It is with great pleasure that we present ten companies selected to participate in our Program for Sustainable Businesses, within the Smart Impact Fund.
After an open competition to select enterprises that will participate in this year’s Program for Sustainable Businesses, ten selected enterprises will work over the course of five months on their business development strategy and preparation for impact investments, locally and abroad. Participants will follow an intensive program consisting of workshops and 1-on-1 mentoring, and will also have the opportunity to apply for an innovative financial instrument – an interest-free loan worth up to EUR 50,000.00. The beginning of the program was marked by an “onboarding” meeting attended by representatives of selected companies and members of the Smart Kolektiv team. These companies contribute to solving various social problems – from environmental to employment problems for people with disabilities. Get to know them!
My Spoon is a company that has an innovative and unique product – edible teaspoons for hot drinks. The aim of this product is to replace disposable plastic spoons and biscuits that come with coffee, two in one. Spoons are made of completely natural ingredients. More about them – LINK
Forest Secret produces delicious forest (organic) mushrooms and hummus. All their products are vegan and gluten-free, being an excellent source of protein, low-carb, without added sugar. The company plans to plant a tree per certain number of packaged goods and thus give back to nature from where their products come from. More about them – LINK
Atfield Technologies has an innovative product – a digital system for tracking microclimate in vineyards. Thanks to this product, vineyards can get accurate information about the meteorological parameters of both air and soil. This reduces the number of sprayings, saves irrigation resources, and reduces CO2 emissions. More about them – LINK
MIXKON is a company that manufactures heat resistant materials. Their goal is to use 100% waste material from local landfills for raw materials that they would recycle into quality products. In addition to environmental sustainability, MIXKON is dedicated to professional rehabilitation and encouraging the employment of persons with disabilities – as many as 84% of their employees are persons with disabilities. More about them – LINK
Udruženje za prosperitet Roma Novi Bečej is an association that, in partnership with Precision Recycling company, recycles secondary raw materials in grains of copper, aluminum, brass, plastic and rubber, which can be used for further production. In addition to the obvious positive environmental impact, the association encourages the employment and education of the Roma population. More about them – LINK
COZY2WEAR is a local brand of sustainable fashion that deals with the production and sale of clothing made of organic and natural materials. With the aim of providing an alternative to fast fashion that poses an environmental problem, their clothing does not follow trends, being designed to last a long time. More about them – LINK
HOFF produces unique and healthy products of aronia berries, such as organic juice, stuffing and dressing. They also offer five other low-calorie products – a mixture of aronia and other homemade fruits. For production, they use only homemade raw materials of organic origin. Through their products, they strive to spread the importance of organic and healthy food. More about them – LINK
Inak is a company that processes wood, and their products are pallets, beams, boards, furniture elements and pellet. Their social influence is reflected in the employment of the local population in an underdeveloped rural environment, and in addition, they contribute to the reforestation by giving their suppliers seedlings. More about them – LINK
ZDRAVO PRODUKT is a company engaged in the production of 100% natural squeezed juices, in the “BAG in Box” packaging, which is recyclable and has the lowest carbon footprint. More about them – LINK
Arsenijevic Co. produces premium treats for dogs, from raw materials such as waste from the food industry, and thus contribute to the reduction of waste that ends up in the environment. They also want to achieve their further environmental impact by investing in solar panels. More about them – LINK
The Program for Sustainable Businesses is part of the Smart Impact Fund – Fund for the Development of Sustainable Economy, which will invest about half a million euros in the next 5 years in initiatives and companies that contribute to sustainable and positive changes in their communities. The Fund strives to provide long-term professional and financial support to social enterprises in various stages of development and thus contribute to the development of an economy with positive social impact. By 2024, the program will invest about half a million euros in initiatives and enterprises that contribute to sustainable and positive changes in their communities.
The Program for Sustainable Businesses is implemented with the support of EFSE Entrepreneurship Academy, Open Society Foundation, the Balkan Trust for Democracy of the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway in Belgrade.
The Smart Impact Fund was launched by Smart Kolektiv in 2019 with support of the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) and the former USAID-funded Framework for Giving project that was implemented by the Coalition for Giving led by the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation.
