A Social Innovation Forum 2017 was organized in Belgrade on the 6th April 2017 by the Smart Kolektiv, EBRD and NESst. The forum gathered different stakeholders from the Region of Western Balkans, Croatia and Slovenia with the main purpose that the results of the mapping study of social enterprise ecosystems in Croatia and Western Balkans are presented to the participants. They were later discussed in the spirited networking sessions.
From November 2016 to January 2017 NESsT (an international non-profit organization which invests in enterpreneurial solutions that lift people out of poverty in emerging market countries http://www.nesst.org/) conducted in-depth research about the social enterprise ecosystems in Croatia and six countries in the Western Balkans in order to map out the legal and policy environment, current stakeholders, the financial and non-financial support needs of social enterprises and the financing and capacity building options available to them. The study is the first comprehensive research of its kind, covering seven countires in the region: Albania, Bosnia&Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Its ultimate purpose is to inform key stakeholders in the region on what is the best way to move forward in order to strengthen social enterprise in the region.
As a member of EBAN and WBAF, Social Impact Investment Hub Professor Balthazar took part in the Forum in order to get better insight in the mapping of the social enterprises and their developent stages in the Region. These data are of crucial importance for our organization because we are in the process of setting up a Social impact venture fund for Croatia and Western Balkans this year.
Renata Brkić
Social Impact Investment Hub Professor Balthazar
WBAF Commissioner for Croatia