ACT Group - Good for Business, Good for Society
About this good practice
In 2013 the social enterprise ACT Group started its comprehensive work on fostering socially responsible economic development. It provides business and technical support to entrepreneurs and micro-enterprises, whose activities positively affect society and the environment (social/impact enterprises).
It was a venture building in the beginning, when the AG was starting social entrepreneurship from the scratch, and worked on building both, capacity and knowledge, and operations of these companies. In 2016, support has been opening up to other social/impact enterprises and the AG is directing its energy, knowledge, and driving spirit to the portfolio of entrepreneurship support recipients ever since.
Support covers different stages of the social enterprise development - from an idea to a market appearance – and includes (but is certainly not limited to) business needs and business health analysis, suggestions for its improvement with a specific operational implementation plan, mentoring and working with experienced professionals from various fields of knowledge and areas, workshops, training and lectures, grants and support for accessing financial instruments, networking, visibility, support, encouragement, and access to business knowledge resources.
Expert opinion
While the practice is managed by an NGO the structure of the support provided offers interesting learning possibility for public authorities as well. Social economy is becoming increasingly important on the European Commission’s agenda, with many high-level events held in the past two years and a new Social Economy Action Plan being developed by the end of 2021. As many regions are devising new services for the social economy or revising old ones, practice such as this one from Croatia offer important role models.
The ACT Group provides essentially a dedicated incubation programme for social enterprises. Support is given to companies from various stages and in various forms, dependant on the needs of the social enterprises. Notably, the support is provided over a long period of time and a community is being built between new companies and alumni of the various programmes. This way, a hub for socially-minded businesses is being created. This practice has high replicability value in other regions.
Resources needed
ACT Group is currently a team of 10 very dedicated, hardworking and persistent people who share and nurture common values such as personal responsibility, openness, participation, solidarity, cooperation, and transparency. AG has a network of 50 experienced internal and external mentors.
Evidence of success
ACT Group started in 2021 with a portfolio of 40 entrepreneurs (the current cohorts of its support programs as well as the alumni) to whom the organization provides support and with whom they are in almost daily contact. Every year ACT Group receives an increasing number of service recipients and finds new ways to transfer the necessary knowledge, and support hardworking social/impact entrepreneurs.
Potential for learning or transfer
ACT Group’s support is not limited in duration - after the entrepreneurs are selected in one of its competitions, they stay with the organization and they are provided with support long after the end of the program in which they applied. Such an approach has proven to be correct and very effective, there is a very clear social and economic impact achieved by that organization and its alumni. As an organization led by agile principles ACT Group can adapt to changes rapidly and to adequately answer the social/impact entrepreneurs needs. These changes make organic ripple effects on the entire ecosystem of entrepreneurial support in Croatia.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Agency for Small and Medium Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Investment