The importance of developing ecosystems to promote impactful businesses

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.

El jueves y viernes se llevó a cabo el BID Lab Forum.

The Women Economic Forum is held annually in New Delhi, India. It has more than 500 regional chapters, with the participation of 150 partner countries, and a global chamber (ALL LADIES LEAGUE) with 50,000 members. Its goal is to pursue initiatives for women's economic advancement. In Argentina, it is led by Lina Anllo, who works daily to empower women and LGBTQI+ identities to conquer spaces traditionally dominated by men.

María Virginia Romero y Jessica Oyarbide, fundadoras de EKHOS

Within the agenda, one of the key topics was Triple Impact Actions, where Virginia Romero, co-founder of EKHOS, moderated a panel alongside Fernanda Silvina Manuel, Sustainability, Diversity & Inclusion Manager at Arredo, and Yanina Martínez, Undersecretary of Tourism at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Nation.

Virginia spoke about the work EKHOS has been doing to promote the development of Impact Ecosystems by linking Latin America, India, and the United Kingdom, and how in those regions where strategic collaboration is being achieved across different sectors, successful companies are emerging and growing with the support of academia, incubators and accelerators, investment funds, and others.

The IDB Lab Forum, an iconic event of this organization belonging to the Inter-American Development Bank, took place on Thursday and Friday. It brings together stakeholders and resources around initiatives to co-create innovative solutions, build business ecosystems, and foster the adoption of disruptive technologies. Speakers included Santiago Sena, CEO of Tienda Nube, and Manu Ginobili, NBA Hall of Famer and Technology Investor. While the focus of the various sessions revolved around the use of Artificial Intelligence and impact investing in different sectors, one of the key messages from César Buenadicha, one of the organization's authorities, was the importance of supporting the construction of Impact Ecosystems as enabling spaces for Social and Impact Enterprises to thrive and generate sustainable development. The importance of South-South cooperation was also discussed, recognizing that the challenges facing countries in the Global South are similar, and for that very reason, solutions can also be shared.

A delegation of impact entrepreneurs from Bolivia, Honduras, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador participated in the event, accompanied by Álvaro Mur, manager of the Red Impacto Latam, and Jessica Oyarbide, co-founder of EKHOS and a member of the organization's advisory board. The Red Impacto Latam seeks to unite and empower organizations in the region's Impact Ecosystem and has a program called "Destino Impacto," funded by SAP and supported by various strategic partners. This program provides all-cost-covered scholarships for entrepreneurs from different countries to travel to international forums that can help them expand their opportunities.

Thanks to this scholarship, they were able to engage in conversations with key figures within the ecosystem, including those leading impact investment funds and members of networks and multilateral institutions actively seeking to promote these types of projects.

If one thing became clear from participating in these events, it was that to address the major social and environmental challenges we face as a region, we must join forces and commit to developing companies focused on social and environmental impact, with sustainable, profitable, and scalable business models.

These topics will be addressed in depth at the first edition of GIBEF (Global Businesses and Ecosystem Forum). This meeting, organized by EKHOS, will connect stakeholders from the impact ecosystem in India, Latin America, and the United Kingdom. The goal is to catalyze the creation of impactful markets and business opportunities, foster the exchange of social and environmental innovations, promote knowledge generation, and mobilize financing across regions.

The event will take place in New Delhi, India, from February 18 to 21, 2025. To participate, please visit https://gibef.com/ . Download the program at https://ekhos.org/india

For more information, please contact gibef@ekhos.org .

NOTE https://www.eleco.com.ar/power/la-importancia-de-desarrollar-ecosistemas-para-impulsar-las-empresas-con-impacto