Impact People – Details, episodes & analysis

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/ 

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/en
• https://www.actio.ge/en
• https://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