down in a roundtable format with the administrators. They pitched their projects to the board member whose portfolio was most relevant to the social or environmental challenges they are trying to solve. They discussed the Impact, Sustainability, financial viability, strategies, and opportunities for applying solutions in real-world contexts and various settings. The administrators asked questions and challenged our entrepreneurs to think critically and strive for further progress.
Today was also a good opportunity to bring the Community together and promote new synergies between projects that can help each other.
It is great to be able to show what we do here and how much we believe in the value that impact entrepreneurship adds to society. We are following the example of the century-old institution Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, which, over many years, has had an unparalleled positive impact in various ways and across multiple sectors, improving the lives of many people. We are doing the same, continuing to work for a better future.
