On June 23, the conference hall of Tsmoki Minsk basketball club hosted the Grand Final of the Biz4all-2 social entrepreneurship training programme. The teams presented their projects by doing three-minute pitches in front of a professional jury, which included representatives of various foundations and support programmes, journalists and entrepreneurs from Belarus and Europe.
Biz4all-2 training was part of the "Social Entrepreneurship Incubator” programme organized by ODB Brussels (Belgium) in partnership with TNU Network University (Netherlands) with financial support from the European Union.
The jury included: Zhanna Statsiuka, deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, Aliaksandr Skrabouski, director of the “Dobra” Foundation and manager of Social Weekend competition, Yunela Salnikava, representing РАСТ, Zhanna Filipava, Director of the New Eurasia Foundation, Mariya Kalinouskaya and Kiril Stezhkin, UNDP Belarus, Yasia Karalevich-Kartel, editor of online magazine about Minsk citydog.by, Larisa Kamarova, USAID Belarus, Aksana Yelova, social curator of the Support Programme of Belarus of the Federal Government of Germany of Belarus, Anastasiya Komlik-Yamatsina, literature and art manager at Budzma Belarusami campaign, and Dirk Vlierbum, general manager of the Renaissance Minsk Hotel. Fiona Gibb, British Ambassador to Belarus, was an honorary guest of the event.
Jury of the Biz4all-2 Social Entrepreneurship Training School Grand Final in Minsk
The jury evaluated the team’s presentations using the following criteria:
• Pitch (simplicity, clarity, conciseness);
• Minimal Viable Product (product or service);
• Project team (potential, complementarity of members);
• Answers provided to the jury’s questions;
• Social impact (contribution to solving social and environmental problems).
After the jury's vote, third prizes were awarded to two project: "Funny Nose" hospital clowns (Minsk) and Koska inclusive clothing (Hrodna). The second prize was given to Mops Shmops (Minsk), a company which manufactures tasty and healthy treats for dogs.
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Team of Koska inclusive clothing project from Hrodna | Mops Shmops (Minsk), tasty and healthy dog treats |
Another Minsk project called Babushkin Chasnok (“Grandma’s Garlic”), was declared the winner. The team is now developing a new product: a compote mixture made from products purchased from grandmas who grow them in their own garden plots. These four teams received special prizes from ODB Brussels.
Babushkin Chasnok (“Grandma’s Garlic”) team, who received the first prize: Yauheni Shkut and Yelena Galamazava with daughter
Masha Charakova also awarded special prizes from the Social Entrepreneurship Incubator programme: two trips to the Netherlands to visit a large Amsterdam accelerator. The trips were awarded to two Minsk teams: hospital clowns “Funny Nose” and Inclusive Family Theatre "i".
Masha Charakova presenting a prize from the Social Entrepreneurship Incubator programme to Yuliya Kuprienka, Inclusive Family Theatre "i": a trip to the Netherlands to visit the largest business accelerator.
A member of the hospital clowns “Funny Nose” team receiving their the Social Entrepreneurship Incubator programme prize from Masha Charakova: a trip to the Netherlands to visit the largest business accelerator.
In their concluding remarks, members of the jury underscored the professional level of teams, underscored: the business part of the idea is a priority for everyone. This means that a lot of charity projects and civil society organizations have revised their approach to doing business, which allowed them to decrease their dependence on grants and external support in order to solve important social problems in the country.
We congratulate all the teams on their strong pitches and on receiving their certificates. We wish everyone a lot of success in their future work.
Text by: Valeriya Nikalaichyk
Photo by: Vitaly Brazouski
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| The goal of the programme is to develop a package of social entrepreneurship training programmes in Russian using innovative international practices, as well as the experience of Belarusian diaspora representatives who have become successful entrepreneurs in European Union countries and the USA. |
The material was prepared within the framework of the "Social Entrepreneurship Incubator", implemented by ODB Brussels in partnership with TNU Network University (Netherlands), Belarusian Youth Public Union "New Faces" and International Civil Association "Union of Belarusian of the world “Motherland", with support from the European Union.