You’re in a social startup and you need a boost to make the next stop. Not to worry! Social Impact Start (SIS), a concept of Social Impact, has just opened its second application window, and will be accepting submissions by 6 October. The initiative, enabled by SAP and hosted by Impact Hub Vienna, is looking for startups that need the support to expand their social business. In order to be considered for the stipend, apply here by 6 October.
How does it work?
Teams from anywhere around the world are welcome to apply, yet, they must be willing to relocate to Vienna for the programme, and work at least half a week from the Hub. Both early-stage and more mature startups are encouraged to apply as long as they haven’t been on the market yet.
The programme is looking to select eight startups by mid-October, who will then pitch in front of a jury and run for a chance to win one of four incubation stipends. Currently, the panel of experts consists of Klaus Sickinger, CEO of SAP, journalist Stefan Mey, and most probably Alyona Asyamova of Impact Hub Global. Once accepted, startups will receive active Hub membership – including workspace, and access to the Hub global network. Other perks include business coaching, mentorship from an SAP employee, as well as lots of feedback and peer-learning.
The incubation stipend will run for up to eight months for those startups who have demonstrated steady progress and growth. At the end of the first four months, each team will present their achievements, which will determine whether or not they will continue with the programme.
The first batch
Working on their projects for a third month in a row now are the four startups from the SIS initial batch. Among those are Evelina Lundqvist of Zero Waste Jam, Christoph Derndorfer of TechnikBasteln, Christoph Holzhaider of Studienaktie, and Tobias Haider of UbiGo. “I feel some of [the teams] needed a bit of time to find their rhythm, but after the summer, they are back full speed,” programme coordinator Christine Spernbauer told inventures.eu. From the four stipends, “TechnikBasteln was invited to support a discussion in Forum Alpbach, and Zero Waste Jam started selling in multiple shops.”
As for this upcoming batch, Spernbauer is advising applicants to “not try and solve too many problems at first, but be clear about their vision.” The selected startups will start the programme on 1 November.
