Newsroom

Welcome to Stockholm on November 17th!

Dear all,

Yes, this is indeed the third edition of the EWB Positive Impact Newsletter, but we wanted to make sure you saw and save that date – November 17!

So go to Sustainable Entrepreneurship Day and reserve your ticket today!

In this edition:

• Sustainable Entrepreneurship Day 2023
• Reflections on how to move forward in dark times

Sustainable Entrepreneurship Day 2023

So yes, we are super happy and proud to announce this years EWB Summit and Award, and of course Sustainable Entrepreneurship Day will be held on November 17th in Stockholm.

Previously we have held it in October (2019 & 2020) and then in December (2021 & 2022) and this year we are smack in the middle, November!

And yes, this is the 5th edition of the event, another reason for celebration 🥳

When the autumn is at its greyest, when everything feels dark and damp, that’s when we need the brightest lights and the happiest moments.

Together with some really good old friends, the artist collective Kollektivet Livet. We will be hosting the event in Stockholm’s latest and coolest culture center, Stadsgårdsterminalen.

In the old Birka Line ferry building, Kollektivet Livet have created Stockholm’s new culture scene, whilst keeping the atmosphere of going on a trip, a cruise, a venture out into the unknown, and we intend to do the same.

There will be a lot more info to come, but for now, save the date, November 17th, late afternoon to late late night.

It’s going to be awesome!

Save the date! November 17th! 🙂

Sustainable Entrepreneurship Day 2023

Moving forward in dark times

For this months newsletter I’d like to share some thoughts and reflections article I wrote this last weekend that I feel sums up the mindset we all have at EWB.

Please click through to read the full article as well on LinkedIn or Medium.

As I wrote on LinkedIn, an article with thoughts and reflections on the week passed, a week full of ups and downs, just like life tends to be, but alas, no matter how dark the night gets, with its dark hour tail-chasing circle of thoughts and tosses and turns, somehow the sun always seems to rise in the morning and there is clarity to be found in the early morning visits to the gym or walk in the fresh air, getting ready for the day.

Acceptance, resilience, perseverance is all we have, and it is all we need.

It’s like the quote from The Fellowship of the Rings, in the dialogue between Frodo and Gandalf:

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.

“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

We are where we are and we have what we have, and all we can do is make the most of it.

Ending words

As you know, me and the rest of the EWB team are determined to keep pushing, keep trying to shine a light where there is darkness and keep showing you examples of the good and positive things going on in the world.

This newsletter is just one way of doing it and if you have any suggestions, success stories, or events you’d like us to feature in coming editions, please reach out.

Let’s build a better world through sustainable and positive impact entrepreneurship together!

P.S. If you know anyone who might be interested in our newsletter, please feel free to forward it to them. They can subscribe by visiting our website www.ewb.world or contacting us at info@ewb.world. Thank you for your support!

Hi, hello and welcome!

Dear all,

We’re thrilled to present the first edition of the EWB Positive Impact newsletter!

As an organization dedicated to promoting sustainable solutions and social entrepreneurship, we believe in the power of entrepreneurship to drive positive change around the world. In this monthly newsletter, we will bring you inspiring stories and updates from the startup and scaleup community, shining a spotlight on the incredible work being done these superheroes to create a better future for all.

In this edition:

• Featured Startup: SOSO Care, Nigeria
• Global Impact News: Seaweed Farming
• Upcoming Event: SES2023
• Call to action

Please help us make this bigger and better, spread the word, share the newsletter and send us suggestions for content we should feature.

1. This months featured startup – SOSO Care!

Our first startup to be featured is SOSO Care, one of the projects that EWB has been supporting since 2021 and that actually were the recipient of the EWB Award in 2021.

SOSO Care are a waste management platform that provides health insurance to underserved groups through the exchange of recyclable waste for health insurance premiums.

Simply put; they enable people to collect recyclable waste like plastic bottles that then can be exchanged for health insurance, so it’s a double win, both for the environment, as well as for the people that get access to healthcare. 

Read more on their website www.sosocare.com 

EWB are currently looking for the next country to start SOSO Care in, if you are interested in helping in any way; starting, investing, recycling or just connecting, please let us know!

2. Global Impact News of the month: Seaweed Farming

Seaweed farming, also known as mariculture, is gaining significant attention as a sustainable and promising solution for various environmental challenges. Seaweeds, or macroalgae, are not only nutritious and versatile but also have the potential to combat climate change, restore marine ecosystems, and provide economic opportunities for coastal communities.

Seaweed cultivation is an environmentally friendly practice that requires no freshwater, fertilizers, or pesticides. These fast-growing marine plants absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide and release oxygen, playing a crucial role in mitigating climate change. Additionally, seaweeds can serve as natural filters, improving water quality and creating habitats for marine life.

Beyond their environmental benefits, seaweeds have numerous applications. They can be used in the production of biofuels, bio-based materials, and food products. Seaweed-based biofuels have shown promising results as a renewable and carbon-neutral energy source. Moreover, the demand for seaweed in the food industry is rapidly increasing due to its nutritional value, versatility, and unique flavors.

Around the world, entrepreneurs and coastal communities are embracing seaweed farming as a sustainable business opportunity. By cultivating seaweed on ropes or specialized structures in coastal waters, they are not only creating new livelihoods but also contributing to the development of a blue economy.

As seaweed farming gains momentum, innovative startups are exploring ways to maximize its potential. From developing efficient cultivation techniques to creating value-added seaweed products, these entrepreneurs are driving the industry forward.

One great example is Nordic Seafarm, a Swedish seaweed farm on the west coast, and if you have 20 minutes, have a look at the interview EWB founder Donnie did with Niklas Carlson, head of commecial of Nordic Seafarm last week: Interview on YouTube

3. Upcoming Event: SES2023

This months featured event is The Social Entrepreneurship Summit 2023, held in Cartagena, Colombia, on August 31st to September 1st.

The SES is a global conference that brings together social entrepreneurs, investors, and change-makers from around the world. The event focuses on sharing knowledge, fostering collaborations, and discussing strategies for building a sustainable future.

The theme for 2023 is “From discourse to action: towards a lasting societal impact“ and will discuss emerging trends and practical solutions to the most pressing challenges facing social entrepreneurs today. Exploring the potential of social entrepreneurship to transform communities and create a lasting impact, the SES2023 is open for anyone interested in social entrepreneurship.

Read more on their website #SES2023

4. Help us!

We hope you found this short first newsletter insightful and inspiring. We are excited to embark on this journey of sharing impactful stories and fostering a global community of changemakers together with you, so please, if you have any suggestions, success stories, or events you’d like us to feature in the next edition, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Let’s build a better world through entrepreneurship together!

Another month gone by, and here’s #2!

Dear all,

Already a month passed and it’s time for the second edition of the EWB Positive Impact Newsletter. 

The response to the first one we sent out last month was overwhelming, thank you for all the positive feedback and showing us that we are on the right track here. 

Please send this newsletter on to anyone you feel might like it, the more people we can reach together, the better of course. And of course, please send us stories and news that you feel is worth sharing!

We are also looking for volunteers that want to help us run this newsletter, so if you or anyone in your network would like to spend a couple of hours a month helping spread good news, please let us now. 

Entrepreneurs Without Borders is an organization dedicated to promoting sustainable solutions and social entrepreneurship, we believe in the power of entrepreneurship to drive positive change around the world. This monthly newsletter aims to bring you inspiring stories and updates from the startup and scaleup community, highlighting the good work being done all over the world.

In this edition:

• Featured Startup: Concat, Beirut / London
• Global Impact News: Friendship Benches
• Upcoming Event: Global Goals Summit 2023
• A note from the editon

Please help us make this bigger and better, spread the word, share the newsletter and send us suggestions for content we should feature.

1. This months featured startup – CONCAT!

For this second edition of the Positive Impact Newsletter, we have picked yet another one of the amazing EWB Awardees – the 2022 recipient – CONCAT. 

CONCAT was founded by Laura Jardin Paterson and is a web agency that only employs refugees and female developers. Their whole idea is to “create top quality websites for international clients, whilst providing sustainable employment for talented, marginalised developers.“

According the the UHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, there are over 35M refugees in the world today (and over 100M displaced people in total). 

Many of them have fled from conflicts and have been forced to leave a (more or less) functioning society where they went to work every day, and now find themselves in refugee camps or hosted by foreign nations with no means to support themselves. 

This is where CONCAT comes in. Working remotely, anyone with the right skills can work as a web developer or programmer, all it takes is a computer and a somewhat stable internet connection. The hard part, as Laura put it during the prize ceremony last year, is paying their salaries. With no bank accounts or legal status, it’s a complicated setup, but CONCAT make it work. 

And they deliver high-quality work as well, make sure to visit their website and have a look at their growing portfolio.

Laura with the award

We were proud to announce CONCAT as the recipients of the 2022 EWB Award, and equally proud to feature them here in our positive impact newsletter.

Read more and get in touch with them through their website here: https://concat.tech/

The best way you can help them help more people, is to give them more work, so get in touch with them to day for your next project!

2. Global Impact News of the month: The Friendship Bench Zimbabwe

The Friendship Bench project in Zimbabwe is a Zimbabwean community-based mental health intervention where trained community health workers (known as “grandmothers”) sit on wooden park “Friendship Benches” and provide structured problem-solving talk therapy to people who come looking for mental health support or are referred by nurses or other community members.

The programme was founded by Dixon Chibanda in 2006, and has been developed ever since to bridge the mental health treatment gap. See his TED talk about it here: https://youtu.be/Cprp_EjVtwA?feature=shared

Uniquely, Friendship Bench uses “Grandmothers” more fondly known as Ambuya Utano or Gogo’s to deliver the problem-solving therapy intervention. The FB Grandmothers are rooted in their community and are the custodians of local wisdom and knowledge.

The psychological approach of problem-solving therapy works through enabling a more positive orientation toward resolving problems and empowering people to have a sense of greater coping and control over their lives.

Since the start, the Friendship Bench project has treated 280,000 people in 70 communities across Zimbabwe and at spin-off projects in Malawi, Kenya and most recently Zanzibar and Vietnam. 

According to the founder, the phenomenon will arrive in London in 2024, with a series of Friendship Benches set to be installed in the city’s most marginalised communities.

“Whether it’s London, New York or Zimbabwe, everywhere the issues are similar,” Dr Dixon Chibanda tells Positive News. “There are issues related to loneliness, access to care, and to just being able to know that what you’re experiencing – whether you call it stress or depression or anxiety – is treatable.”

Please visit their website, maybe offer a donation or why not bring them to your own community? I know they’d be a welcome sight here in Stockholm at least. 

https://www.friendshipbenchzimbabwe.org/

3. Upcoming Event: Global Goals Summit 2023

This months featured event is The Global Goals Summit that is organized by the UK based organization “Business Fights Poverty”  that is (in their own words) “a thriving global community of socially responsible businesses, NGOs, and individuals driven by a shared vision of an equitable, resilient, and sustainable future.”

This year’s theme is Creating a more equitable and resilient future and it is based on the fact that we are now at the half-way point towards the 2030 UN SDG goals that were established in 2015 but specified with targets and indicators in 2017 meaning that it is time to evaluate where we stand and what can be done the coming six years.  

Read more on the event website: https://businessfightspoverty.org/global-goals-summits/

4. A note from the editor

While I remain an optimist and keep a positive outlook on the future, there is no denying that we are seeing some really bad things happening in the world at the moment, and we aren’t doing us or the world any favors by pretending it isn’t so.

However, me and the rest of the EWB team are determined to keep pushing, keep trying to shine a light where there is darkness and keep showing you examples of the good and positive things going on in the world as well. 

This newsletter is just one way of doing it and I hope you found it insightful and inspiring. As always, if you have any suggestions, success stories, or events you’d like us to feature in coming editions, please reach out.

Let’s build a better world through sustainable and positive impact entrepreneurship together!