In May 2025, we were delighted to host an in-person meeting in Olsztyn, Poland, bringing together NESsT portfolio enterprises, partners from IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, and members of the NESsT regional and global teams.
Enterprises face a major challenge when it comes to accessing capital: limited access to credit and investment, as they are often deemed high-risk by traditional banks and investors. With this gap in funding, blended finance emerges as a strategic solution. It combines philanthropic, public, and private capital to reduce risk and attract investment in sustainable enterprises. By taking on the first risk, organizations like NESsT create the necessary conditions for banks and private investors to feel confident in supporting these businesses, thus increasing their access to credit and growth capital.
NESsT announces today that it has joined the Sustainable Connections Institute (Conexsus), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in AmazonBeEco, an unprecedented four-year initiative to support the sociobioeconomy in the Pan-Amazon region.
As we kick off celebrations for Pride Month 2025, we’re revisiting the recent efforts of the NESsT Violet Fund that have helped drive our work to bring vital financial and technical support to enterprises that are advancing equality for the LGTBQIA+ community in Central & Eastern Europe.
NESsT announces Renata Truzzi has been named Chief Impact & Operations Officer. Truzzi – who joined the organization in 2012 – has served in multiple capacities within NESsT, most recently as Global Acceleration & Impact Director. Her background in impact investing, business development, marketing, and fundraising will further support NESsT’s organizational effectiveness and operational excellence.
85 million people in Latin America live with a disability, yet only 10-20% participate in the workforce. Four social enterprises in the NESsT - IKEA Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator are building inclusive workplaces across Latin America.
To connect women to decent employment in well-paid sectors, while helping employers to become more gender inclusive, NESsT partnered with portfolio company Mamo Pracuj to create Talenti - a job-searching platform tailored to the employment needs of women.
In Latin America, at least 430,000 tons of waste is produced daily, yet only two percent of total waste is recycled. Four social enterprises in the NESsT - IKEA Social Entrepreneurship Latin America Accelerator are reshaping unsustainable production and waste management patterns across Latin America. A circular economy model that reduces waste allows the region to preserve its biodiversity by offering opportunities to create regenerative value from its abundant natural resources.
In Latin America, while the participation of women in the labor market increased in recent years, women are still overrepresented in low-income or non-remunerated household work. Two social enterprises in the NESsT - IKEA Social Entrepreneurship Latin America Accelerator run training programs designed to help women land salaried employment, freelancing opportunities, and micro-entrepreneurship -- the choice is theirs!
As impact first investors, we have a responsibility to be more intentional in our investments and recognize how gender inclusion creates the comprehensive approach that is needed given the urgency of these issues. NESsT strives to achieve gender equality within its internal operations and encourages its portfolio companies to strive for gender parity within their operations.
As an impact lender, we view our business assistance as having as much of an impact on these businesses as our capital. By this summer, NESsT’s Business Assistance Facility will have provided advisory services to 20 businesses in South America. Our services focus on two main areas: financial management and social impact measurement.
Women are key to alleviating poverty in emerging and low-income countries. NESsT’s current portfolio companies are 51% women-owned and 44% of the senior management teams are comprised of women. By bringing a gender lens to their businesses, community-based enterprises perform more efficiently and effectively and are able to achieve greater impact.
