Impact across borders

Why this program?

 

ImpactXchange was established to strengthen and drive the relationships between entrepreneurs and makers of Impact Hubs around the world and to foster a greater focus on the global goals.

We live in a world of growing digitalisation and globalisation. Impact Hub and the Swedish Institute have developed a program that creates long-lasting relationships to strengthen the understanding of the complexity of the world and to lay a foundation for new innovative solutions across borders and cultures.

 

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM EACH OTHER’S WORK AROUND THE GLOBAL GOALS?

HOW CAN WE CREATE LONG-LASTING RELATIONSHIPS?

 

Criteria to apply:

 

  • Be a member of Impact Hub at the time of application, or part of the maker team.
  • Are you a founder or working in an entity (non-for profit or for-profit) that contributes to at least one Global Goal? Do you want to learn more about how you can structure your strategy or business model to create positive change for a more sustainable future?
  • You will have a willingness to explore a new culture and city.
  • You must be open to meeting new people.
  • You agree to share your knowledge and experience with other entrepreneurs and Impact Makers at your destination Hub and share your learnings once back home.

 

What’s included:

 

  • Support from Impact Hub teams in your home and destination country for establishing new connections.
  • Coworking space at Impact Hub Bogota and Stockholm to work on your own ventures
  • Participation in local community-building and networking activities
  • Access to the global online collaboration platform
  • Involvement in two conferences focused on entrepreneurship and social innovation: Heroes Fest in Colombia and Social Innovation Summit in Malmö, Sweden.
  • International travel (airfare only) and accommodation in both Bogota and Stockholm for the duration of your stay. Entrance fee, intercity transportation and accommodation in Malmö during the Social Innovation Summit are also included. Food, local travel (taxi, train, etc.) and other expenses will be covered by the participants themselves.

 

Deadline:

 

You have until midnight on the 6th of October to apply.

The final decision will be made on October 11th and participants will be notified shortly afterwards.

 

When:

 

Participants from Impact Hub Bogota will visit Stockholm from November 6 to 24.

Social Innovation Summit will be held during November 14 and 15.

Participants from Impact Hub Stockholm will visit Bogota from November 20 to December 8 (wks 47, 48 & 49).

Heroes Fest will be held during November 29 and 30 (wk 48).

All participants will spend two weeks together in both Sweden and Bogota and will attend both entrepreneurship/innovation conferences.

 

Xchange itinerary:

 

Week 1 >> Exploration

Your first week abroad will be an opportunity to explore the city, its people and a new culture. You will have your home base at Impact Hub Bogota and meet your fellow entrepreneurs at your destination city. The hub will be your catalyst for meeting key partners and players in the local social innovation ecosystem and representatives of bilateral cooperation entities. Together with the other ImpactXchange participants, you will have dinner with the Swedish Ambassador. Use this time wisely to make connections and discover the secrets for successful international operations. You will also have the chance to pitch your social venture to the community at your destination Impact Hub and potential key partners.

 

Week 2 >> Immersion

Your second week is designed to educate and inspire you. All Xchangers will be able to attend both innovation conferences. In Sweden – Social Innovation Summit will be held in Malmö, and in Colombia – Heroes Fest. In Sweden, you will co-organise a mini hackathon at Social Innovation Summit and be invited to participate in a relevant panel discussion. You will be surrounded by innovators, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and other companies. Make the most of this opportunity to build your network and connect with individuals who same similar goals and aligning values.

 

Week 3 >> Learning

Your last week will be an opportunity to continue developing your network and to find out about the key social innovation challenges present in your destination city. You will exchange your newly developed insights with the other Xchange participants to validate your observations. Now that you are armed with a global network, how can we drive forward collaborations and work together to overcome these challenges? 

 

Week 4 >> Sharing

Your return home will be marked by a presentation to share the new knowledge and insights that you have gained from your trip abroad. The presentation will be given to your community at Impact Hub Stockholm and the Swedish Institute. What are the biggest challenges you saw in Colombia? What social innovations have you learned of that could be adapted to serve our needs in Sweden and vice versa? Who are the people you connected with whom could affect real change? From the perspective of your social venture, how will this experience affect how you do business?