What does it really take to build an ecosystem where social impact thrives? In this heartfelt and insightful episode of The Invisible Experts Podcast, we’re joined by Jessica Oyarbide, co-founder of Ekhos, a platform dedicated to strengthening social impact ecosystems across Latin America and Europe.

A new year begins, and almost as if life were a calendar in which you tear off a page to turn to the next, the start of a new cycle brings with it opportunities to reflect and decide what we want to achieve in the 365 days ahead.

This year, the Companies with Impact section was launched in collaboration with Multimedios El Eco and Jessica Oyarbide, founder of Marcas que Marcan and EKHOS, with the aim of showcasing a different way of doing business. A recap of what happened during the year.

In Argentina, the saying "tie it with wire" is popularly used to refer to finding solutions to fix or amend things using available resources. This everyday act demonstrates the innovative way of thinking behind it and is one of the foundations of Frugal Innovation.

Almost 10 years ago, when Jessica Oyarbide and María Virginia Romero had the opportunity to visit India for the first time, each for different reasons, they saw that India had something unheard of in the West: millions of companies that were emerging with the goal of helping to mitigate the country's social and environmental challenges, organizations called "Social Enterprises" that were transforming entire communities.

Last week, two very important events took place in Buenos Aires: the Women Economic Forum and the IDB Lab Forum. Organized by different entities, they shared one key point: the importance of developing ecosystems to promote Social and Impact Enterprises.

As the number of startups and companies seeking to do business with a positive impact on people and the planet grows, so does the interest in learning how to achieve this. The Tandil Impact Roundtable brings a dynamic proposal to raise awareness of this approach, right from our city.

As the end of the year approaches, the question "what should we give as a New Year's gift?" begins to circulate among SMEs and large companies. This moment is a great opportunity to promote social procurement initiatives, which not only consider the price and quality of the products and services being sought, but also contribute to generating a positive impact.

The existence of companies seeking to generate a positive impact on society and the environment is nothing new. Their emergence, growth, and expansion around the world are thanks to impact ecosystems that create fertile ground for these organizations to thrive.

Next Sunday, November 24th, a sustainability initiative will take place in the city. Its goal is to mobilize the community and generate a positive impact on our natural environment. The main objective will be to clean up the Dique del Fuerte Lake area in Tandil.

What does cleaning up coastal areas have to do with designer glasses? How can homeless people get jobs in a pizzeria? How do you create a service for businesses provided by blind people? These aren't rhetorical questions, but rather concrete examples of brands born by putting people and the planet first.

When people in Argentina think of India, they generally associate images of the country with small, dirty streets crowded with low-income people. But that's just one facet of India. This vast and diverse country also boasts innovative solutions, cutting-edge technology, a rising middle class, and strategies that lift millions out of poverty each year.

In a region as diverse and vast as Latin America, social and environmental challenges tend to be complex and similar across the continent. Therefore, the search for joint solutions becomes both a necessity and an opportunity.

The opportunities between Latin America, India, and the United Kingdom are much broader than meets the eye. In each of these regions, social and environmental challenges are being addressed by Social and Impact Enterprises, supported by the ecosystems that drive them.

When thinking about Scotland from Argentina, images of medieval castles and towns, cliffs, and people playing bagpipes are probably the most common, but the enormous development of this country in the United Kingdom regarding Social and Impact Enterprises is unknown.

From November 18th to 22nd, People and Planet First Week is being celebrated, a global initiative that puts people and the planet first when thinking about business. As part of this week, which seeks to highlight the potential for transforming lives and protecting the environment while building sustainable communities, T+ACTIVA, a sustainability event, was held in our city.

The role we play as consumers is fundamental in promoting responsible consumption, but even though awareness and determination are geared toward generating a positive impact, it's sometimes difficult to find how and where to consume products and services that are better for people and the planet. These are some of the places where you can find Positive Impact Companies.

In the United Kingdom, there's a concept called Social Enterprise Cities, which seeks to identify and promote local social enterprises created to solve or mitigate social and/or environmental problems through business models. Is this a utopia or a possibility for Argentine cities?

For Social and Impact Enterprises to emerge and grow, it's not enough to have people who believe they can transform realities; they need an ecosystem that supports and guides them. The Tandil Impact Taskforce was created to foster the development of the local Impact Ecosystem.

Around 80% of people with disabilities are unable to access decent employment appropriate to their abilities. Social and Impact Enterprises demonstrate, once again, that businesses can be created with a strong focus on social integration. Three Argentine examples and one from the United Kingdom exemplify how to effectively generate social inclusion.