{"id":14586,"date":"2018-04-18T14:47:42","date_gmt":"2018-04-18T14:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hnews.hult.edu\/?p=14586"},"modified":"2026-05-06T10:35:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T09:35:29","slug":"creating-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/creating-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating impACT: Harnessing the power of entrepreneurship for social good"},"content":{"rendered":"

In light of far-reaching global issues like climate change, political unrest, and economic uncertainty, business leaders have begun looking closer at the societal impact their organizations can have. Prominent multinational corporations from Adidas<\/a> to Unilever<\/a> are seeking to build sustainable business models, which balance profit margins with a vision of a better future for all.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just large, established businesses that have the power to create positive systemic change. A growing number of today\u2019s startups are borne out of an entrepreneurial ambition to tackle major social issues<\/strong>. Through meaningful collaboration\u2014sharing knowledge, resources, and networks\u2014these social startups have the potential to inspire and drive global change. Providing a platform to facilitate this collaboration is the idea behind impACT<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Launched in 2017, impACT organizes conferences and pop-up events to support grassroots movements and encourage social entrepreneurship. Bringing together forward-thinking business people from different sectors and corners of the globe, these events are designed to promote cross-border ventures that have a real and lasting impact, leading to systemic change on a global policy level and positively altering the narrative of fragile states.<\/p>\n

\"TobiasHult Executive MBA<\/a>\u00a0candidate Tobias Straube<\/strong>\u00a0is among the globally minded entrepreneurs helping to spread the impACT initiative in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and beyond.<\/p>\n

Tobias is an entrepreneur and advisor in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. Originally from Germany, he\u2019s studied and worked in Latin America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. Among other initiatives, he has also been involved with large-scale projects between the German government and the African Union.<\/p>\n

“We don’t want to be just another conference,” Tobias explains.\u00a0“We connect different startup ecosystems to promote social entrepreneurship, identify new ideas, and\u00a0facilitate the implementation of these ideas<\/strong>.\u00a0We want to actually create impact\u2014not just talk about it.”<\/p>\n

“We want to actually create impact\u2014not just talk about it.”<\/p>\n

Tobias Straube, Hult EMBA candidate<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The background of impACT: inspiring a new narrative<\/h3>\n

In the spring of 2017, a terrorist bomb in the diplomatic district of Kabul, Afghanistan killed more than 150 people, left hundreds more seriously injured, and caused devastating damage to the German embassy. In the aftermath, Nicole Bogott<\/strong>, co-founder of women\u2019s leadership and peer coaching program Philia<\/a><\/strong>; Ahmad Fahim Didar<\/strong>, founder of AGHAEZ<\/a><\/strong> and organiser of the Google Startup Grind Series in Afghanistan<\/a><\/strong>; and Matiullah Rahmaty<\/strong>,\u00a0co-founder of BookClub Afghanistan<\/a><\/strong>, came together to discuss the need to create a new narrative in Afghanistan in response to such atrocities.<\/p>\n

Social entrepreneurs themselves, they saw the potential within the growing Afghan startup scene to reshape the economy\u2014creating jobs, attracting overseas investment, and fostering a far more positive vision of the country.<\/p>\n

This sparked the idea for the initial impACT conference, which was quickly organized for August that same year. impACT Kabul<\/a> was an enormous success.<\/strong> Through a number of different workshops, networking sessions, and inspiring speakers, the event focused on what it takes to grow a business and succeed as an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n

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The event featured workshops and panel speakers, including impACT co-founder Matiullah Rahmaty, migration expert Sebastiaan Boonstra, Manizha Wafeq from the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industries in Afghanistan, and Yousuf Dawran, founder of Pace Group of Companies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Attended by over 250 participants, impACT Kabul gave successful and aspiring entrepreneurs, including a large number of returning migrants to Afghanistan, the platform to tell their story, build new networks, share resources, and gain knowledge.<\/p>\n

According to the impACT team and research driven by Dr. Branko Woischwill and Nicole Bogott, building and maintaining the power triangle<\/strong>\u2014networks, resources, and knowledge\u2014is the key to concrete, influential, and powerful action.<\/p>\n

\"impACT
Attendees at impACT Kabul participated in team building activities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThank you for this meaningful event. It was a wonderful day spent listening to great speakers. A great way to awaken our mind from our ordinary life and see if we are making real meaning with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nasima, impACT Kabul attendee<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Building momentum with impACT<\/h3>\n

Following the success of impACT Kabul, a three-day conference in Berlin was organized for November 2017. With help from Tobias and his network,\u00a0impACT Berlin<\/strong><\/a> brought together Afghan startups with the dynamic German social entrepreneurship scene, as well as Afghan migrants living in Germany, facilitating an inspiring exchange of ideas and resources.<\/p>\n