Smart Kolektiv took part in the CEE4Impact Day conference, organized by Impact CEE in Budapest on October 9, which brought together more than 150 participants from the investment, corporate, and philanthropic sectors, as well as social entrepreneurs, civil society organizations, and public institutions. The conference was dedicated to advancing impact investing in Central and Eastern Europe, showcasing innovative and responsible business models that contribute to strengthening the regional impact ecosystem.
Participants had the opportunity to learn about inspiring examples of social enterprises from across the region, exchange experiences in impact investing, and explore new ways to enhance cross-sector collaboration.
Smart Kolektiv participated in the conference together with Impact Europe and regional partners from the Western Balkans engaged in the Invest for Change project, supported by the European Union. Smart Kolektiv was represented by Neven Marinović and Željko Mitkovski, joined by valued partners Maja Jerkić Bogosavljević (UniCredit Bank Serbia), Margareta Musić (Elixir Group), Jelena Savanović (SIDRO Foundation), and Zvezdana Vuletić (Coca-Cola HBC Serbia).
The conference served as an important platform for discussions on the further development of the regional impact investing ecosystem, as well as for Impact Europe’s initiatives Impact Seed and Invest for Change. Organized by ImpactCEE, the event featured contributions from the Impact Europe team and a pitching session with nine social entrepreneurs from Croatia and Slovenia. Panel discussions and networking sessions focused on how to make social finance in CEE truly sustainable and attractive to investors, exploring the key pillars of effective impact – Intentionality, Additionality, and Measurability.
The conference reaffirmed that connecting people, knowledge, and capital across borders is essential for driving positive change and further developing impact investing in the region.
