Among seven creative and innovative business ideas which have participated in RISE Ideation program in Serbia, the jury has selected on Demo Day two winning teams which have entered regional phase of the RISE program – Incubation phase.

Throughout this phase, 12 selected teams from Western Balkans region will receive financial and additional mentoring support to start their social enterprises, as well as additional promotion and networking.

Two winning teams from Serbia are:
Driving to independence – This team is establishing a courier service for young people who are leaving foster families and institutions for children without parental care, thus providing them with on the job training, first employment and the opportunity for independent living.
Women on the Way – A team that wants to provide women refugees with a decent income through the creation of an inclusive and ethical fashion brand run jointly with these women.

These teams are part of the RISE (Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs) a regional program that supports young change-makers in developing their impactful ideas into sustainable social businesses. From October 2020 Smart Kolektiv team worked directly with 20 young people on the development of their social entrepreneurial ideas through series of trainings, best cases studies, 1on1 consultations and mentoring sessions. Important part of the support program was the engagement of experienced business mentors and social entrepreneurs from Smart Kolektiv network who shared their knowledge and experience with these young people.

The RISE project is developed and supervised by a consortium consisting of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO), GROUPE SOS Pulse, the South East European Youth Network (SEEYN), the Institut Français and the Franco-German Youth Office (OFAJ), and implemented by six local incubators – Smart Kolektiv (Serbia), IPC Tehnopolis (Montenegro), ARNO (Northern Macedonia), Balkan Green Foundation (Kosovo), Nešto više (BIH) and Yunus Social Business (Albania). RISE is co-financed by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO). More about the RISE program>> website