Social Impact Hub Unveils Enterprises for Its First-ever Scaling Impact Accelerator Program
Social Impact Hub have announced the eight enterprises selected to participate in the first cohort of its Scaling Impact accelerator program.
Funded through Australian Government‘s Entrepreneurs’ Programme and the Sidney Myer Fund, together with support from EY and the English Family Foundation, Scaling Impact will focus on addressing the needs of social start-ups at a crucial point in their development – the inflexion point between building on a proven track record and preparing to take on impact investment.
“We were very impressed with the quality and quantity of applications we received for the program, especially as we’re in the middle of a global pandemic,” said Jessica Roth, Founder and Director at Social Impact Hub.
“We focused on selecting those enterprises that have strong business models and are operating in resilient sectors. They also needed to have an unambiguous social or environmental intention that is aligned with one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals. It was a highly competitive selection process and we’re looking forward to working with the eight selected over the coming months.”
Scaling Impact includes a series of masterclasses, tailored advisory support and mentoring, with a focus on future impact investment. Some of the masterclasses will be open to the public to join, and these will be announced on the Scaling Impact website.
The eight enterprises making up the first Scaling Impact cohort were selected from a highly competitive pool of over 70 applications and come from across Australia. They include:
Dismantle (ReNew Property Maintenance): a high quality, reliable property maintenance service employing disadvantaged youth and creating vocational pathways for them.
Farmwall: an agrifood-tech startup that designs urban farming technology and experiences to enhance fresh produce accessibility in the city.
Food Connect Shed: a community supported agriculture enterprise that aims to create a fairer food system by connecting local farmers with local buyers.
MyCareSpace: a national online platform that helps people with a disability and their families, all around Australia, find the disability services and supports they need and information about the NDIS.
Seljak Brand: sells recycled wool blankets that are made from textiles waste off the factory floor at Australia’s oldest wool mill and a 92-year-old wool mill in Lithuania.
Umbo: matches a clinician across Australia with a family in the bush to provide allied health services, thereby cutting wait times of up to 18 months down to a week.
Y Waste: an app that facilitates the discounted sale of end-of-day food from quick-service restaurants to consumers, preventing the food going to landfill.
Young Change Agents: a design-thinking based social entrepreneurship program for 10-18 years old that helps our youth see problems as opportunities.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program will be conducted entirely virtually, culminating with a Demo Day on 10 November, where each participating enterprise will present to sector leaders, community influencers, program partners and impact investors.