Innovation and social entrepreneurship are topics that have brought together two such apparently different entities as Galp and Casa do Impacto – the Lisbon Santa Casa da Misericórdia (SCML) innovation and social entrepreneurship platform. The proof of this lies in the natural manner in which the partnership emerged, announced at the Web Summit, and which consists of the promotion of the acceleration programme, Triggers, due to run for the first six months of 2022.
Galp joins forces with Casa do Impacto to promote environmental innovation
The announcement was made at the Web Summit and opens the doors to a partnership that includes the promotion by the energy corporation of Triggers, a programme designed to boost the Lisbon Santa Casa da Misericórdia innovation and social entrepreneurship platform
Through Upcoming Energies, Galp's innovation 'factory', the 25 companies set to participate in the programme will be monitored and mentored by Galp personnel who, moreover, will be attentive to start-ups with projects in line with their innovation ecosystem. “Galp is always on the lookout for projects suitable for incorporation into the company´s ecosystem and that help achieve the goals regarding sustainable energy transition”, said Manuel Andrade, in charge of Open Innovation at Galp, at the time.
The focus of these projects will always be high-impact entrepreneurship and the environmental sustainability of the planet. According to Inês Sequeira, the aim of the programme is “to stimulate new ideas with an environmental impact and to help transform them into viable and financially sustainable solutions”. As far as the director of Casa do Impacto is concerned, the support of global companies such as Galp will facilitate the sharing of knowledge, the creation of synergies between public and private entities and the implementation of businesses in the market. It should be pointed out that companies take part in the Triggers initiative free of charge and will compete for prizes worth a total of 34,500 euros, funds that will be invested in the development and scaling of the respective businesses with a positive impact on the environment.
Furthermore, Inês Sequeira highlights the importance of programmes such as Triggers in helping the city of Lisbon to position itself as the European capital of impact. “And this objective can only be achieved through the promotion of impactful entrepreneurship and an engaged, empowered and responsible community”. The application period ends on 07 January, when the 25 best ideas will be selected for the boot camp phase. 10 teams will then be chosen to go on to the acceleration phase, which ends in June. The three finalists will split the cash prizes after having concluded the incubation phase to implement the prototype stages.