In March 2023, the NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship teams visited social enterprises in our Latin America accelerator portfolio in Santiago, Chile. The accelerator program currently offers 17 social enterprises – nine of which are based in Chile – tailored support to scale their businesses.
Whilst we had been working remotely since the inception of the program, this visit was an opportunity to reflect on our support in Chile and evaluate the accelerator’s impact so far. Together we witnessed firsthand the positive changes these social enterprises are making in their areas, and gained a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges they face. As part of the visit, we worked with each entrepreneur to determine additional measures and strategies that could aid them in reaching their business and impact goals.
Improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers
Visit to Savia. IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, Savia, and NESsT team.
Savia joined the NESsT-IKEA Social Entrepreneurship Latin America Accelerator in 2021. Through its digital platform, Savia supports smallholder farmers operating in the rural areas surrounding Santiago – many of whom live in poverty due to multi-stakeholder supply chains – to directly supply restaurants, coffee shops, and hotels in the capital. Today, Savia is able to pay its smallholder farmers up to 90% more than wholesale competitors.
“We prioritize creating dignified jobs and supporting local farmers by cutting out intermediaries and providing fair prices for their products.” – Nils Lindeen, Savia CEO
Over the past three years, our team has worked closely with Savia’s CEO, Nils Lindeen, to adapt the social enterprise’s business model to new market structures and embrace a fully B2B customer base. Having already experienced 75% growth, Savia is moving toward a financially sustainable model while staying true to its commitment to smallholder farmers through a holistic approach to business:
Savia’s garden
“The focus [at Savia] is much more than profit-making – they have a model that takes into consideration every aspect of the value chain, including working with partners, farmers and clients,” Kristina Molund, IKEA Social Entrepreneurship Co-Worker Engagement Leader remarked.
Savia’s upcoming expansion plans include opening a strategically located operations center in Santiago to decrease transportation costs and further lower their carbon footprint. During the in-person meeting, NESsT portfolio managers worked alongside the Savia team to evaluate how the accelerator could best support the social enterprise moving forward. “This visit was the chance to share our experiences and vision for the future,” Nils Lindeen commented.
Fostering the exchange of knowledge
NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship meeting with Próxima Servicios.
Próxima Servicios is an outsourcing company and a certified B-Corporation that provides its network of essential workers – 90% of whom are migrant workers, women, and/or ethnic minorities – with quality jobs to promote sustainability, stability, and professional development. With the support of NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, Próxima Servicios was able to better define its value proposition, placing great emphasis on the enterprise’s long-term vision for sustainability. In 2022, Próxima Servicios secured a key international client with strong environmental and social values.
“Over the past two years, we have collaborated closely with NESsT on various projects and tasks […] Their visit demonstrates the value they place on our work.” – Eduardo Castillo, CEO of Próxima Servicios
As part of our business assistance services, NESsT portfolio managers guide social enterprises to respond innovatively to evolving industry trends. Eduardo praised this aspect of the accelerator, which has proved particularly key to the enterprise’s recent launch of its digital recruitment and training platform: “Constantly refreshing concepts is crucial in highly competitive industries where sustainability can easily be overlooked,” he explained.
“Through this visit, we reinforced our trust in the teams of entrepreneurs we invested in, whose businesses are at varying stages of development and have diverse business models.” – Gonzalo San Martín, NESsT’s Country Director in Chile
NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship co-creating positive change in Latin America
Visit to Bendito Residuo
The IKEA Social Entrepreneurship and NESsT partnership is one rooted in knowledge sharing and a mutual exchange of skills and inspiration, with a view to learning from one another and the 17 social enterprises we support in Latin America.
The in-person trip strengthened our collaboration to support portfolio enterprises in taking risks, innovating, adapting to dynamic environments, and achieving long-term growth and financial sustainability.
