Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs (RISE) 2025

Sep 13, 2024

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Applications for the Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs (RISE) 2025 are now open.

RISE (Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs), along with its ten partners, supports any venture launched by young people in the Western Balkans with the goal of having a positive social or environmental impact on their communities.

Following the success of its first cycle, RISE has launched its second phase, which aims to help young people in the region get to know each other better, exchange ideas, and create new synergies to promote regional reconciliation.

The project will contribute to the development of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem and improve access to social entrepreneurship for young people in the Western Balkans area.

The general objective of RISE is to foster reconciliation in the Western Balkans through the promotion and strengthening of social entrepreneurship in the region.

RISE opens new spaces of reconciliation for the youth of the Western Balkans, through a regional program to support social entrepreneurship (The RISE Journey).

Young social entrepreneurs from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia will be supported throughout an Ideation and Incubation Chapter from which innovative solutions nourishing a dynamic ecosystem will emerge.

Program Details

RISE focuses on helping young changemakers turn their powerful ideas into sustainable social enterprises. The tailor-made support programme, RISE Journey, is implemented by six local incubators in the Western Balkans region.

At each stage, you will be accompanied by a local incubator that will provide training and technical skills to the entrepreneurs. The RISE Journey consists of 2 phases: the Ideation Chapter and the Incubation Chapter.

The Ideation Chapter (from October 2024 to February 2025): You will have access to a series of trainings, and mentoring sessions about social entrepreneurship and interculturality. At the end of the ideation chapter, you will present your social business model addressing the identified problem, with impact and sustainability. Two of the best social business ideas will be selected and will receive financial support of €2,500, an expedition in Western Balkans and a regional incubation programme. The third best social business idea selected will be able to take part in the expedition in Western Balkans.
The Incubation Chapter (from March 2025 to June 2025): The support programme continues with a regional dimension! You will complete the training with the aim of creating a working prototype of your idea, while travelling around the region at a regional Bootcamp to meet Risers and at the RISE expedition, which will introduce you to the region’s social enterprises. The RISE Journey has supported more than 500 young social entrepreneurs (175 social enterprise ideas) and incubated 48 social enterprises.

Eligibility

Young people from 16 to 35 years old from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, speaking English well enough to actively participate in an international program, in a group of a minimum of 2 persons that have:

Availability and readiness to participate in a program with 4 hours of active participation per week and meetups during 3 months ideation phase, whether these are in online or offline format.
High motivation to learn about social entrepreneurship and to be involved in a regional intercultural program.
The ambition to develop a concrete idea with social impact.
The willingness to learn from other actors in the region.
At least, have identified a social/environmental issue they want to tackle.
At most, worked on their idea on a small scale / at a personal level, without having engaged in a real business activity yet.
The idea impact is regional or local.

Selection Criteria

The key criteria that applicants will need to demonstrate are:

Strong motivation to participate in the program, the mindset of a true change-maker and commitment to fully participate in 3 months of ideation program
How the idea tackles a critical social/environmental issue
The potential for the idea to become a sustainable business
More than half of the team members speak English.
Advantage will be given to teams that haven’t previously been supported / funded by another existing support program which delivers similar trainings and knowledge to entrepreneurs.