In July 2025, NESsT formally established its legal presence in Colombia with the opening of a new office. While we've accelerated diverse impact-driven enterprises based in Colombia for 5 years, this milestone enables us to deepen our local involvement in the region.
When Entrepreneurship Becomes Resistance: How Financial Inclusion Strengthens Lives and Communities
In Brazil, millions of Black people become entrepreneurs not out of choice, but out of necessity. In doing so, they transform their communities, generate income, and open doors for others. In a context of structural gender inequality, the challenges are even greater for women, who face multiple barriers throughout their entrepreneurial journeys. This July, as we mark Latin American Black and Caribbean Women’s Month, NESsT reaffirms its commitment to racial equity and to strengthening businesses in Brazil that are building a more just future.
Grzegorz Wach Named NESsT Country Director of Poland
NESsT announces today that Grzegorz Wach has been named NESsT Country Director of Poland, reflecting the impact investor’s expanding acceleration of social enterprises that create dignified jobs for individuals from excluded communities, including refugees, migrants, women, at-risk youth, the LGBTQIA+ community, and others facing systemic barriers to economic opportunity.
Ioana Samoil Named NESsT Country Director of Romania
NESsT announces today that Ioana Samoil has been named NESsT Country Director of Romania, highlighting the impact investor's deepening focus on accelerating Romanian social enterprises that create dignified jobs for individuals from excluded communities, including refugees, migrants, women, at-risk youth, the LGBTQIA+ community, and others facing systemic barriers to economic opportunity.
Reflecting on the NESsT-IKEA Social Entrepreneurship 2025 Retreat
Blended Finance: Unlocking Funding for Sustainable Businesses in the Amazon
When structured effectively, blended finance can connect entrepreneurs who need support with investors who care about impact. To make this model easier to understand, NESsT has created an infographic that clearly shows how blended finance works in practice and highlights its role in the Amazon impact ecosystem. This visual tool breaks down complex financial ideas into simple language, making it valuable for entrepreneurs, policymakers, partners, and anyone interested in advancing the Amazon bioeconomy through innovative financing.
NESsT Joins Conexsus, IDB, and Green Climate Fund to Scale Enterprises from the Sociobioeconomy Across the Pan-Amazon Region
Technology Meets Traditional Knowledge in the Amazon’s Socio-Bioeconomy
Many community-based enterprises in emerging sustainable socio-bioeconomy value chains lack the means and infrastructure to adopt digital monitoring and communication tools to track forest conservation and improve their production processes. With support from Cisco Foundation, in 2021, NESsT launched a search for early-stage technology enterprises that provide sustainable livelihoods to underserved communities and regenerate the environment. Read more about the initiative learnings here.
The NESsT Violet Fund: Strengthening Support for LGBTQIA+ Equality through Entrepreneurship
NESsT Appoints Renata Truzzi Chief Impact & Operations Officer
NESsT announces Renata Truzzi has been named Chief Impact & Operations Officer. Truzzi – who joined the organization in 2012 – has served in multiple capacities within NESsT, most recently as Global Acceleration & Impact Director. Her background in impact investing, business development, marketing, and fundraising will further support NESsT’s organizational effectiveness and operational excellence.