Last month we joined several partners from across the IKEA Social Entrepreneurship network in Älmhult, Sweden, for three days of dialogue, exchange, and collective reflection on how we can better support social enterprises creating positive social and environmental impact around the world.
Indigenous-led enterprises in the Amazon are building livelihoods in ways that keep forests standing, drawing on knowledge that has guided life in relation to nature for generations. In the Ecuadorian Amazon, Kichwa-led organization Ruku Kawsay is just one example of how this works in practice, ensuring stronger livelihoods and a standing forest through the traditional Amazonian farming system known as “chakra”.
NESsT is recognized by the Ministry of the Environment in Peru (MINAM), alongside a group of impact investors and organizations that drive biodiversity-based solutions in Peru.
We’re delighted to release the NESsT 2025 Annual Report, highlighting a year defined by far-reaching impact and transformative growth. For nearly three decades, NESsT has worked at the nexus of people, profit, and the planet. In 2025, we reached a milestone that speaks to this mission: since its founding, NESsT has positively impacted the lives of over 4.7 million people from communities around the world.
After overcoming one of the most challenging periods in its history, Plastic Corporation emerged stronger with a circular economy model that benefits agricultural producers, recyclers, and local communities alike. Discover how the Peruvian social enterprise is turning agricultural plastic waste into decent jobs, new income opportunities, and positive environmental impact.
After five years in the NESsT South America Accelerator program, Empanacombi graduates from the NESsT portfolio with a stronger business model, diversified revenue streams, and an expanding social impact. Discover how the enterprise turned challenge into opportunity while advancing inclusive employment for people with disabilities in Peru.
The Regional Indigenous Incubator for the Amazon is a pilot program that strengthens Indigenous-led enterprises driving social well-being and the conservation of Amazonian territories. It does so through an innovative governance and incubation model led directly by Indigenous organizations.
NESsT participated in the Bioeconomy Amazon Summit (BAS) 2026, held from May 12–14 in Belém, Pará, Brazil, joining leaders from its portfolio enterprises in conversations on locally rooted development, financing, restoration, sociobiodiversity value chains, and the future of the Amazonian sociobioeconomy.
International Pride Day is a moment of visibility and celebration, and a reminder that, in some contexts, dignity and inclusion are still not guaranteed in everyday life, including at work. In this blog, we look at why inclusive entrepreneurship matters for building fairer labor markets, and why supporting small and growing businesses is essential to expanding access to dignified work and strengthening more inclusive workplace cultures.
This World Refugee Day 2026, we spoke to Ruslan Syvoplias, the Ukrainian entrepreneur behind Future Leaders Project (FLP). Drawing on Ruslan’s own experience of migration, FLP offer a more inclusive model of early education for families facing displacement. In this blog hear Ruslan’s journey building FLP, why early education matters for refugee children, and how – with NESsT’s support – he is strengthening this model to reach more families rebuilding their lives in Poland.
Indigenous-led enterprises in the Amazon are building livelihoods in ways that keep forests standing, drawing on knowledge that has guided life in relation to nature for generations. In the Ecuadorian Amazon, Kichwa-led organization Ruku Kawsay is just one example of how this works in practice, ensuring stronger livelihoods and a standing forest through the traditional Amazonian farming system known as “chakra”.
The NESsT Violet Fund is proud to welcome 100cznia, a community-based cultural and social enterprise in Gdánsk, northern Poland. Located on the grounds of a former shipyard, 100cznia has transformed an abandoned industrial site into a community space where culture, dignified work, and belonging come together. Over the years, it has grown into a hub for concerts, workshops, markets, open-air cinema, and creative events that attract more than 100,000 visitors annually.
