GRESODI

Green, Social and Digital transition via local impact ventures

The 2-year GRESODI project, co-financed by the European Social Fund, is based on a partnership between organizations supporting social innovation and social entrepreneurship, in order to elaborate a new methodology for the creation of new regional social business initiatives or by enriching already existing social entrepreneurship initiatives to experiment innovation activities with green and/or digital elements in Austria, Hungary and Spain, which can be transferred to other local communities in other regions and countries. Social entrepreneurial projects are best suited to identifying and understanding local or regional problems that people themselves face, finding relevant solutions and increasing impact in an entrepreneurial way within their own community.

The project addresses the needs of social entrepreneurs lacking adequate business models and/or missing out on digital opportunities and green innovations. The challenges are imposed by the fact that entrepreneurship skill development support is an urban phenomenon and that social enterprises are more likely to be established and operate in urban areas. Rural territories face demographic change, depopulation, ecological challenges and significantly fewer social entrepreneurs are to be found in rural areas. Even though women are more represented as founders and managers of social ventures than in classical start-ups, they are still generally underrepresented. Social entrepreneurs in rural areas need support to perform well or have difficulties in operating without the necessary skills and having access to funding. Digitalisation and digital skill development are critical challenges that social entrepreneurs face.

In order to reach the main objectives and achieve the outcome, the GRESODI project aims in particular to develop concepts tailored to the target groups (social entrepreneurs with a particular focus on women entrepreneurs, people in rural areas and micro-entrepreneurs) based on specific needs.

The GRESODI partnership aims to raise awareness of social entrepreneurship and the importance of green and digital transformation. It will support the development of the best social entrepreneurship projects with an incubation program to make them more sustainable, digital and ready for impact investments. 15 pilot projects to promote the twin transition (green and digital), improved knowledge and expertise of target groups, greater awareness of social innovation and entrepreneurship, a transnational network of stakeholders and new social business models for the green and digital transition. The main outcome of the project will be to promote adoption and behavior change for more sustainable and digital business models.

Duration

1 November 2023 – 31 October 2025

Project partners

HÁRFA Foundation, Hungary (coordinator)

Social Business Club Styria, Austria

FACTO, Spain

Ex Ante, Hungary

Incubation programme – May 2024 – April 2025

The goal of the incubation program are to found a social or green impact enterprise and to implement the first steps towards successful market entry. The incubation program participants are social entrepreneurs who have founded a social & green enterprise in the last 12 months or plan to do so in the next 12 months.

Incubation program as part of the GRESODI community between May 2024 – April 2025: 

+ 3 individual coaching sessions (diagnostic sessions for strategy development) 

+ 6 specific workshops on digital or green/social entrepreneurship topics

+ 1 voucher worth €1,000 for digitalization or sustainable (green) project measures 

+ Opportunities for international exchange and collaboration: Expand your network and get to know other social entrepreneurs from the partner regions Hungary (Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén) and Spain (Catalonia). 

Participation in a video pitch competition within the GRESODI community with the chance to win a study visit to one of the partner regions. 

Group training sessions in the Incubation Programme

Impact Lab – Impact Bootcamp

Project news

08.05.2024

Welcome to the Incubation Program!

On May 7, the Social Business Hub Styria started the next round of  the Social & Green incubation program with a kick-off event at the Unicorn Startup & Innovation…

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