Pollinate Impact is a member-led network of impact incubators‘Incubator’ refers to any organization whose programs primarily focus on vetting and selecting, promising social enterprises, and providing them with a comprehensive range of support services aimed at building and growing them to achieve maximum sustainable impact. serving entrepreneurs in the Global South.
Together, our members are committed to building a resilient and thriving impact incubation industry, while advocating for their needs and priorities with a unified voice.Â
Pollinate Impact was founded on the radical idea: to accelerate the work of social entrepreneurs in the Global South, the incubators‘Incubator’ refers to any organization whose programs primarily focus on vetting and selecting, promising social enterprises, and providing them with a comprehensive range of support services aimed at building and growing them to achieve maximum sustainable impact. that guide them needed support themselves. Despite the critically important role that these organisations play in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, they receive the least support and operate under some of the most restrictive funding mechanisms.
The foundation of Pollinate Impact is rooted in Villgro USA’s strategy to support incubators‘Incubator’ refers to any organization whose programs primarily focus on vetting and selecting, promising social enterprises, and providing them with a comprehensive range of support services aimed at building and growing them to achieve maximum sustainable impact. on a larger scale and in lessons learned on how best to transform this industry.Â
Over half of the world’s 8,000 business incubators‘Incubator’ refers to any organization whose programs primarily focus on vetting and selecting, promising social enterprises, and providing them with a comprehensive range of support services aimed at building and growing them to achieve maximum sustainable impact. and accelerators were established between 2014 and 2020. This rapid growth, along with the push to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, puts tremendous pressure on impact incubators—especially those in the Global South, where demand for social and economic improvement is high. Since impact incubators‘Incubator’ refers to any organization whose programs primarily focus on vetting and selecting, promising social enterprises, and providing them with a comprehensive range of support services aimed at building and growing them to achieve maximum sustainable impact. are on the front lines, catalysing social enterprise growth—requiring resources such as connections, peer support, knowledge sharing, and collective strength—we structured our network to provide them with avenues for collaboration, learning, and action.
We are taking a systems-change approach to help build a healthy and effective impact ecosystem. Â
At Pollinate Impact, we are working to address the needs of business incubators‘Incubator’ refers to any organization whose programs primarily focus on vetting and selecting, promising social enterprises, and providing them with a comprehensive range of support services aimed at building and growing them to achieve maximum sustainable impact. and accelerators, taking a systems-change approach to enable a healthy and effective impact ecosystem.Â
Impact incubators‘Incubator’ refers to any organization whose programs primarily focus on vetting and selecting, promising social enterprises, and providing them with a comprehensive range of support services aimed at building and growing them to achieve maximum sustainable impact. are in the driver’s seat, propelling change from the ground up. As a member-led network, we actively shape our practical programmes and collaborative initiatives to meet your needs.
We know that you have one of the toughest jobs out there. We feel your pain and see your struggles:
Why should you feel like you’re struggling alone? There are thousands of incubators who are struggling with the exact same challenges as you.
Keep the lights on while developing innovative new revenue streams because your funding sources are restrictive.
Attract and retain a rockstar team to deliver services to your entrepreneurs, because your employees have few – if any – career pathways to explore. Admit it, you probably ended up here by accident, too!
Resolve the tension between quality versus quantity, and your timelines to deliver are often too short to deliver the quality you want.
Have influence and agency in this ecosystem.
You feel like you’re being pulled in different directions because your funders, entrepreneurs, and impact investors you engage with often demand different things.
Develop or implement the systems and processes you need because, candidly, they’re expensive and take time to implement…and your resources are limited. These often feel like a luxury instead of a must-have.
Collaborate with other incubators‘Incubator’ refers to any organization whose programs primarily focus on vetting and selecting, promising social enterprises, and providing them with a comprehensive range of support services aimed at building and growing them to achieve maximum sustainable impact. because there’s often too much sense of competition for limited resources. Why should you feel like you’re struggling alone? There are thousands of incubators‘Incubator’ refers to any organization whose programs primarily focus on vetting and selecting, promising social enterprises, and providing them with a comprehensive range of support services aimed at building and growing them to achieve maximum sustainable impact. struggling with the same challenges as you.Â
We are a tireless team of impact ecosystem veterans, network weavers, and collaborative facilitators, crossing four continents and 13 time zones to bring together the various stakeholders of the impact incubation industry.
〰 African proverb
Our Network is a community of stakeholders in the impact incubation ecosystem within the Global South. We work together to scale change, so get in touch and don’t be a stranger.
Contact our Marketing Team:
Communications@pollinateimpact.org
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