The 2021 program was launched in August and received over 400 applications from 39 countries. The Impact Collective Committee evaluated each startup’s entry based on several parameters, including their business models, products or services, impact strategies, and founding team credentials.

After the assessment, 45 innovative startups from 13 countries were selected, and the teams took part in a ten-week virtual program, during which they were mentored by more than 70 industry experts and participated in workshops to build knowledge about impact-profit alignment.

At the end of the program, the 45 teams presented their final pitches to a group of investors, senior entrepreneurs, ecosystem builders, policymakers, and Impact Collective community voters in demo days that ran from November 8 to 10.

Afterwards, a voting session was held on the program’s blockchain-based platform from November 11 to 12. A total of more than 240 community members, including community voters, industry experts, and an investment committee, participated in the voting process, and the ten teams with the most votes were selected as the winners.

The Impact Collective partners with TheVentures, a Seoul-based investor and incubator for early-stage startups; Citypreneurs, a UN-backed growth initiative for startups to promote the UN SDGs; and Weave, an international learning network that provides problem solving, consulting, and unity-building services to organizations.