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.
We’re delighted to release the NESsT 2024 Annual Report, highlighting a year defined by far-reaching impact and transformative growth. For nearly three decades, NESsT has worked at the nexus of people, profit, and the planet. In 2024, we reached a milestone that speaks to this mission: since its founding, NESsT has positively impacted the lives of over 3.4 million people from communities around the world.
Sweden joins as a donor to NESsT’s long-standing South America acceleration program, enabling the program to increase the number of enterprises it supports and to expand its efforts in Colombia, Peru, and into Brazil.
Our work on the ground in Brazil’s Amazon region has consistently shown that increasing women's participation is critical for the socio-bioeconomy to become a robust and sustainable national development strategy.
NESsT announces that Chad Sachs has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. Sachs has held a series of senior management roles with NESsT since joining in 2019, most recently as Chief Investment Officer. He brings deep experience in the worlds of finance and social impact that will further reinforce NESsT’s mission of developing sustainable communities and building an inclusive economy.
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?
85 million people in Latin America live with a disability, yet only 10-20% participate in the workforce. Four social enterprises in the NESsT - IKEA Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator are building inclusive workplaces across Latin America.
To connect women to decent employment in well-paid sectors, while helping employers to become more gender inclusive, NESsT partnered with portfolio company Mamo Pracuj to create Talenti - a job-searching platform tailored to the employment needs of women.
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.
In Latin America, at least 430,000 tons of waste is produced daily, yet only two percent of total waste is recycled. Four social enterprises in the NESsT - IKEA Social Entrepreneurship Latin America Accelerator are reshaping unsustainable production and waste management patterns across Latin America. A circular economy model that reduces waste allows the region to preserve its biodiversity by offering opportunities to create regenerative value from its abundant natural resources.
On her ten mile walk from Henley to Reading, Claire Wilkinson, NESsT UK Board Member, reflects on the importance of supporting social enterprises to weather the adversity and inequalities brought on by the global challenge. She shares her insights on the transformative nature of social entrepreneurship in empowering disadvantaged communities and encourages donations to NESsT.
