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Program

Our program helps youth discover the field of social entrepreneurship and take their first steps as social entrepreneurs. Since 2009, it has fostered young social entrepreneurs in more than 25 countries.

Program Outline

  1. Kick-off

    Our yearlong program kicks-off! Join us at our yearly kick-off event to meet local social entrepreneurs and get a glimpse of this year’s program.

  2. Activation

    Our events and digital content allow participants to immerse themselves in the world of social or environmental change, learn new skills, and connect with like-minded people.

  3. Application Deadline

    Applications to our entrepreneurial journeys are submitted and our jury members begin their review based on a set of tried and tested criteria.

  4. Entrepreneurial Journeys

    Whether you already have a concept for a social or environmental solution, or want to make a difference in your community but don’t know how, SIA has an entrepreneurial journey for you. Our Incubation will help you turn your impact idea into reality, and our Discovery Journey will help you take your first steps towards starting your own project.

  5. Award Ceremony

    The most promising ventures from the incubation are awarded pre-seed funding and get access to publicity and high value networks. Ventures with the most votes in the Community Voting campaign take home the community award.

  6. Summit

    Winners are invited to the SIA Summit, a global gathering of all winning ventures for three days of connection, skill-development, and celebration. SIA covers accommodation and travel costs for the event which takes place in a new city every year.

Activation

Our activation formats help young people move their impact journey forward. Our immersive, in-person events cover a wide range of topics, from “Meet your Co-Founder” to “Cooking Without Food Waste”. Participants learn new skills, connect with like-minded people, and clarify their intentions for impact. Our thought-provoking educational content online, like our video series and podcast, immerse young people in the world of social and environmental change and provide an easy way to learn more about changemaking.
  • Artboard 5
    Session Participation
    78.000+ Global workshop and event attendees since SIA’s founding in 2009
  • Incubation Applications
    4554 Applications to our local incubation programs since SIA’s founding in 2009
  • Content Relevance
    84.4% Percentage of participants that found the educational formats interesting and relevant in last year’s edition of SIA

Participant Experiences

  • SIA participants have a different vision of the future. In a certain sense, they are outside classical frameworks of thought, offering constructive solutions to familiar issues. As a mentor, I help them go through all the mandatory stages of business planning, expanding the possibilities of their original idea. I sincerely believe in the SIA community – their thoughts are pure and their ideas are bright.

    SIA Mentor Yulia Dmitrieva Manager JD Expert

  • SIA is the best education program at a global level. SIA workshops empowered me to support developing social entrepreneurship in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    Participant Nemanja Davidović Workshop Participant

Incubation

Selected ventures embark on an all-encompassing journey that gives the support needed to build a successful venture. Participants receive individualized support from mentors and experts, make meaningful connections with other young people, and receive their first exposure through our global community voting campaign.
  • Venture Preparation
    203 Ventures that went through our local incubation programs in last year’s edition of SIA
  • Solving the Problem
    92.3% Percentage of ventures that have a deep understanding of how they will get their product/service to the target group and funders effectively
  • Long-Term Viability
    78.5% Percentage of ventures that have identified a strong, viable model to generate long term income for their business

Participant Experiences

  • Participating in SIA helped us in so many ways. Most notably, various SIA experts helped turn our idea into an actual venture. Winning the community award was an extra push for us, as we got first credits in the startup world that we could build on.

    Winner Timo Nothdurft Co-Founder money:care

  • SIA‘s community of likeminded people does not compete, but support and enrich each other to make the world a better place, together.

    Finalist Kate Lee Co-Founder Mindful Generation

Award

The Incubation ends with the Award ceremony. Winners of our internationally-recognized award are granted a lump sum of pre-seed funding to help cover their venture’s initial costs. Our award also gives founders exposure to a wide variety of stakeholders both nationally and internationally, while serving as proof of reliability to potential funding partners. Finally, winners of the award come together at our yearly Summit to celebrate the end of the program and the start of their journey.
  • Global Impact
    1.363 Total ventures that went through SIA incubation programs
  • Pre-seed Funding
    108.883 Total award money granted to participants of the incubation
  • Impact-oriented Career
    89,4% Percentage of alumni not working on their SIA project who are now working in impact-oriented positions

Implement SIA

Bring SIA to youth in your country! We work with like-minded organizations who run the SIA program locally and become a part of our international network of hosts.

Details

Partners

Our extensive network of like-minded strategic and ecosystem partners supports the success of our work around the world.

Learn more

Our impact

Since 2009, we’ve impacted thousands of young agents of change in more than 25 countries.

Learn more