Peace and Reconciliation Cyprus Project #52125

Building Peace Through Entrepreneurship in Cyprus

by SocialTech Lab

Building Peace Through Entrepreneurship in Cyprus

Project Report | Apr 22, 2024
Apr 2024 Quarterly Impact Report - SocialTech Lab

By Steven W. Stavrou & Burak Berk Doluay | Directors

PeaceTech Gathering at The Base by CyprusInno

As we launch into 2024, we're thrilled to present our first quarterly update of the year! This year began with a burst of activity, culminating in the successful completion of three core programs and some exciting new updates.

With SocialTech Lab buzzing with energy, The Base by CyprusInno has been a hive of activity this year. From workshops to panels, gatherings to mentorship and more, young entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds are leveraging our resources to build and expand their ideas, fostering partnerships for growth.

In this update, we spotlight key activities that contributed to our impact, such as:

Helped facilitated a groundbreaking bi-communal business partnership networking event along the Green Line, fostering collaborations among Cypriot business owners and entrepreneurs
Hosted a peacetech gathering with Tech2Peace and UNFICYP, uniting young Israeli, Palestinian, Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot innovators.
Co-hosted the fourth edition of the Building Bridges Business and Networking Fair: Fashion Edition with the UNFICYP, emphasising fashion entrepreneurship and unity among Cypriots.

As a community center, we also partner with other civil society organisations to host impactful activities at The Base:

Hosted the Babel Initiative from SciencesPo to broaden cultural understanding, engaging in discussions and an interactive Q&A.
Co-facilitated a dialogue session with Tech2Peace participants at their seminar in Cyprus discussing conflict and peace.
Presented to Radboud University students on entrepreneurship for peace in Cyprus.
Collaborated with an AWE alumna to empower women entrepreneurs at the Cyprus University of Technology through the SHEinnovate Workshop.

We are also excited to keep you in the loop on some of our achievements during this time:

Launched a documentary series highlighting bicommunal business partnerships between Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot business partners.
Initiated the BOOST Pitchback series with UNDP regional team, featuring live pitches from UNDP program alumni with a panel of experts.
Delivered a guest lecture on leveraging tech for peace and conflict resolution to master's students at Northeastern University.
Hosted a lecture series with PeaceRise Global focusing on SocialTech Lab's role in fostering entrepreneurship in conflict-affected regions.
Co-founders Burak Doluay and Steven Stavrou featured in FastForward, discussing leveraging tech for peace and conflict resolution.

We’re just getting started! There’s much more planned for 2024 - building on past learnings to boost our impact. Your ongoing support is vital, and we sincerely appreciate your belief in our vision.

Launch of the Bicommunal Documentary Series

Peace, tech, and conflict dialogue at The Base

Screening of our documentary series

Building Bridges Fashion Edition!

Fashion sector networking!

Links:

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Dec 29, 2023
Dec 2023 Quarterly Impact Report - SocialTech Lab

By Steven W. Stavrou & Burak Berk Doluay | Directors

Winning Teams of the UNDP Youth Innovation Factory

As we approach the end of an incredible 2023, we’re proud to share our final quarterly update of the year! The past few months have marked a whirlwind end to the year with the successful conclusion of two of our core programs and additional exciting updates!

With SocialTech Lab operating in full swing, The Base by CyprusInno has been buzzing with activity. From workshops to panels, coworking to podcasting, mentorship and more, young entrepreneurs and innovators from communities across our divided island continue to expertly leverage the tools and resources we make available to them to build and scale their ideas, as well as foster partnerships for growth.

In this quarterly update, we place a spotlight on some of the key activities that contributed to this impact since our previous update, including:

A 3-month venture builder with UNDP to accelerate the development & launch of tech-based innovations tackling social and environmental challenges. A diverse cohort of 20 teams and 50+ participants, where two winning teams received €25k to turn their ideas into reality
Training the next generation of agrifood entrepreneurs during a 2-day intensive bootcamp for youth across the island, including pitching and industry networking
Continuing to train 40+ leaders during our Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), which concluded in November

As a community center, we also continue to support impactful initiatives by other local civil society organisations who, in partnership with us, hosted activities at The Base:

Expert panel discussion on the potential of blockchain to bridge the divide between communities
Training on navigating social challenges through entrepreneurship and innovation for youth

We are also grateful to keep you in the loop on some of our achievements during this time:

Signed a partnership with Ventures Thrive unlocking access to €1.5M in capital for startups in our programs
Participated in the 2023 SME Assembly during European SME Week in Bilbao as National Winners of the 2023 European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA) for Responsible and Inclusive Entrepreneurship
Participated as a Judge in the 2023 Commonwealth Secretary-General’s Innovation for Sustainable Development Awards as previous winners in the category of Peace
Hosted a business brunch with Microsoft US for local Cypriot founders

We have an exciting pipeline of initiatives planned for 2024, carrying on the great work that was done in 2023 but with an eye towards increasing our impact. Your support helped make all of this possible. So, once again, we sincerely thank you for your belief in our vision.

Academy for Women Entrepreneurs Closing Ceremony

Agrifood Entrepreneurship Weekend Bootcamp

Startup Finance & Budgeting Training

European SME Week in Bilbao

Business Model Canvas Training

Links:

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Oct 24, 2023
Sept 2023 Quarterly Impact Report - SocialTech Lab

By Steven W. Stavrou & Burak Berk Doluay | Directors

Launch of the AWE Academy for Women Entrepreneurs

Summer into Fall proved to be one of the busiest and most exciting periods here at The Base by CyprusInno! In addition to all the wonderful activities we’ll share in this 3rd Quarterly Impact Report of 2023, you’ll also notice some new branding. CyprusInno & The Base by CyprusInno now fall under our umbrella nonprofit, SocialTech Lab, which recently featured as Project of the Month on GlobalGiving!

SocialTech Lab reflects all the impact work we do in using innovative methods to build sustainable peace. With your great support, we continue to empower hundreds of young entrepreneurs and innovators from communities across our divided island who benefit from all the digital & physical resources we provide them to build and scale their ideas, as well as create lasting relationships.

In this quarterly update, we highlight some of the core initiatives that have contributed to this impact since our previous update, including:

Fostering island-wide collaborations via our co-working, with our resident teams, and another large-scale networking event that hosted 300+ business & society reps
Training future social and environmental impact innovators as part of our new venture builder program with UNDP
Upskilling 40+ women leaders during our Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE)

As a community center, we've also supported amazing initiatives by other local organisations who, in partnership with us, hosted activities at The Base:

AI in Education training for teachers from both communities in Cyprus as part of EU Code Week

We are also thrilled to keep you in the loop on major milestones that happened during this time:

Welcomed our newest team member, Marina, as our Project Associate & Growth Strategist leading social media and marketing
Officially launched UNDP’s Youth Innovation Factory (YIF), a free 3-month venture builder for tech innovators tackling social and/or environmental challenges
Named a National Winner for the 2023 European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA) for Responsible and Inclusive Entrepreneurship
Selected as GlobalGiving‘s Project of the Month to be featured as an innovative, high-impact project from the GlobalGiving community
Participated as a Judge in the 2023 UN SDG Action Awards as previous winners evaluating the category of Changemakers
Solidified a partnership with Microsoft’s AI Azure group and FINOMENA to host a regional AI/ML hackathon

The final quarter of 2023 is action packed with workshops, events, new updates and more, and as always we look forward to sharing what comes next in our upcoming report. Your support helped make all this possible. Once again, we sincerely thank you for your belief in our vision.

YIF Opportunity Assessment Training

UNDP Youth Innovation Factory (YIF) 2023 Cohort

AWE Study Visit at Gardens of the Future (Nicosia)

Networking outside The Base by CyprusInno!

Visual pitching during Youth Innovation Factory

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