Social Enterprises and Corporations Should Work Together For Greater Social Impact

Corporations globally face mounting pressure from customers to show greater commitment to long-term sustainable value creation. Social enterprises, meanwhile, have the commitment and passion but may not have the network, skills, and resources to drive social impact.

The situation requires innovation and new partnerships on an unprecedented scale, said Mr Yap Keng Hwee, Deputy CEO at Empact, a social enterprise which builds capacity for social organisations.

He was speaking at a panel discussion called “Scaling Impact Through Corporate x Social Enterprise Collaboration”, which was part of YSE Global 2022 – Pitching for Change.

The panel, at the virtual event on 25 November 2022, also comprised:

• Mr Tham Jierong, Assistant CEO and Head, Venture Building at raiSE, an association for social enterprises
• Ms Simarna Singh, Social Entrepreneur, who runs a socially sustainable health and wellness enterprise
• Ms Mindy Ong, Chief of Staff and Head, Knowledge & Solutions at Empact (moderator)

The speakers agreed that corporate-social enterprise partnerships provide a sustainable model to support consumer demands. Such collaborations are also beneficial for both parties.

Social enterprises can address business challenges while driving progress on social impact goals. Corporations, meanwhile, can provide support, such as financial help and capacity-building, to social enterprises to maximise their impact.

Ms Simarna noted that it is increasingly important to consumers that corporations which claim to be socially responsible are genuinely committed to the cause and not just using it as a marketing gimmick. Hence, they must be transparent in their communication with their consumers. This includes providing clear and accurate information about the supply chain and presenting a clear narrative of the impact created.

YSE Global 2022

The panel discussion came at the end of the YSE Global’s six-month programme of online workshops, mentorship, and virtual learning sessions.

At the event, 15 teams – 26 youths from China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam – also presented their social business ideas to a panel of judges. They were shortlisted from a larger pool of 46 teams, comprising 93 youths representing 11 nationalities.

Six out of the 15 teams were selected to receive up to S$20,000 each to launch or scale up their social enterprises.

The winning teams are (in alphabetical order):

1. Anahat For Change Foundation (India), which aims to empower women through skills development and livelihood generation
2. Kura Kura (Singapore), a mobile application that gamifies reflective journaling practices, while providing an avenue for users to support one another in their journey to mental wellness
3. Mengayu (Indonesia), which aims to empower vulnerable women by providing them with job training and safe working spaces
4. Ripple Community (Malaysia), which aims to provide affordable and accessible behavioural healthcare to individuals with mental health and special needs
5. Symbionic Tech (India), which aims to help people with limb differences to achieve functional independence and confidence, through high-tech but affordable bionics
6. The Green (Laos and South Korea), which aims to create stable incomes for small farmers in Laos with easily accessible, carbon-reducing agricultural technology

Ms Riza Nisriinaa, co-founder of Mengayu, said that her team was grateful for the support from the SIF, mentors and fellow participants.

She added: “I enjoyed connecting with youths around the world who are as determined to make a difference in their communities. Learning from each other has been a great source of inspiration and motivation, too. I am sure we will all continue to push for what we believe in, even after the programme.”

Ms Kee Joey, a Clinical Psychologist at Ripple Community, said that running a social enterprise comes with many challenges, and that she is pleased to be part of a network of like-minded friends and industry experts on whom she can count for support and advice.

She added: “We look forward to applying what we have learned from the programme as we continue to provide comprehensive and affordable behavioural healthcare to individuals with mental health and special needs, while raising awareness of such health issues.”

This year, three teams – Upcycle Corps. (India), Beebag (Malaysia) and SpedGrow (Singapore) – won the SIF Friends’ Favourite online contest and were awarded gift vouchers of up to S$1,000. These teams garnered the most votes from the online community for the contest.

All participants are now part of an international network of more than 1,400 changemakers spanning 43 nationalities from the past 13 years of the programme.

Join YSE Global 2023 as a Participant

YSE Global is an annual SIF programme that aims to inspire, equip, and enable youths around the world to launch or scale up their social enterprises in Singapore and beyond. Applications for the YSE Global 2023 will start in February 2023. Find out more about the programme on our website and stay tuned to SIF’s channels on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for the latest updates.