Social entrepreneurship took center stage from September 11 to 15 at the National Institute of Entrepreneurs of Mexico’s (INADEM) week-long event celebrating the National Week of the Entrepreneur.
The event was aimed at showcasing the latest developments in entrepreneurship, including the various support systems and services that are available to help entrepreneurs launch or grow their businesses to the next level.
As one of the many resources at the disposal of these entrepreneurs, INADEM presented the Mexico-based International Organization of Social Entrepreneurs (OIES) — a relatively new organization dedicated to driving social entrepreneurship in developing countries throughout the world.
The organization works under the motto “Connect your startup with the world” and aims to achieve just that by linking social entrepreneurs with all of the resources they need to succeed in their endeavors.
Launched in May of this year, the OIES Connect platform allows entrepreneurs to search by country for affiliated accelerators and incubators, consultancies, co-working spaces, governments, and financing opportunities that can help them achieve their dreams of improving society through their businesses. The initiative hopes to start gaining traction in countries beyond Mexico as well.
Mario Hernández, Mexican entrepreneur and President of the OIES, reiterated this sentiment at the event as he presented two of the organization’s upcoming social entrepreneurship initiatives.
The first initiative is MILENIALS Fellows bootcamp: a two-month program designed to train selected entrepreneurs to drive local tourism in conjunction with other local businesses and institutions as a method of improving the communities. After training, participants will work with local communities to share their knowledge on how to resolve some of the communities’ most pressing issues regarding the environment and society.
The second announcement was an initiative to fund the communication and public relation efforts of 10 civil associations — nonprofit organizations — and 10 small and medium-sized businesses in an effort to disseminate crucial information regarding their social projects.
In Mexico, the opportunity for social entrepreneurs to make an impact has become feasible, due in part to organizations like OIES as well as the government.
Earlier this year, the Mexican government launched its program Sociedad por Acciones Simplificada (S.A.S.), a new type of business entity that allows entrepreneurs to register their companies with unprecedented ease. The new entity enables entrepreneurs to complete the registration process in a single day, over the internet, without ever having to go to a government office or touch a single piece of paper.
Ultimately, OIES hopes to make social entrepreneurship a feasible reality — not only in Mexico, but across the globe. With strategic access to partnerships with government organizations, investors and other leaders among the resources offered to entrepreneurs, the platform intends to demonstrate how financial and social gains can go hand in hand.
