The postman always knocks twice, but the train of opportunity only passes once. Well, that is what the 10 entities that presented their “pitch” must have felt during the Demo Day of the seventh edition of the B-Value social transformation program, promoted by the Banco Sabadell Foundation and the Ship2B Foundation and co-promoted by the Juan Entrecanales de Azcárate Foundation .
But, in their case, these 10 finalist entities, after nine months of preparation and 400 hours of training and mentoring, had extra pressure, compared to a conventional start-up. Because they are social entities and the prize was not to have capital to build a ball pit in the office, but to help people through their programs.
The Demo Day event, held in the auditorium of the Banco Sabadell office on Serrano Street (Madrid) on December 14, with the presence of key representatives of the third sector and the field of philanthropy, was recognized as the most highlighted to a WhatsApp of hope for young people who suffer alone. Developed by Here I am Chat, it has received 30,000 euros of financial support and the communication campaign of the After agency, which will allow them to consolidate and expand their impact throughout Spain.
The entity The Self-Investigation, which seeks to improve the mental health of journalism professionals, has received a total of 25,000 euros and talent consulting from Salto con Red, which will strengthen the team.
For its part, the Special Integrated Employment Center, which seeks to reduce the unemployment rate of people with disabilities and mental illness and the amount of plastic rejection, has won the prize of 20,000 euros from Sabadell Seguros aimed at a project that offers socio-labor opportunities for vulnerable groups. The entity has also received strategic consulting from PwC.
Finally, the Second Part Foundation, which works so that all people with acquired brain damage can recover autonomy and quality of life through sport, has received the connection and contrast strategy consultancy with companies from the Hazloposible Foundation.
B-Value, which has already exceeded one million euros in financial aid and pro-bono awards among all its editions since 2017, is not only limited to rewarding entities, but also prepares them so that they can operate successfully, as Cristina San explains. Salvador, director of venture philanthropy and expansion at the Ship2B Foundation: “We believe that the addition of support for almost a year with the contribution of financial aid or pro-bono prize in the end strengthens the projects and takes them to another level.”
In each edition of the program, more than 160 professionals work with the entities for months through in-person and online training and specialized mentoring. “Having the human capital of experts from different fields and, specifically, the 40 voluntary professional mentors from Banco Sabadell who each year dedicate part of their time to helping social entities is an intangible value for both the entities, which receive mentoring from expert professionals, as well as for the volunteers themselves, due to the emotional value of participating in a project with social impact,” adds Sonia Mulero, director of the Banco Sabadell Foundation.
The social transformation program for third sector entities that started in 2017 has accompanied a total of 284 social entities throughout these years in their transformation towards more innovative models and self-sustainability. According to the study carried out by the promoting entities, 80% of the finalist projects are still operating today, and on average, after one year of their passage through the program, the accelerated projects multiply their income by 3.5 and the beneficiaries quintuple catered.
Of a total of 120 applications, 10 social entities were chosen to be part of the final phase of the B-Value program. In addition to the four winning entities, the following have also been finalists:
Decedario Association: in order to complement the Spanish educational and health system, Decedario provides tools through play so that families with children or other people with disabilities can maximize their cognitive stimulation.
Discape Box: offers an experience for schools and companies where through the game, inspired by an escape room, people can immerse themselves in the real challenges faced by people with disabilities.
Fundació Privada Kālida: with this new project, the Fundació Privada Kālida takes its support and accompaniment to people affected by cancer one step further. “Kālida at work” will contribute to humanizing labor relations with a training and support package for management teams and employees, as well as different individual/family support packs for those affected by cancer.
Mahou San Miguel Foundation: through the “Linkados” project, the entity seeks to contribute to making the hospitality and tourism sector attractive for the professional development of people, seeking to create a transformative change focused on training and professionalization, to while involving the different stakeholders of the sector.
Light Humanity: is a crowdfunding platform committed to a renewable and inclusive energy transition through the promotion of solar and solidarity energy. The ultimate goal is to combat energy poverty in vulnerable communities, while mitigating climate change.
Self-manufacturing: through its SuperGiz project, it presents a new upper limb prosthesis system that does not imitate the morphology of the hand, allowing a greater number of daily life activities to be carried out, including sports and water activities. Prostheses printed using 3D technology, personalized, light and affordable that aim to democratize access to anyone with a missing arm or hand, thus improving their quality of life. The Demo Day event also featured a dialogue by two entities participating in previous editions of the program, Javier Dias, Founder of A Familias, and Silvia Sombría, Co-founder of Fundación Capacis.
During the event, Banco Sabadell's director of corporate culture, Emili Pascual, thanked the role of the bank's 40 professional mentors, who voluntarily participate in the program to help entities enhance their value proposition.
The organizing entities have also already confirmed that they are working on the eighth edition of the program, which will open its call at the beginning of 2024.
