C3 announced the launch of the third edition of the successful C3 Social Impact Accelerator Program – Powered by HSBC.
This program addresses key milestones in the journey of social entrepreneurs and focuses primarily on providing support for maximising the enterprises’ impact on society and the environment whilst aiming for financial sustainability.
A total of 20 finalists from the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Egypt, Algeria and Turkey will be selected to participate in the program’s signature learning journey: selected entrepreneurs will have the unique opportunity to attend group workshops on foundational topics, simulate board meetings with impact investors and get connected with experts from across the world. Winners of the pitch competition will benefit from equity-free cash prizes and from the expertise of global senior corporates including HSBC, Amazon, Bain & co. and Al Tamimi, amongst others.
In 2020, the program has pivoted online, showing to both organisers and participants the power of mixing self-paced learning with online live group activities and individual touch-points.
For the 2021 edition of the program, C3 has partnered with best-in-class learning experience designers (Swiss-based Business Performance Institute), data analytics experts (UK-based Yonder Data Solutions) and learning technology providers (Finland-based Claned) to bring to life a very interactive program based both on C3’s proven framework to maximise impact and accelerate business growth and on the effectiveness of the most successful blended-learning methodologies.
“The pandemic has accelerated our plans to create a unique learning experience for entrepreneurs willing to create a positive change in the world. We are excited to join forces with renowned learning design, data and technology experts, who share the same vision as ours. We are now able to empower change-makers in a more interactive and engaging way, making sure that our proven blueprints and frameworks are absorbed and implemented throughout the program in simulated environments”, C3 co-founder, Medea Nocentini says.
Moreover, with C3 being awarded the SEM (Social Enterprise Mark) official and exclusive partner to expand social enterprise accreditation in the MENAT region, entrepreneurs that are putting impact at the center of their business strategy now have the chance to undergo the only internationally available accreditation specifically designed to support social enterprises.
“The C3 Social Impact Accelerator Program armed us with the tools to be able to correctly measure our social impact and to integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics into our business model, the experience has been very enriching”, says last year’s winner Latifa al Khalifa, co-founder and CEO of Clever Play.
“COVID-19 has amplified the urgent need for entrepreneurs, both globally and regionally, to embed social impact frameworks into their business models. We are proud to lead these initiatives in the MENAT region and to support entrepreneurs’ business missions which ultimately solve major social challenges at scale.” C3 CEO, Laudy Lahdo concludes.
