Surprisingly often, entrepreneurial ideas that offer solutions for social and ecological problems are missing the right financing. The Marc Impact program, founded in 2024, supports impact companies in achieving their goals-and also interesting for investor: to become inside. How well a successful business model can end with sustainable solutions was confirmed on Tuesday re:Marc Pitch-Event in Vienna.
65 Impact startups have been going through the first training phase of the Marc Impact program in Austria, Hungary and Romania in recent months. Of them, 39 qualified for individual advice tailored to their special challenges. The best nine impact startups – three from Austria, Hungary and Romania – finally faced a top -class jury.
The Re: Marc Excellence Award for Austria won the Graz company byeagainthat for Romania HELP Autism and ssh boards those for Hungary. With the first Marc CEE Excellence Award was awarded ssh boards.
The three examples show how broad the field of entrepreneurial ideas in the Marc Impact program:
ssh boards offers isolation solutions from straw and thus wants to deliver environmentally friendly, low -emission and sustainable alternatives for the construction industry. The production technology newly developed by the family business in the surrounding area of Budapest is intended to enable manufacturers worldwide to produce high -quality insulation materials from the slightly available raw material straw.
byeagain Returned products gives a second life in Graz. Specialized in children’s articles and toys, it makes it ready for sale to online retailers or car seats. What would otherwise have ended up in the trash can find new customers. The young start -up duo with experience in the logistics of wholesale dealers relies on automated optimization of the refurbishment – and has just increased.
HELP Autism Has its headquarters in Bucharest. In seven centers, the organization is already supporting people with autism and their families with a wide range of therapies, training and advice. The offer developed by Help Autism is to be expanded to 50 centers in all of Romania via a franchise system.
The RE: Marc Pitch event was as international as its participants. It consisted of Cornelia DienerreiterCo-Founder and CEO of not grasped; Eszter Elemér, Managing Director & Chairman von Impact Ventures; Zdnek Fred FousFounder & Investor, PurposeTech; Ioana GheorghiadeChief Risk Officer der Banca Commercial Romanian; Magdaléna RadováConsultant for Impact Investment and Innovation as well Philipp Thurn and TaxisFounder of CNB Capital and member of the supervisory board of the first foundation.
Where impact and financing is a program
Around a year after the Marc Impact program was presented at Impact Days 2024, its initiators are impressed by the results of the pilot phase: “It is confident that many good, socially and ecologically oriented solutions are currently being developed. In central and Eastern Europe, the potential for organizations is not only sustainable, but also impact and make resilient people, clearly”, clearly ” says Florian BauerExecutive Director Social Finance and Impact Investment der First foundation. The exchange of program participants is also important: “Here a community is created that learns from each other, even though their organizations are active in very different industries,” says Bauer. At the final event in Vienna, they also came into contact with Impact investor: inside and representatives: Interior of international organizations.
Nine of the participating organizations of the first round not only completed the program, but have already taken the next step and received financing. “It is particularly challenging for high-impact companies to become interesting for investors. With local partner organizations and the Network of the Erste Group, Marc can help optimize business plans, but also facilitate access to innovative financing solutions,” says Peter SurekManaging Director of First social finance. The Social Banking The banks of the Embarrassing group Combines local know-how and special financial instruments. “Very individually on the topics and needs of the participants: to be able to enter into the inside is certainly what Marc distinguishes,” says Peter Surek.
After the successful pilot phase in Austria, Hungary and Romania, the Marc Impact program will also be rolled out in other central and Eastern European countries in autumn.
Marc
The Marc Impact program supports companies in offering social and ecological solutions, growing sustainably and financing themselves. It is a collaboration of the first social finance, the first foundation, ifua nonprofit partner and Simpact.