Co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme, this project is implemented by Ascend Consulting in collaboration with Business Impact Lab in North Macedonia, between 15 February and 14 October 2024.
The primary goal of the project is to empower young VET students, recent graduates and social entrepreneurs from both Malta and North Macedonia to drive us towards a more sustainable future. Specifically, by equipping them with the skills and knowledge necessary to identify and pursue entrepreneurial opportunities that can make a positive impact on society.
Dovetailing from here, the main specific objectives of this project are to support:
- Capacity building in the realm of social entrepreneurship and startup creation. Specifically by preparing our target beneficiaries (young VET students, recent graduates and social entrepreneurs) for the challenges and opportunities associated with building truly sustainable businesses from economic, environmental and social perspectives. Hence pursuing triple bottom-line objectives, not just of financial returns for them, but also of greener and more socially supportive communities.
- Cross-Cultural Cooperation by promoting knowledge-sharing and collaboration among participants from both regions.
The project main activities will revolve around the implementation of a digital Acceleration Programme for “Boosting Impact Business Skills”. In a Digital Bootcamp style, this programme will consist of group training sessions and individual mentoring provided by a team of international experts, along the following key topics:
- Testing Ideas and Customer Discovery
- Business Model Canvas
- Making an Impact
- Go to Market
- Storytelling and Pitching
The programme will then conclude with a Demo Day in Skopje, North Macedonia, where the trained and mentored impact business entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to pitch their business concepts and network with potential investors and collaborators.
In this sense, we and our project partner just launched an Open Call for Participants from Malta and North Macedonia in this Acceleration Programme. The the deadline for application is 15 April 2024. Based on the received applications, we will then select 10 impact business concepts from each of the covered countries to be accelerated part of this project and benefit of:
- Free online training & mentoring for 1-2 persons per selected impact business concept
- Free participation in the Demo Day in Skopje for 1 person per selected impact business concept
- Free assistance in creating/enhancing & promoting their brand identity for the top 3 impact business concept
Sounds interesting? Read further the details of the Open Call and apply to participate by filling-in the short form here!