Social entrepreneurs are the ones who are dedicated to tackling society-based issues such as civil rights, racism, poverty and many more. One of the main motivations behind solving social problems is making an impact for the community. In other words, all components of a society have their contributions to it, so all human beings can rise only if all members (including diversities) get benefit from such an improvement. 

Social impact as the “S” one of ESG (Environmental-Social-Governance) is the part of solving the problems in the world to make it sustainably liveable for the next generations. The main idea behind the ESG trend from the investor and employer perspective is the economy will achieve the prosperity status only by considering the well-being of employees and consumers (almost the society). It is reciprocated in both the financial and corporate realm. For example, one of the leading investment bank Goldman Sachs states that they will never invest in the firms with board consisting of just white and heterosexual males. Perhaps, you have seen many corporate officials promoting their vision and actions for sustainability. 

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649 of articles & news of total 1460 contents about ESG Investment in Financial Times has been written in 2020. Moreover, it is notable that ESG-related investment portfolio is overperformed (almost 100% more performance than an average-classical portfolio) between 2014 and the end of 2019. But the sheer number of indices that provide an ESG focus have exploded from 2019 to 2020, increasing by 40 per cent, according to the Index Industry Association survey.The amount of money going into ESG assets has also exploded. Taking about the trends in social entrepreneurship, the global social impact investment market now counts. In the US in 2016 there was $8.1tn in professionally-managed ESG assets, according to the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment. By 2020 that number grew to $17.1tn, which is more than a 100 per cent increase in just four years.

Taking about the trends in social entrepreneurship, the global social impact investment market now counts $715 billion according to the 2020 Annual Impact Investor Survey by Global Impact Investing Network whereas it did $502 billion at the end of 2018, which gives social impact a way to grow steadily and expand its acquisition. 

Sustainable Development Goals

Powered by UNDP, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are 17 goals aiming to transform the world. As these goals are not achievable only by the UN alone, but requires collaboration and partnership of government bodies, private sector, civil society and individuals. In this context, Hackquarters, designed Sustainable Growth Program, a 6-month startup accelerator powered by HSBC. For the last two years, 11 startups, selected out of 222 applicants, scaled their products, reshaped business models during pandemic, received 100+ hours of mentorship, and 70+ hours of training & workshops in total. Here are the 11 startups accelerated in HSBC Sustainable Growth Program.

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Here are the 11 startups accelerated in HSBC Sustainable Growth Program.

Mumo: Mumo invites people to a sustainable life with natural and long-lasting alternatives to single-use products. We remind the importance of bonding through our products and aim to create a nature friendly behavioral transformation

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Mana: Mana, which means the super power arose from its roots, designs and produces environment-friendly & slowly processed products for women and houses with the women of these lands.

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Ecording: Ecording aims to raise environmental awareness in individuals and develops new technologies to achieve that goal. Using EcoDrone that deliver airborne seed cannon shoots in hard-to-reach areas that need to be afforested

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Composeit: Compose it produced a machine that will take advantage of your food wastes and transform them into a highly efficient soil and creating a new hobby.

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Blindlook: BlindLook provides freedom for blind people in social life by making restaurants and restaurant menus accessible for them.

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Laska: Laska is a high-tech company that upcycles end-of-life tires with innovative, environmentally friendly, and sustainable production approaches. Laska obtains two high-added value products from waste tires with our patentable technology and the circular economy approach: carbon black and biofuel.

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Ottan: Ottan develops and produces high-quality and long-lasting materials by the up-cycling of green waste in the circular economy model for a sustainable future. With Ottan Materials, companies can grow eco-products in more than five industries such as furniture, housewares, and building.

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Anadolu Meralari: Anadolu Meralari is an initiative that promotes regenerative agriculture and creates models for alternative markets and supply chains which make a bridge between economy and ecology by promoting practices that enrich the soil and add higher nutritional and monetary value to the end product.

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Agcurate: Agcurate delivers accurate and periodical information for agri-businesses suffering a lack of rural agricultural bits of intelligence, connecting agri-businesses with reliable and rich rural data and analytics.

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Atık Nakit: Atık Nakit combines the sources that generate recyclable wastes in homes and businesses and the recycling tools that collect these wastes. On the other hand, it makes waste management more sustainable and less costly with the occupancy sensor and the IoT-based smart waste container working with the press inside.

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Hagelson: Hagelson, with its unique project and technology, produces plastic raw materials from recycling waste carpets. Thus, problems like waste carpets made during the production process and removing wastes during floor covering with mats are eradicated.

To visualize the increasing interest and scale for social entrepreneurship in Turkey, the Hackquarters team has compiled a Map of Social Startups with companies categorized according to the goal they are contributing to. 

If you couldn't find yourself but want to be included please drop a message at hilal@hackquarters.co

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