Concordia crafts a family space for such youth daily where they receive the support they need and deserve.
NESsT focuses on improving economic autonomy because it improves community autonomy. As much as "Workforce Diversity and Inclusion" is used to solve this problem, it will not. We must pursue Workforce Equity and Justice.
Meet Victor. Victor is a coppersmith in the Romanian village of Brateiu. There used to be 200 Roma coppersmiths in his village. Now there are only six left. He says he’s proud he can continue to practice the craft of his ancestors and make a living doing so.
NESsT's portfolio director for the Andean Region offers three top tips for social entrepreneurs: (1) Look Deep, (2) Seek Feedback and (3) Test, Test, Test.
NESsT has a portfolio of 50 enterprises based in the Amazon. Over the past five years, NESsT portfolio managers have worked closely with these enterprises to monitor, measure, and grow their impact. Recently, NESsT sought to develop more detailed methods to understand the culture and context of the data it collects, specifically for enterprises in the Amazon.
Associação Bebô Xirin do Bacajá (ABEX) is an Indigenous-led association that participated in the Amazon Indigenous Rights and Resources (AIRR) project launched in 2021 to support Indigenous populations to become more visible and active actors in the Amazon economy, in ways that conserve rainforest biodiversity and build environmental resiliency.
Diaspora.Black, a social enterprise in the tourism and events sector, joins the NESsT Racial Equity Initiative. With NESsT’s investment, Diaspora.Black will offer training and funding to local Afro-entrepreneurs, fostering a community dedicated to expanding tourist routes that bring more visibility to the history and culture of Afro-Brazilians.
On November 22nd, the CVC Young Innovator Awards (YIA) ceremony took place in Brazil. The award recognizes innovative business solutions that can bring about positive change for communities. The competition was organised by NESsT with support from its portfolio companies Movimento Black Money (MBM) and Maré de Sabores, which invited entrepreneurs from their respective networks as participants.
Pedala was acquired by Ame Digital, a fintech company controlled by B2W Digital, one of the largest e-commerce companies in Latin America, and Lojas Americanas three years after joining the NESsT portfolio. How did this local Rio de Janeiro startup become an attractive model ready for scale in such a short period of time?
Movimento Black Money (MBM) aims to transform the economic reality of the Black community in Brazil through entrepreneurship, education, and financial services. NESsT welcomed MBM into its portfolio to initially support Mercado Black Money, an online marketplace for Black-owned businesses, sustaining its growth with capital and business mentorship. Google for Startups announced Movimento Black Money as one of the 12 new Brazilian startups that will receive equity-free funding through its Black Founders Fund.
A new multi-year partnership between NESsT and Erol Foundation will improve forest conservation by catalyzing local sustainable enterprises in areas of high biodiversity. The NESsT Amazonia incubator will support 15 conservation enterprises that improve forest conservation in the Amazon basin and provide sustainable livelihoods to local communities.
