Projectwerk: Team We Share Ventures

Did you know that each year, billions are invested by individuals, companies and governments in order to achieve the SDGs? Yet, up until now there is no uniform, accessible, efficient way to measure whether that social impact was in fact realized. The past few months our dream team has been working towards creating an all-encompassing tech tool that will revolutionize the management and measurement of social impact globally (predominantly focussing on SDGs 1-8). With a tool like that, those billions can be spent most efficiently, and the SDGs will be reached sooner!

Needless to say, this has been quite the challenge. Sterre, Roos, Carolina, Isabel and Lize almost all have a background in the social sciences, so try and imagine our lively discussions about Blockchain, Software as a Service and Application Programming Interfaces. Luckily, our knowledge and passion for the social arena was also in need when debating the most optimal way to measure impact. E.g. in what way do we measure what impact an educative program for farmers has had? Not just with regards to their crop yield, but on the social cohesion and job satisfaction, for example. And, how can we standardize this impact measurement process in order to make it applicable and easily accessible to any type of social industry or activity?

We are doing this project for the non-profit WeShareVentures, which is investing in social start-ups and are, like most players in the impact investing branche, struggeling with how to make the impact of their investments concrete and optimal. Eleni, our contact from the organization, is a walking library when it comes to impact, and has been our rock. She has guided us through the maze of measurement tools, frameworks, important players and definitions.

This project has given us a valuable insight into social entrepreneurship and investing, and has illuminated all the challenges for the people in this branche. Providing clear evidence of the impact created is an enormous barrier eventhough this is vital for a continuing and generous stream of money which is necessary for achieving the SDGs. We hope to have contributed to this challenge, and wish WeShareVentures all the luck in the world to realize the project.

In the meantime, we’ll continue to make our own impact:

– Sterre is an ambitious baker, you’ll find her pies in Hema stores in the new year!

– Isabel is working towards expanding our boundaries of knowledge of the social sphere

– Carolina is encouraging her friends to reduce their use of plastic

– Roos is raising the next generation of social activists

– Lize is contributing to a just and sustainable energy transition