Impact People

We're at ChangeNOW in Paris — three days, 40.000 people, bold ideas everywhere, and one big question: Whose minds do we still need to change — and how?In this special episode of Impact People, we take you into the heart of ChangeNOW 2025 — weaving together raw, honest reflections from founders, funders, thinkers, and doers who pitched at Funds For Change, the stage we co-organised. Tune in to hear what's giving changemakers hope, what's keeping them up at night — and who they wish had been listening.

The Impact Generation was assembled by Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo and tasked with putting together a youth impact agenda. We heard from them on Impact People last year in Torino – and this year in Bilbao, they're back! Tune in to hear them ask big questions, share learnings and ponder what being ‘likeminded' really means.  About the Impact Generation (in Italian)  https://www.compagniadisanpaolo.it/it/news/impact-week-2024-continua-il-percorso-degli-impact-generators/  Listen to the Impact Generation episode from Torino   https://open.spotify.com/episode/70ZNVoQstc9i13pLowHDBN?si=478defbc972e4f9f  Mentioned in the episode  Better Together for Youth – a whitepaper  https://www.impacteurope.net/insights/better-together-youth  Youth Hackathon  https://www.impacteurope.net/insights/five-young-afghan-students-shine-bilbaos-impact-week 

In a rare quiet room at the very buzzy Impact Week, seven Cartier Women's Initiative Fellows sat down to talk. What unfolded was a conversation unlike the others in this series: about the life of founders – sometimes wonderful, sometimes not. Our guests shared their experiences on balancing family, business partners and expectations; their biggest questions for each other; and what it takes to keep going when the odds are against you.  Jackie  https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/fellow/diana-jue-jackie-stenson  Jessica https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/fellow/jessica-menon   Monika  https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/fellow/monika-tomecka Sofie  https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/fellow/sofie-blakstad Jife  https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/fellow/jife-williams-adeola-asabia  Ishani https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/fellow/ishani-roy Rana  https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/fellow/rana-sanyal * https://www.impacteurope.net/ 

Part 2 of a multi-part episode on the work lives of five Cartier Women's Initiative Fellows. Ishani founded Serein, which helps companies prevent harassment and discrimination in the workplace. Next, we hear from Rana, founder of RS Research, a next-generation therapeutics company developing novel nanomedicines based on innovative drug delivery platforms to treat patients fighting cancer. Join us for insights on what it means to ask big questions and reach the answers in innovative, impactful ways.    Ishanihttps://serein.in/  https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/fellow/ishani-roy Rana https://rsresearch.net/ https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/fellow/rana-sanyal Meet these Cartier Women's Initiative Fellows – and many more – at Impact Week in Bilbao!  https://www.impactweek.eu/bilbao/home 

The Cartier Women's Initiative Fellows are innovators, changemakers and impact entrepreneurs par excellence. Five of the Fellows came on Impact People to let us inside their world – three in this episode, two more in Part 2. We start with Amaia Rodriguez, whose company Gravity Wave removes plastic from the ocean to give it a new value. Then there's Salma; she founded Green Watech, a solution that transforms wastewater. Finally, we hear from Titi about 9ijakids, a learning tool that uses interactive quizzes and games to help reinforce what children learn in school. Join us for insights on what it means to be an impact entrepreneur, the big questions they're asking and how the Cartier Women's Initiative enables and accelerates their work.  Amaia https://www.thegravitywave.com/  https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/fellow/amaia-rodriguez  Salma  https://www.greenwatech.com/  https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/fellow/salma-bougarrani  Titihttps://9ijakids.com/  https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/fellow/titi-adewusi Meet these Cartier Women's Initiative Fellows – and many more – at Impact Week in Bilbao!  https://www.impactweek.eu/bilbao/home  

Empowering Systemic Investing: what needs to be done? It's a big question for the impact ecosystem. It's also the title of an upcoming session at Impact Week, moderated by Shiva Dustdar, Director, Head and Dean of the EIB Institute. Shiva talks about the concept, big news from EIB, books she's reading and lots more.   https://institute.eib.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivadustdar/  https://ssir.org/articles/entry/systemic_investing_for_social_change https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Cooked_Adam_Smith%27s_Dinner%3F https://www.impactweek.eu/bilbao/home 

The EIB Institute and EIF launched the Empowering Equity Academy in June to encourage female students in STEM and sustainability subjects to consider careers in venture capital and private equity. Mara and Laura, students with backgrounds in clean energy transition, have joined the Academy and are now learning a lot about how finance can create the world they want to live in. Join Mara, Laura and Ben for an in-depth introduction to their upcoming session at Impact Week, “Empowering Gender and STEM in finance. From the grassroots!” https://institute.eib.org/2024/06/empowering-equity-academy-is-launched/ https://www.impactweek.eu/bilbao/home https://www.linkedin.com/in/mara-balasa/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-linuesa/  

Looking up the sheer glass face at night, you could imagine there's the beacon they flash to summon the city's impact people. The BAT Tower stands tall as a central, collaborative space for Bilbao's impact sector. Our latest episode of Impact People takes us live inside BAT Tower for a chat with the people behind the slate of Impact Week pre-events happening in the tower. After a quick intro with Oscar Ugarte Gamboa (Director, Seed Capital Bizkaia), we hear from Maria Ocariz (Operations Manager, Impact HUB), Josep Ferrer Muñoz (ECV Program Coordinator, Oxfam) and Paul Ortega (Director, Basque Agency for Cooperation & Solidarity).  https://www.impactweek.eu/bilbao/pre-events https://impacthubmadrid.typeform.com/Side-Events  https://bacceleratortower.com/en/  https://www.seedcapitalbizkaia.eus/en/  https://impacthub.net/ https://www.oxfam.org/en https://platforma-dev.eu/partner/euskadi/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariaocarizmoreno/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/josepferrermunoz/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulortegaetcheverry/ 

Bilbao Berrikuntza Faktoria, a collaborative space from Mondragon University and the City Council of Bilbao, brings together learning, innovation and entrepreneurship all in one impactful place. Impact People takes us inside for interviews with the residents: Ziortza Olano Astigarraga (Team Coach, Mondragon Team Academy), Marisol Menendez (CEO & Founder, Bilakatu, WITH) Juan Zubiaurre Atxa (Business Development Manager, TAZEBAEZ) and Sain Lopez (Co-Founder, Mondragon Team Academy). Expect insights on social entrepreneurship, open innovation, platform cooperatives and more.    https://bbfaktoria.mondragon.edu/en/home https://worldopeninnovation.com/  https://upmeup.es/ https://ia601602.us.archive.org/6/items/sain-lopez/SainLopezMarch8.pdf https://www.impactweek.eu/bilbao/home  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziortzaolanoastigarraga/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisolmenendez/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/juan-zubiaurre-atxa-2572234b/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sainlopez/  

How does the acorn grow to an oak? Seed Capital Bizkaia has answers, as exemplified by the dozens of impact enterprises they've nurtured over the years. After an introduction from Oscar Ugarte Gamboa (Director, Seed Capital Bizkaia), we hear from three social entrepreneurs Seed Capital Bizkaia has supported: Aitor Ojanguren (Socio Fundador, Koiki), Luis Miguel Aras Portilla (Executive President, Impulso Cognitivo) and David Fried (CEO, Evolv). Tune in for insider perspectives on the impact businesses of the Basque country!   https://www.seedcapitalbizkaia.eus/en/ https://koiki.es/en/home-koiki-english/ https://evolvrehab.com/ https://www.impulsocognitivo.com/  https://www.impacteurope.net/people/oscar-ugarte-gamboa  https://www.linkedin.com/in/aitorojanguren/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-miguel-aras-portilla-268a1539/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgfried/ 

Lever for Change has mobilised over $1 billion in philanthropic capital by matching donors to issues in open-call challenges. Dr. Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change, joins Ben for a conversation on how this model works, what voices it amplifies and how more impact people can get involved. A trained economist with 31 years in academia, Cecilia jumped into the world of philanthropy with a splash, eventually leading the MacArthur Fellows program and 100&Change, the latter of which laid the foundation for Lever for Change. Impact Week attendees can join Cecilia at the opening plenary on 29 November – see the agenda below for more details.  https://www.leverforchange.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecilia-conrad/  https://www.impactweek.eu/bilbao/agenda 

We're going LIVE from Basque country, first stop: BBK Kuna in Bilbao. Meet the impact people of this incubation space during a round table discussion with Kristian Prieto (Director, BBK Kuna), Oihane Aldaiturriaga (Head of Entrepreneurship & Employment, BBK), Isabel Abascal Canales (Founder, Compostree) – and a special appearance from Ainhoa Isla Lopez (CEO, Auziker). Public and private, places and people – learn how these factors come together to grow the impact ecosystem here.  https://kuna.bbk.eus/en/ https://compostree.es/ https://auziker.com/  https://www.impactweek.eu/bilbao/home https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristianprieto/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/oihanealdaiturriaga/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabel-abascal-canales/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ainhoa-isla-lopez-6b8138195/ 

Business transformations. Personal transformations. Systemic transformations. Join Casper Jones (Krisos), Ushma Issar (Rypple) and Mike van Wijhe (Treety) for an impact-driven chat – and a grand finale to our Impact Transformers series!  https://krisos.eu/  https://www.rypple.org/ https://www.treety.co/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/casperjones12/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ushmaissar/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-van-wijhe-40423710/  https://www.impacteurope.net/  

Paul Wiemann and Jethro Tieman, students and founders at Unknown University, swing by the Titaan podcasting studio to talk transformations – personal and global.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-wiemann-935a021b0/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jethro-tieman/  https://farmbizafrica.com/  https://www.impacteurope.net/ 

Nora Praher (UN World Food Programme) was fresh from a panel on gender lens investing when she paid a visit to the Titaan podcasting studio. Should we even call it ‘gender lens' anymore? To discuss...  https://www.wfp.org/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/norapraher/  https://www.impacteurope.net/  

Sami Simreen co-founded KiCo to empower impactful food entrepreneurs. He and Ben talk food transformation in the Titaan podcast studio, a few floors up from KiCo's test kitchen. “I hate siloes,” says Sami – find out why.  https://www.kico.kitchen/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sami-simreen/ https://www.impacteurope.net/  

It took courage to open Ukraine's first museum run by visually impaired people. Then the full-scale invasion began. Our new impact film, Underseen, tells the story of Alina Marnenko, the founder of a museum run by the visually impaired, as she navigates the meaning of her “Museum in the Dark” in the darkness of wartime. Alina joins us, along with Rafael Cortes, director of the documentary. We talk inclusivity, social enterprises in Ukraine, the unique approach to making a film for a visually impaired audience and more.  Watch the trailer  https://youtu.be/048aF09r4UA?si=qCG4nt9V_X9Ntivx Learn more about Underseen and its impact campaign https://www.impacteurope.net/stream/underseen https://0300.com.ua/  https://www.deiamedia.com/ The Museum in the Dark was financially supported through the Collaborate for Impact project, which aims to build the impact economy in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. Underseen and Collaborate for Impact were realised thanks to support from the European Union. 

After the release of a collaborative report between Sattva and SAP on social procurement, Srikrishna Sridhar Murthy (Sattva) and Alexandra van der Ploeg (SAP) joined Ben in the Titaan studio to take the discussion a step beyond.  https://www.impacteurope.net/insights/global-transformers-live    https://www.impacteurope.net/insights/paving-way-business-resilience-and-sustainability  https://www.linkedin.com/in/srikrishnas/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-van-der-ploeg-276558/ https://www.sattva.co.in/ https://www.sap.com/uk/about/csr.html 

Recorded shortly before Impact Transformers, this episode dives deep on the origins, purpose and personal stories from Unknown University.  We heard from  student-founders on the last episode; now the University and its unique approach to impact gets the spotlight when Jurgen Nieuwenhuijsen takes the mic.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jurgennieuwenhuijsen/ https://unknown-universityas.com/ https://www.impacteurope.net/  

Continuing our trip into Egypt, we talk to some of the many people making impact happen in the region during the Green Growth Summit, organized by our regional partner, Hivos. Social entrepreneurs, support organizations and incubators provide their views on a just transition in the MENA-region, while also sharing some of the mistakes that have made them grow.

MENA's impact people flocked together in Cairo for the second leg of the Green Growth Summit, hosted by our partner Hivos. It's a prime opportunity to take you on a two-part journey through Egypt. Before heading to the event, we met up for a warm encounter with our local partner Enroot, digging deeper into the bustling region they serve. Give Enroot a follow via: https://www.linkedin.com/company/enroot-impact-catalyst/ 

Impact Transformers goes live on June 12-13 at Titaan, a new hub for impact in The Hague. But before impact funds, financial institutions and corporate impact actors join forces at the event, we're giving the mic to some of Titaan's residents. On this episode, it's Isha Rostamkhan and Jesse Casters, two young people leveling up their impact with the help of Unknown University. Tune in to hear their journey! https://www.businessofimpact.org/thehague/home https://unknown-universityas.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ishatarostamkhan/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessecasters/ https://www.joincofound.com/ https://www.ishaonjourney.com/ 

As Paris gears up for the Olympic Games, we ask: what's the impact? In this mini episode, guest host Juli speaks with those who have the answer. Athletes and sports organisations get the mic to explain how they tackle climate change and make an impact on society's most pressing problems. 

Back in 2022, Impact Europe helped launch Actio, the first impact fund in Georgia. How successful has it been so far? And what kind of impact has it generated in the past few years? Kristine Kandelaki (Head of CSRDG/Fund Manager at Actio) and social entrepreneur Maka Dvalishvili (Istoriali) join to share their perspectives on achieved results, the overall impact investing ecosystem in Georgia, and how their mutual partnership came to flourish.Guest host Tom, Impact Europe storyteller for our market building projects, takes the reins for the first time in this episode. Learn more:https://www.csrdg.ge/enhttps://www.actio.ge/enhttps://istoriali.ge/https://www.impacteurope.net/stream/market-building-eastern-europe We were in Tbilisi last year for our Impact in the Neighbourhood conference – our live episode there can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1d2PIQnc0XYkQVIRDk88bN?si=baceaad1c1494bb9

In part 2 of our special episode live from ChangeNOW in Paris, we spoke to Sandrine Dixson-Declève (The Club of Rome), Carine de Meyere (Women of the World), Valeria Ramundo Orlando (Greensquare Ventures) and Aglaé Touchard-Le Drian (RAISE Impact)!  Join us to hear stories for a better future and what really lasts after such temporary conferences. (And why does it smell of horse?)Learn more: https://www.impacteurope.net/

Guest host Nazareth Seferian takes the mic and hits the road for this special episode. Engage Armenia was a whirlwind tour of Armenian diaspora communities in Europe, and Nazareth was there to dive deep on diaspora engagement in impact investment. But he was also there to record, reflect and interview. Featuring Heiko Jessayan, Mike Donikiyan,  André Gumuchdjian and Vartan Marashlyan.  Learn more:https://yerevan.impacthub.net/  https://engage-armenia-en.repatarmenia.org/ https://repatarmenia.org/ https://www.impacteurope.net/  Impact HUB Yerevan on a previous episode of Impact People: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1556sy9HRHUglSq3evWw98?si=da484cb668ba45b6 

15 impact funds pitched at the Funds for Change event, co-organized by Impact Europe during ChangeNOW in Paris. We spoke to the impact people behind the funds about their work, the challenges they face and the way forward. Join us live, in the middle of the Circle Stage at ChangeNOW.Stay tuned for part 2!

Good Deed Foundation doesn't just do good for Estonians; the knowledge they share with the greater impact ecosystem is a good deed in itself. Join Pirkko Valge (CEO at Good Deed Foundation) and Ben to find out what the Estonian impact space has to teach the world.  Read Good Deed Foundation's Impact Report: https://bit.ly/gooddeedimpactreport  https://heategu.ee/  https://www.impacteurope.net/  

The financial and mental well-being of young people – that's the issue at stake for NN Group and Young Impact. Lonneke Roza (Head of Community Investment, NN Group), Wendy Kakebeeke (Director, Young Impact) and Erben Oosting (Advisory Board Member, Young Impact; WEF Global Shaper, World Economic Forum) join us for perspectives from three layers of impact – investor, investee and a young person impacted by the program.    https://www.nn-group.com/our-company/positive-change-in-communities/community-investment-partners-and-initiatives.htm https://youngimpact.nl/ https://www.linkedin.com/posts/erben-oosting-aa6abb154_publicspeaking-thuas-students-activity-7109826649377959936-VIUE?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop https://www.impacteurope.net/ 

Past. Present. Future. The needs of the market have pushed impact people to respond in ways we never could have predicted in 2004, when some dreamers came together to found EVPA – now Impact Europe – The Investing for Impact Network. Join Chris West (Partner, Sumerian Partners; Board Member, Impact Europe), Roberta Bosurgi (CEO, Impact Europe) and Eleni Theodorou (Managing Director, We Share Forward Foundation) for perspectives on Impact Europe's 20-year history and what that means for an evolving impact ecosystem.  https://www.weshareforward.org/  https://www.sumerianpartners.com/ https://www.impacteurope.net/ Read out Annual Report – the Age of Impact – to find out more about the present and future of impact:  https://www.impacteurope.net/insights/age-impact  

The Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) and their investment vehicle Pluralis invest in independent media, aiding the free flow of news, information and debate that keeps democracy running – especially important in 2024, an election year. Max von Abendroth (Senior Advisor Europe & Germany, MDIF) joins Ben to explain how it works and why it matters.  https://www.mdif.org/ https://www.pluralis.media/ https://www.impacteurope.net/ 

The EU's Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) seeks to enhance transparency in the financial markets about sustainability-related claims, prevent greenwashing and channel capital flows toward sustainable economic activities -- but it could also use a bit of tailoring. Jana Bour, Impact Europe's resident policy expert, sits down with Ben to take us through the advocacy around SFDR and the growing number of impact people in support of making some changes.  Learn more about Impact Europe's work on tailoring SFDR:  https://www.impacteurope.net/stream/sfdr Read the joint letter with National Advisory Boards and the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment:  https://www.impacteurope.net/insights/letter-european-commission-sfdr 

Sound Funding x Impact People = this episode! Join Ryan Grant Little and Ben as we build a bridge between Sound Funding, Impact Europe's podcast for impact funds, and Impact People. Ryan takes us through the many hats he wears (founder, investor, consultant, podcast host), the lens through which he sees the world and advice for podcast hosts who mix metaphors.  Like and subscribe to Ryan's new podcast Another ClimateTech Podcast:  https://www.climatetechpod.com/  Learn more about Impact Europe:  https://impacteurope.net/  

Steps away from the bustling OGR, a Torino neighbourhood goes about its business in the sun of a late November afternoon. It was the perfect place to stroll and chat with Rana Eltanbadawy, whose work as Enterprise development manager at Enroot brought her to Impact Week. Come take a walk with us!

Nineteen young people from Torino, assembled by Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, have now learned the basics of investing for impact. They are the Impact Generation. Now, their mandate is clear: establish a Youth Impact Agenda. They joined Ben at Impact Week to share their perspectives in this special live episode.

Courage. Vision. Resilience. Care. What does it take to make an impact when your context is crisis? We found out with this live recording at Impact Week in Torino, featuring Myrna Atalla (Executive Director, Alfanar), Gevorg Poghosyan (CEO, Impact Hub Yerevan) and Anna Gulevska-Chernysh (Chair, SILab Ukraine; Chair, Ukrainian Social Venture Fund). Stay tuned for more live episodes from Impact Week!  

Strengthening impact finance in Morocco: that's one of happy smala's key activities, as they just proved at their Impact Together! kick-off event. But what does that mean in practice? What is the role of crowdfunding? And what is a smala? Eric Asmar, happy smala's CEO, has the answers. Join Eric for a conversation here – and at Impact Week, where he'll be speaking at a panel on Resilient Cities.  https://www.happysmala.com/ 

In part 2 of our special episode on EIB Institute's Social Innovation Tournament, we have a winner! Several winners, in fact. Join us as we investigate what the SIT means for its finalists ("we're like a family"), featuring clips and interviews from the innovators behind Sophia Chatbot, Gribouilli,  BrainTrip and Fibsen.    

We're back to the projects of Impact Together! and MENA's impact people! Mariam AbdelKarim calls in from Cairo to talk about how Hivos helps build a green economy in the region; we discuss barriers, opportunities and an upcoming VC Summit where it's all coming together. Plus, find out some top reasons to join Mariam and Ben at Impact Week!  

The EIB Institute's Social Innovation Tournament was THE place to be for Europe's impact entrepreneurs. Live from the event in Stockholm, Impact People presents a special 2-part episode on the thriving community that's built up around SIT, delivering the tournament's sounds and sensations directly to your earbuds. In part 1, we hear from alumni of the program, Hugo from Dreamwaves, Eefje from Cokido and De Stuyverij, and Rawaa from Resortecs -- plus, EIB Institute's own Luisa Ferreira!   

What does impact investing have to do with the Apollo 14 moon mission? Find out on this very special episode of Impact People! Last week, at ImpactCity in the Hague, Europe's leading impact funds gathered to join hands and join forces at an invite-only event: Capital Ideas. Lucky for us, Juli was on the guest list to gather perspectives, hear insights and share the microphone with the people behind the funds.

New season, new Impact People! For the next months, we'll be talking to people from the Middle East and north Africa's most impactful organisations: members of EVPA's Impact Together! project. We kick things off with two guests from BuildPalestine, Besan Abu-Joudeh, CEO and Co-Founder, and Lama Amr, Executive Director. Join Besan and Lama at their summit event on 7-8 October!  Learn more: https://buildpalestine.com/summit/ 

A totally fictional episode of Impact People. https://www.gamcare.org.uk/ https://www.begambleaware.org/self-exclusion  https://safergamblinguk.org/ 

What makes a good impact neighbour? We set out to find out – live at the Impact in the Neighbourhood conference in Tbilisi, Georgia. This event marked a culmination point for many of the impact people previously featured on the podcast – a moment for unexpected connections and breakthrough moments, but also reflections on the state of impact throughout Europe's east. And, with the perspectives of impact people from the Middle East and north Africa, we look ahead to the next season of Impact People.  Learn more:https://www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/20230630/the-editors-post-neighbours-on-mission https://collaborate4impact.org/  https://www.csrdg.ge/en  https://www.impactweek.eu/torino  

Gevorg Poghosyan, CEO Impact HUB Yerevan, and Kirk Wallace, a seasoned veteran of Armenia's impact space, check in with Impact People to discuss everything from how they engage with local changemakers to launching VIA Fund, Armenia's first impact fund. Bridging Armenian and American perspectives, the pair represents a perfect example of an international and holistic approach to impact.   Learn more:https://viafund.net/ https://yerevan.impacthub.net/ https://collaborate4impact.org/  https://www.facebook.com/AregakBakery  https://collaborate4impact.org/insights/hdif-homeland-development-initiative-foundation-handicraft-social-impact https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/89582/name-and-place 

On the release of EVPA's Annual Report – 22 Thrilling Tales of Impact – CEO Roberta Bosurgi brings the main character energy to Impact People! Roberta reflects on a year of impact, some standout stories and what it takes to lead the ever-evolving EVPA. Read the 2022 Annual Report here. Impact People is hosted by Ben DeVries and produced by Alon Shapiro and Nathan Ritholz.  Inspired to join the EVPA community? Get in touch!  

With the Impact Days event coming soon, May is shaping up to be big month for impact in Moldova. We caught up with Aina Idrisova (Head of Social Entrepreneurship at EcoVisio) and Ana Ciurac (Project Officer at East Europe Foundation Moldova) to discuss the shape of Moldova's impact ecosystem: successes, challenges, compelling social enterprises and more. Check out the links to find more information on Impact Days in Moldova, Collaborate for Impact, Aina and Ana's organisations and some social enterprises they mention in the show! Impact People from EVPA is hosted by Ben DeVries and produced by Alon Shapiro and Nathan Ritholz.  https://collaborate4impact.org/ https://www.ecovisio.org/ https://eef.md/en/ https://www.evpa.ngo/  https://www.floaredecires.org/https://www.edujoc.md/https://tcp.center/https://ecolifeforyou.com/ 

Azerbaijan's impact people are showing off their moves! We check in with Gulnara Ismailova, who's helped build the ecosystem for impact through her work for Education HUB, and Nigar Sultanova, whose DanceAbility enterprise empowers dancers of all abilities. If there are “no wrong moves” in dance, is the same true for impact investing? Listen to find out!  This is the video that Ben mentions at the beginning of the episode: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=321668480173004 Learn more about Collaborate for Impact and our work in Azerbaijan and the region.

In part 2 of Impactful Ukrainians, we're turning up the volume on the social entrepreneurs the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund supports. That includes co-founders of Vilni and It's Craft, Anastasia Bytko and Viktoria Kulakova, calling in to share their journeys. Find out what it takes to launch a social enterprise in a conflict zone, how knitting socks can knit strong communities, where the best Ukrainian tomatoes come from and more!  Impact People is hosted by Ben DeVries, EVPA's storyteller; the show is produced by Alon Shapiro and Nathan Ritholz. Learn more:  https://vilni.design/  https://itscraft.com.ua/ https://www.usv.fund/en 

On the grim anniversary of russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, Impact People checks in with board members of the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund: Dr. Bohdan Androschuk, Alena Kalibaba and Artem Kornetskyy. Expect stories of resilience, inspiration and hopes for a rebuilt Ukraine. Plus, find out just what takes to keep building an ecosystem for impact in a conflict zone. Impact People is hosted by Ben DeVries, EVPA's storyteller; the show is produced by Alon Shapiro and Nathan Ritholz.Learn more: https://collaborate4impact.org/ https://www.usv.fund/en https://www.impactbusinessua.org/

Our first episodes will put a special focus on the people and projects of the Collaborate for Impact project, serving the Eastern Partnership countries. Episode one, Impactful Ukrainians, is coming soon – subscribe to get the latest episodes directly!Learn more: https://www.evpa.ngo/  https://collaborate4impact.org/