Social Impact, Germany

Social Impact has a long track record of supporting social entrepreneurship in Germany and working with aspiring entrepreneurs from different disadvantaged groups (such as longterm unemployed or migrant workers). Following the influx of more than one million refugees into Germany in 2015, The Human Safety Net and Social Impact embarked on a three-year partnership to empower refugees to start their own businesses. Through this partnership, Social Impact was able to open a new Social Impact Lab in a Munich innovation campus in 2017, dedicated to serving entrepreneurs with refugee backgrounds. Since then, the programme has expanded, allowing Social Impact to offer services to refugee entrepreneurs in its other incubators in Berlin, Potsdam, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Cologne and Leipzig. The model emphasizes highly individualized support through one-to-one coaching conducted by Social Impact coaches or certified external business coaches over a nine-month period. Entrepreneurs can access a shared coworking space and receive help registering their businesses and interacting with public agencies like local chambers of commerce and employment agencies.

As of the end of 2019, over 230 refugees have benefited from coaching and 45 startups have been set up in eight cities. With the support of The Human Safety Net and Generali Germany, a number of additional partners have joined forces, including the Schöpflin Foundation and municipalities and public entities in cities where the programme operates. Further opportunities for creating shared value are currently under development, for example including start-ups supported by The Human Safety Net in Generali’s supply chain (e.g. for catering) and developing IT solutions for refugee entrepreneurs in Generali Germany’s