Press release

BE A CHANGE COMPETITION ADVANCED SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Search for unique business ideas that make the world a better place
Young and passionate future entrepreneurs took part in a competition October 30th – 31st in Tikkurila, Vantaa, Finland, in order to make the world a better place. The competition was organized by AIESEC – a global youth leadership development organization – and Feelovation – the first company in Finland with the mission of advancing social entrepreneurship.

This competition evaluating socially relevant business ideas was organized with volunteer work and an inspiring atmosphere. During two days, participants were supposed to develop a unique and feasible business idea for a social venture and make a business plan for it. The business ideas were evaluated by an expert jury, which was coordinated by founder of Feelovation Tomi Astikainen. Jury consisted of representatives from a social venture called Remake EkoDesign, Women’s Enterprise Agency, value-based entrepreneurship promoting organization called European Baha’i Business Forum, Ministry of Employment and the Economy, Finnish Red Cross and Finnish Association for Nature Conservation. The jury evaluated six business plans trickling young entrepreneurs’ urge to advance the wellbeing of people, communities and environment.

Winning business idea helps fresh social entrepreneurs
Taru Kankkonen from Helsinki won the competition with her business idea called Watti. The purpose of Watti is to help social ventures to cost-effectively build themselves a brand that suits them and found a development partnership with a corporation. This enables making the operational environment of the social venture as effective and vital as possible. The jury believes that the idea is unique and feasible and that it will generate both profit and new successful social ventures.

The jury awarded also two other business ideas with a social mission. According to the jury, implementation of Janne Korhonen’s business idea called Metamoney would make an enormous societal impact. Metamoney uses a virtual open money system to encourage communities to exchange services and expertise instead of money and thus changes the basements of the financial economy and addresses the issues it creates.

The jury also liked a business idea called Community home for senior citizens by Tellervo Kohonen and Jani-Matti Hätinen. Their goal is to found retirement homes which function like homes with nurse assistance – without inactivating senior citizens in institutions but enabling them to spend time with each other as an active community.

Social entrepreneurship is emerging
Social entrepreneurship is an important concept that has recently landed in Finland from abroad. It emerges from the inability of existing societal sectors (public, private and non-profit sectors) to combat societal challenges. Social entrepreneurs create bold and innovative solutions to problems without postponing them or waiting for public governance to intervene – even when essential structures to solve the problems are missing. They use entrepreneurship to produce financially, socially and environmentally sustainable change. Social ventures have two goals: to maintain economically functioning and profitable business and to improve the state of the environment and human wellbeing with their core activity.

Be a Change competition is the first competition in Finland that encourages the development of socially relevant business ideas and evaluates business ideas holistically. The jury and organizers were so pleased with the results of the competition that they are going to make it annual. Feelovation is going to conceptualize the concept and start expanding it to other European countries in cooperation with AIESEC. Inspired by the competition, members of the jury have also decided to start their own association for supporting and coordinating the cooperation of all social entrepreneurs in Finland.

More information:
Website of the competition: http://beachange.org (Project coordinator Meri Lähteenmäki, 040-5260787)

Chairman of the jury of the competition Tomi Astikainen (045-6708967 / tomi@feelovation.com)

Winner of the competition Taru Kankkonen (0400-014431 / kankkonen.taru@gmail.com)

Organizers: AIESEC in Finland (www.aiesec.fi) and Feelovation (www.feelovation.com)