At NOA Collective, we're excited to put our Brand Business Plan into action to make a real difference. This week, we want to highlight our collaboration with Univé, a cooperative insurance company dedicated to supporting social entrepreneurs. In this blog, we'll show you how our NOA IMPACT framework forms the foundation for the growing success of this initiative.
The identity of 'Samen voor Impact'
First, we established what 'Samen voor Impact' (making impact together) stands for. Our joint mission is to support social entrepreneurs in increasing their impact and addressing societal challenges. We carefully chose our core values and goals, which led to a powerful message that resonates with both entrepreneurs and the wider public: "Entrepreneurially contributing to a sustainable future".
Market insights
Market insights reveal a growing need for support for social entrepreneurs. Current research shows that 17.5% of the economy is quantified as sustainable through the New Economy Index (NEx) from MVO Nederland. However, we need to raise this to 20% as soon as possible to reach the famous tipping point, preferably by 2025. The increase is slowing down, highlighting the current limitations of sustainability policies.
In light of this, it's even more crucial that major players like Univé are stepping up to boost these impact-driven startups through initiatives such as 'Samen voor Impact'.
Ronald Booijink, Director of Univé Schade, explains:
"Univé was founded over 230 years ago, and ever since, we have been committed as a mutual insurance company to not only help our members with our insurance solutions but also contribute to helping solve societal problems. We believe in the strength of entrepreneurs in fixing current and future challenges. By combining forces and supporting them by giving access to our expertise, member base, and network, we hope to create a positive impact."
The collaboration with NOA collective plays a crucial role in this endeavor.
"The supporting expertise of NOA collective is of great added value in making our dreams come true," Booijink adds.
These initiatives are essential to accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable economy and provide social entrepreneurs with the support they need to make a real impact. As the current increase in sustainable practices slows down, partnerships like these become increasingly important in pushing towards the 20% sustainability goal and beyond.
Shaping the impact program
Based on our findings, we've developed the Impact Program together with Univé. This 10-week program offers social impact startups access to expertise, an extensive network and validation opportunities. Key elements are:
Expertise: Training and support in areas such as sales, finance, legal, business modeling and marketing.
Validation: Direct feedback from Univé's network of over 1.8 million members.
Revenue: Access to a large customer base for generating revenue.
Connecting with the impactful startups
Connecting with impactful startups With a clear picture of our impactful startups - social entrepreneurs contributing to SDG 3 (Health) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) - we've focused on creating an attractive and relevant program. By continuously updating and adapting to the needs of the entrepreneurs, we're building a strong and loyal community. Moreover, NOA brings an extensive network of impact entrepreneurs to the table, as our team members themselves come from impact-driven startups that we have founded and grown. This firsthand experience and network provide invaluable insights and connections for the entrepreneurs in our program.
Spotlight on our pilot impact startups
After having scouted numerous impact startups, we're thrilled to introduce the three promising ventures that will participate in our first-ever 'Samen voor Impact' program:
1. Ziemi: This innovative company has developed the world's first biomotion bicycle lighting, making cyclists 5 times more visible in the dark. Founded by Luci and Douwe, two young entrepreneurs with a social mission to make traffic safer, Ziemi is revolutionizing cycling safety.
2. Bikeflip: Offering a sustainable children's bicycle subscription service, Bikeflip tackles the issue of unused bicycles and promotes circular economy principles. Founded by Casparis Beyer and Paul Remie, Bikeflip aims to reduce waste and make quality bicycles accessible to all children.
3. Feelee: This mental health app, developed by Levi van Dam through his Garage2020 foundation, helps young people track and understand their emotions using emojis. Feelee aims to strengthen mental resilience by providing insights into how habits influence emotions.
Our support for these startups
For Ziemi and Bikeflip, we're guiding them through a condensed version of NOA’s unique Brand Business Plan, helping them refine their messaging, pricing, and promotional strategies. We're leveraging Univé's platform to provide validation and exposure to potential customers.
For Feelee, we're assisting in fine-tuning their proposition and program. We're planning an event where young people will experience Feelee's "mental scrub," generating data and awareness.
Measuring impact
With 'Samen voor Impact', we are determined to make a real difference. We measure our impact using various KPIs like the growth of their businesses, and the connected impact they achieve.
In conclusion, the NOA IMPACT framework has been instrumental in the success of 'Samen voor Impact'. By focusing on identity, market analysis, program fit, audience engagement, business planning, and impact measurement, we continue to make a significant difference together. This case demonstrates how a well-developed Brand Business Plan, combined with strong partnerships, can achieve both business success and meaningful social impact on a larger scale.
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