The Innovation for Social Impact Partnership (ISIP) recently concluded the Impact Showcase for their Social Impact Accelerator 2022-23 at the Chardonnay by Astoria, Pasig City. The event marked the end of an amazing 6-month gender smart capacity-building program specifically designed for social enterprises in the Philippines that are tackling some of the most pressing problems in the country. 

ISIP is supported by the Australian Government and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Philippines. The ISIP Social Impact Accelerator is co-led and co-implemented by Villgro Philippines and ACTED.  Dr. Selva Ramachandran, UNDP Philippines Resident Representative, shared, “Today, we celebrate the culmination of their efforts. A warm congratulations to this batch of social enterprises for showing their passion and commitment to continually improve and refine their social business models and contribute to social impact."

The ISIP Social Impact Accelerator was an intensive program for impact-driven enterprises to strengthen their business models, deepen their impact, and get investment-ready. At the event, James Yeomans, Australian Embassy Political-Economic Counselor, said, "This is just the start, but really, now that we’ve gone through this program, it's about taking this opportunity and continuing to grow. We want to continue to help you do that and look forward to how you grow in the future.”

The objective of the program was to empower entrepreneurs to level-up business models, measure and deepen their impact, prepare to raise investments, connect to market partners, and access follow-on funding. Over the past few months, the enterprises have gone through a multitude of learning labs, masterclasses by industry experts, and one-on-one mentoring sessions that focused on their specific businesses and worked towards overcoming the barriers faced by the enterprises. Villgro Philippines Co-founder Priya Thachadi, who has been deeply involved in the process, remarked, “We see these incredible social entrepreneurs working in Mindanao and BARMM with the potential to build successful and profitable companies and at the same time create deep impact within their communities. We are bringing you the stories and voices of Filipino social enterprises that are working on the ground fighting the good fight.”

The program supported women-led and Mindanao-based social enterprises, namely, Waste4Good Technologies, Spectrum Impact Sourcing, Buoyancies Business Accelerated Inc., Palapa sa Lumba Food Processing, EveGrocer Zero Waste Online Shop, IKRAM Agriculture Cooperative, Project Singanen, Dayawan Loom Weaving Handicraft Cooperative, EdukSine Production Corporation, and Lake Sebu Indigenous Women Weavers Inc. Each of the enterprises presented their solutions and also displayed their goods and services at booths specially set up for them at the venue. Fabien Courteille, ACTED Philippines Country Director,  remarked, “We believe it’s important to boost the ecosystem for social enterprises to succeed, to improve access to market, to expertise, and technology, and make sure that we are developing a strong value chain.”

The ISIP Social Impact Accelerator’s Impact Showcase marked the culmination of a successful program that not only supported entrepreneurs from the Mindanao region but also created tangible economic impact in communities that are otherwise underserved.

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About Innovation for Social Impact Partnership (ISIP)

The Innovation for Social Impact Partnership aims to support promising innovative social enterprises in the Philippines to be able to collectively contribute to the acceleration, achievement, and sustainability of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ISIP is a project supported by the Australian Government and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme in the Philippines (UNDP Philippines). The ISIP Social Impact Accelerator is co-led and co-implemented by Villgro Philippines and ACTED.

About UNDP

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with its broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, UNDP helps nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet.

About AusAid

Australia and the Philippines’ strong partnership is underpinned by 50 years of development cooperation. Australia’s development program in the Philippines is one of Australia's largest and is focused on achieving a more prosperous, stable, and resilient Philippines.

About Villgro Philippines

Villgro Philippines is an award-winning gender-smart incubator that funds, mentors, and nurtures innovative startups addressing urgent social and climate issues through market-based models. Through a hands-on, customized model of support, we have worked with 85+ startups that are creating scalable solutions in health, education, agriculture, affordable housing, and gender, across Southeast Asia. Villgro Philippines’ programs have won multiple awards from UN Women Empowerment Principles in 2020 (Youth Gender Champion), and 2021 (SME Champion for Gender Responsive Marketplace). Villgro Philippines is an initiative from Unlock Impact, a firm dedicated to helping purpose-driven enterprises succeed. It is run by a Philippines-based entity, Unlock Impact Ventures Inc.

About ACTED

ACTED (Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development) is a non-governmental organization with headquarters in Paris. Since its creation in 1993 as an international non-governmental organization, ACTED’s mission has been to provide immediate humanitarian relief to support those in urgent need and protect people’s dignity, while co-creating longer-term opportunities for sustainable growth and the realization of people’s potential. Independent, private, and non-profit, ACTED respects strict political and religious impartiality, according to the principles of non-discrimination and transparency, and the values of responsibility, impact, entrepreneurship, and inspiration.