Connecting to the Network in Kyiv
Meaningful change is never made in a vacuum - it requires collaboration. It may require even more joint efforts when you are operating in a war zone, as is the case in Ukraine. Thankfully, our partner SILab Ukraine is working hard to do what is necessary.
During our double bill event Business of Impact/Capital Ideas in The Hague, I met briefly with Alena Kalibaba. She's the Co-Founder of SILab Ukraine, our Ukrainian partner in the EU-funded market building program Collaborate for Impact, and CEO of the Ukraine Social Venture Fund. I overhear her explaining how an electric generator is not made to sustain a reliable internet connection - while it's adequate for shorter tasks, it's a poor substitute for normality. She tells the story the way I would talk about the rain in Belgium - it's just a fact of life, we keep our chins up and keep things moving.
But of course, it is not normal. Nothing about the situation in which SILab Ukraine, and by extension, many of the social entrepreneurs and impact players in the country, find themselves, is normal. You would be forgiven for forgetting this, though. Work on the ground continues in admirable fashion, with new grants and loans being disbursed and social enterprises continuing to scale their efforts. Face-to-face meetups, too, continue, both online and offline. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, until you get to the practical details of said meetings:
"The location is equipped with a shelter, so in the event of an air raid, all participants will be invited to a safe space."
Kyiv Entrepreneurs Meetups
While network connectivity might be intermittent in Kyiv, opportunities to network are still very much present. One of the newer formats launched by SILab Ukraine are the Kyiv Entrepreneur Meetups, the first of which took place at the end of May. The aim of these meetups, organized in collaboration with USVF, The Possible, and VPLYV, is to facilitate exchange between business leaders, social entrepreneurs and different support organisations in order to accelerate new partnerships, as well as to find solutions to shared problems.
Seasoned impact investors from the international scene made their way to Kyiv to share their experience. Martin Vogelsang, former Managing Director of the influential Bundesinitiative Impact Investing in Germany and current Director at Social Synergy Foundation, active in Mumbai, took to the stage. He was joined by Jonathan Robinson, Co-Founder of the global Impact Hub Network, in sharing best practices in creating a sustainable impact investing space. They offered five main takeaways to the crowd:
- Focus on the mission and the true impact. Make sure your investors understand your inherent motivation and the end goal of your activities.
- Be realistic when it comes to numbers and financial projections. Don't exaggerate them, but show that you understand the climate you work in and are able to adapt to circumstances.
- Understand your investor's needs. Align your presentation to resonate with the values that are important to them.
- Build trust through clear communication. Honesty goes a long way in building long-standing collaborations.
- Familiarize investors with your local context. Understanding the socio-economic risks of the region is crucial in being able to show flexibility.
A second session focused on specific opportunities and support schemes within Ukraine. Discussions led by Andrii Remizov, Director of the Ukrainian Office for Entrepreneurship and Export Development, and Oleksandr Sanchenko, head of a government working group aimed to promote social businesses, addressed a range of topics. These included barriers to entry, the importance of training and capacity building for entrepreneurs, monitoring and adapting policies, and leveraging platforms like the national platform Diia. Business for free consultations and training.
The third and last plenary session supplemented this offering with financial and non-financial support tools provided by organisations like IOM Ukraine, UNDP in Ukraine, and GIZ Ukraine. Representatives of the respective international programs emphasized the importance of the social aspect of business activities and provided guidelines for submitting support applications. They also recommended taking advantage of workshops and training organized by donors. It's a crucial step towards facilitating the access to existing support and enabling Ukrainian organizations to actually be on the receiving end of valuable programs.
Perhaps most importantly, the face-to-face meeting was a prime opportunity for networking. Discussions focused on several topics, including the work on a draft law on social entrepreneurship and the potential impact it may have on the development of social entrepreneurship in Ukraine. While some participants viewed the law optimistically, anticipating it would provide a clear framework and benefits, stimulating growth, others expressed concerns about the bureaucratisation and added burdens it may place on businesses. In addition to legal considerations, participants engaged in conversations about the key challenges faced by social entrepreneurs in Ukraine. The challenges ranged from addressing the stigma and stereotypes associated with vulnerable groups to overcoming bureaucratic hurdles, securing funding, accessing markets, and gaining relevant experience.
Being the first in what is set to be a series of Entrepreneurs Meetups, it set the tone for further exchange.
Speed dating sessions
For those who prefer a lower bar to entry, or who could not make it in person to Kyiv, there are frequent online speed dating events, organised by SILab Ukraine. These meetups unite social entrepreneurs with experts in business, impact and financial management for free consulting sessions of up to half an hour. It's a format that was trialed earlier this year, and was evaluated very positively both by the experts and the participants.
"Mentoring is a long and arduous process", says Maria Moseychuk, expert in grant writing proposals. "That's why it is so rewarding to see how quickly you can exchange valuable information during these speed dates. Everyone was very happy after the first round, which means that our recommendations do make a difference for the participating entrepreneurs". As a result, the speed dating sessions are now a new part of the SILab Ukraine tradition, with the most recent one taking place on June 27th, and more to come in the future.
All of this makes it more than fair to say that the Ukrainian impact community is showing great resilience in difficult circumstances. If you, too, would like to contribute to the market building efforts in Ukraine, feel free to reach out to us or to SILab Ukraine directly, and we are happy to make it happen.
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SILab Ukraine is one of the implementing partners of our EU-funded market building program in Eastern Europe, called Collaborate for Impact. Through capacity building, policy and advocacy work and through setting up impact funds, we aim to accelerate the growth of the social economy ecosystem.