Capitalizing on its decade-long presence and experience in the fields of entrepreneurship, social innovation, and sustainability, Impact Hub Athens is executing the Rural Incubation program through its strategic collaboration with the Google.org Foundation. This initiative aims to respond to the contemporary challenges of climate change, which demand more resilient societies and economies.
“We believe that education in entrepreneurship, empowerment programs, and awareness actions concerning environmental issues are vital. They provide the necessary skills and knowledge required for a fair environmental transition. Additionally, they cultivate a mindset that will lead to the development of an entrepreneurial culture. If we manage to strengthen the ecosystem of the social economy towards sustainability, there is the potential to reverse the ongoing ‘desertification’ of the region. It could emerge as a hub for attracting talent and achieve both climate and social resilience,” state the founders of Impact Hub Athens, Sophie Lamprou and Dimitris Kokkinakis, setting the tone and direction of the program supported by the Google.org Foundation under the Social Innovation Fund.
With the goal of establishing and maintaining a permanent support network for green entrepreneurship in the region, 153 entrepreneurs from all over Greece, 40% of whom are women, are already participating in the incubators established in collaboration with the Impact Hub Athens team. These incubators include ‘The High Mountains’ and ‘Boulouki’ for the Epirus Region, ‘Bizrupt’ in the Crete Region, ‘Active Youth Group of Florina (O.E.N.E.F.)’ for the Western Macedonia Region, ‘Development Agency of Karditsa’ for the Thessaly Region, ‘ETAP, Development and Progress Corporation of Peloponnese and Ionian Islands’ and ‘Phaos Cooperative Society’ for the Messinia region, and ‘Alexandroupolis, LightHub – Alexandroupolis Chamber of Commerce’ for the Eastern Macedonia & Thrace Region. This network will develop programs and initiatives for sustainable solutions in areas such as tourism, agri-food, energy, new materials, cultural heritage, and biodiversity. Moreover, it will empower underrepresented social groups in the entrepreneurial sector, with a focus on women.
By February, in tandem and coordinated at both local and national levels, the network will offer educational workshops, coaching sessions, cross-sectoral meetings, dynamic communities, large and small-scale events (festivals, exhibitions, markets), demo days, etc. Part of the program’s intent is to engage the general public with emerging solutions and actively involve local and national actors in the innovation sector for the sustainable development of the region.
In this context and envisioning a more impactful intervention in policy-making, strategic development, and collaboration for the growth of the social economy aimed at sustainability, Impact Hub Athens, together with each local entity, will coordinate the co-creation of a study titled ‘Innovation Strategies for Environmental Sustainability through Entrepreneurship in the Region.’ This initiative will engage over 390 key stakeholders in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship throughout Greece.