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.
Intersectional Impact: 7 key learnings from accelerating social enterprises in Poland & Romania over 3 years
We spoke to our portfolio managers and entrepreneurs in the region to uncover the lessons learned and insights gained from three years of close-up acceleration and collaboration in the region catalyzing wide-ranging, innovative business models and supporting the financial independence and stability of people from diverse backgrounds.
NESsT Extends its Commitment to Inclusive Employment in Central-Eastern Europe with Continued Support from IKEA Social Entrepreneurship and Cisco Foundation
The next iteration of NESsT’s accelerator program in Central and Eastern Europe, with a focus on Poland and Romania, will be backed by our long-standing partners, IKEA Social Entrepreneurship and Cisco Foundation. This phase will accompany 26 companies on their growth and impact journeys, providing capacity building, knowledge sharing, and mentoring with industry experts at NESsT, IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, and Cisco Foundation.
NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship Welcome New Enterprises to Catalyze Positive Change in South America
The war in Ukraine enters its third year
This past February marks two years since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
As of February 2024, an estimated 3.7 million people are still displaced within Ukraine’s borders, and 6.5 million refugees are in countries such as Poland and Romania. The reality is, although it has been two years since the crisis began, millions of refugees in the region still need support to find dignified work that allows them to feed their families.
NESsT at SOCAP 2023 with IKEA Social Entrepreneurship and Cisco Foundation
SOCAP 2023 took place in San Francisco, California from 23–25 October. Nicole Etchart, NESsT Co-Founder and CEO, co-hosted the session ‘Scaling Impact Through Collaboration: Rallying Stakeholders Around Blended Finance,’ alongside Nele Bouchier, Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer for IKEA in the United States, and Charu Adesnik, Executive Director of the Cisco Foundation and Director of Social Innovation Investments at Cisco Systems, Inc.
NESsT in Chile: Over 26 Years of Impact in the Region
Nicole Etchart, NESsT CEO and Co-Founder, spoke with journalist Valentina Llompart at the Diario Financiero. Article Summary: Founded over 26 years ago, Impact investor NESsT’s international trajectory has taken it to countries in Central and Eastern Europe and South America, including Chile – which was one of the first countries it invested in. NESsT has created significant impact in the region through investing in social enterprises that work on the ground with Chile’s marginalized communities.
