Changing the Future by 2030

Hosted by OnePointFive & Impact Hub New York Metropolitan Area, the “Changing the Future by 2030: OPF Climate Mixer Until 20:30” during New York Climate Week 2023 aimed to unite & intentionally connect climate leaders & solutionists in person!

The social included community members and graduates from OnePointFive Academy (a 6-week sustainability consulting accelerator), Climatebase Fellowship, their wider climate community and other leading organizations across sustainability, climate finance and climate technology. The OnePointFive team believes that training 100,000 people & organizations on climate solutions by 2030 will unlock the change needed to protect our planet.

Immigrant Entrepreneurship

Alongside Adro and Unshackled Ventures (sponsored by Citizens Private Bank), we welcomed immigrant founders to our space for an evening of networking and shared insights into the early stage startup ecosystem in NYC. Nitin Pachisia, Theron McCollough, Amarildo Gjondrekaj (CEO of Adro) and Michael Serotte spoke in front of a packed house.

Climate Justice Insights Workshop

The BMW Foundation, in collaboration with Climate Ventures, MIT Solve and the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, organized a Climate Justice Insights Workshop at the hub.

During this session, climate leaders shared local and international perspectives on the urgency of climate justice and participants had the opportunity to explore possible solutions through participatory knowledge building, network cultivation, and collective action.

The goal of the workshop was to exchange ideas and plant the seeds for systemic solutions that bring prosperity and reduce inequalities within vulnerable and marginalized communities around the world. Participation in this workshop was comprised of an interdisciplinary group of cross-sector leaders, including philanthropists, investors, policymakers, innovators, researchers, and entrepreneurs.

Korean Startup Delegation Visit

The hub hosted Mind the Bridge and a group of 20 Korean startups and scale-ups that were visiting New York as part of a program organized by StartupJunkie in Seoul. The goal was to expose and connect the two ecosystems, New York and Seoul, and create cross-pollination of talent that can foster innovation across borders.

Climate Innovators Cafe

As part of Climate Week NYC, Swissnex and Impact Hub New York Metropolitan Area creating an international gathering of innovators working on global solutions to climate change. The evening will kick off with a keynote by Peter Freudenstein, Climate Policy Manager at the renowned Swiss company Climeworks, which specializes in direct air capture (DAC) technology. Next, a group of climatetech founders will take the stage to deliver rapid-fire pitches unveiling their next-generation technologies. The presenters will include entrepreneurs participating in Climate Collider, a Swiss-US startup exchange program powered by Swissnex and Innosuisse, as well as members of Impact Hub New York Metropolitan Area.

Building an African Innovation Ecosystem in New York

We celebrated Africa’s burgeoning innovation ecosystem on Kwame Nkrumah Day, at our 3rd annual event on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly. We connected passionate entrepreneurs and stakeholders from both sides of the Atlantic, in alignment with the 2030 Development Goals. Delicious African food and drinks were provided!

Organizing partners: Impact Hub New York Metropolitan Area, Impact Hub Accra, African Women in Technology, and Baobab Consulting

Community partners: Maakola, African Health Innovation Centre, Item13, JA Venture Capital, and DawaDawa

Keynotes:

HE Ameenah Gurib Fakim – First Female President of Mauritius. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim was a university professor and entrepreneur before her election as the first female Head of State of Mauritius. In June 2015, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim became the first female president of Mauritius. As an entrepreneur, biodiversity scientist and professor of organic chemistry, she analyzed the plants from the region for their health, nutritional and cosmetic applications. She is a global champion for African entrepreneurship and leadership.

Divine Muragijimana – Expert in Fintech in Africa: As Africa’s economic landscape continues to evolve, Fintech plays a pivotal role in driving innovation, financial inclusion, and economic growth. Divine Muragijimana, a renowned expert in the field, will delve into the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities within the African Fintech ecosystem.

Delegation from Kyrgstan Delegation & State Dept

We worked with the United States Department of State to host a delegation of entrepreneurs from Kyrgyzstan. The group represented the Association of Social Entrepreneurs, which has trained more than 4,000 people in social entrepreneurship, leadership, and digital/tech entrepreneurship.

Visit & Workshop with Project W

We welcomed a group of socially impactful cohort female entrepreneurs from across North America at the hub in partnership with Project W. Project W is an initiative of the law firm DWT offering a series of accelerator programs for female founders, organizes affinity groups for women professionals, and partners with like-minded organizations to help women scale great companies and elevate their careers. They had a chance to hear and exchange with entrepreneurs at the hub, as well as wrap up their program with enthusiasm and joy!

Global Goals Jam

We hosted Global Goals Jam! The global event series seeks to design realistic, actionable interventions for the realization of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs") that take shape as startups, non-profit or for-profit companies.

The 4-hour event consisted of short design sprints, presenting and
discussing startup business plans for the attainment of the SDGs in the local context of New York. Creative teams of designers, developers and Jammers from the local communities worked together using a tailored toolkit that applies a method of design thinking to addressing and solving the challenges.

LKYSPP Dinner

We hosted alumni of the National University of Singapore’s Public Policy School’s (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy) for a dinner event that focused fostering disucssion around connecting a diverse group of impactful leaders and continuing to build bridges between the New York ecosystem and Singapore.

Women and Climate Day

We partnered with Woman and Climate to host a co-working day for members of their community. What can be greater than spending the day with others passionate about exchanging and leading the economy into a more sustainable future?

Let’s Get Growing – Nature-based investing with World Tree

Silver Leaf Partners hosted an inspiring breakfast at Impact Hub for investors looking for real impact, sustainable returns, and robust business opportunities!

During a dynamic presentation we learned how World Tree became an inspirational climate solution as the largest grower of Empress Splendor trees in North and Latin America — and how their programs empower local communities, enhance biodiversity, and strengthen the broader ecosystem.

Optimizing Digital Health Investment

We hosted Transform Health for their high level event, “Optimizing Digital Health Investment.” We were excited to hear from the Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) as the event unpacked the Global Initiative on #DigitalHealth and optimizing #investment to accelerate UHC progress.

Transform Health’s report, “Closing the digital divide: More and better funding for the digital transformation of health,” highlighted gaps in domestic and external investment for digital health and a lack of publicly available information on current funding levels. This poses a barrier to mobilising additional resources, to more effective donor coordination and alignment around country needs, and to ensuring funding prioritised the right areas to ensure an equitable, inclusive and sustainable digital health transformation.

Slow Fashion Week

The Butterfly Club, in partnership with their friends over at Remake, hosted two days of slow fashion networking and shopping at the hub! Over a dozen brands from around the world joined us to showcase their sustainable clothing, accessories and more, and welcomed the local slow fashion community to shop, network and more.

Marketplace of The Future, Partners Meetup

It brings Impact Hub great pride to have hosted partners and vendors of Marketplace of Future in advance of their big event! Participants had a chance to mix and mingle, as well as get psyched for engaging big crowds at the annual event.

Global Shapers Retreat

We were thrilled to host World Economic Forum Global Shapers weekend retreat at our Midtown Hub! We are always inspired by the next gen of impactful leaders and changemakers. By the way, the bagels were amazing, too! 🙂

Coffee Tasting with Brandroll

We loved partnering with Eric Park, Founder of Brandroll to organize a coffee tasting at our space. Christopher Alspach from Oval Coffee Roasters based in Brooklyn put together a delicious array of coffees from Ethiopia, Brazil, and Myanmar. Keeping caffeinated at hub has never been so much fun. Needless to say we were extremely alert for the rest of the day.

Listening Lab NYC

Listening Lab NYC hosted an enlightening and inspriational evening at the hub, celebrating the achievements of their 2023 Summer Cohort! Over a rigorous 6-week program in partnership with the Loisaida Center, dedicated program participants immersed themselves in the philosophy of community building, design thinking, social practice, and the intricacies of audio/video production and content creation.

Investor Connect

Sama Jashnani (Founder turned VC at Disrupters Capital) hosted an event bringing together the VC and startup community. Sama hosted a panel with 6 funders representing a diversity of industries and approaches to investment, followed by networking with startup founders.

Net Zero Accra

Bernard Adjei, program and portfolio manager of Impact Hub Accra, presented New Zero Accra during a lunch and learn event. Net Zero Accra is a venture building platform by Impact Hub Accra. The mission is to catalyze the development and growth of companies within the net zero space, with a primary focus on electric mobility solutions in Ghana. The ultimate ambition is to power the transformation of Africa’s transport sector, nurture sustainable development, and expedite the realization of net zero emissions in Accra and beyond. By synergizing our efforts with stakeholders in the United States, harnessing their expertise and resources, we aim to amplify our impact and fashion an indelible legacy.

Global Shapers Meetup

We were thrilled to host World Economic Forum Global Shapers meet-up at our Midtown Hub! The Global Shapers Community believes in a world in which young people are at the heart of solution-building, policy-making, and lasting change. Their mission is to inspire, empower and connect young leaders to reach their full potential, shape decision-making processes and drive positive change in their communities and the world. At Impact Hub we are excited to work with and support the work of Global Shapers.

The Defiant Optimist Book Reading

When she launched the world’s first stock exchange for social enterprises, Durreen Shahnaz started more than a new financial system; she sparked a movement. Defiant optimism–the stubborn belief that systems that enrich the few can be transformed for the good of the many– requires an indomitable spirit. We heard from Professor Shahnaz at the hub as she shared her story and held a book reading for her work, “The Defiant Optimist.”

Perfect Your Pitch

In partnership with StartOut, we hosted pitch practice for those not quite sure how to embrace, articulate and honor their higher entrepreneur within. The session featured Career Coach/Talent Agent Consultant/StartOut Workshop Facilitator, Jim Arnoff, in an immersive, interactive workshop that gave participants the coaching tools they need to become a powerful entrepreneur through exuding passion, generating energy, inspiring audacity, empowering colleagues and cultivating teamwork.

UNFPA Young Fellows 

We organized a session for United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)’s Young Fellows. We hosted the session at NYC Fair Trade Coalition‘s pop-up location near Times Square. The Young Innovators Fellowship Programme provided young people from 18 countries with the opportunity to engage in a structured eight-month program to drive innovation, creativity, and capacity development and to deliver concrete results in UNFPA.

The fellows were brought to New York for a week of related engagements at the UN, celebrate their work, and engage the impact ecosystem. For our session we brought together inspiring New York change-makers to talk about their impactful work and life journeys, followed by a speed mentorship session for the young fellows, taking a deep dive to support their career aspirations.

Sustainable Cities Lab 

Swissnex and Impact Hub New York Metropolitan Area organized a public-facing event for the Sustainable Cities Lab cohort, bringing together local and global innovators in urban sustainability. The event featured a keynote and panel of experts in sustainable urbanism from New York and Switzerland, who discussed the future of our cities. 

Climate tech entrepreneurs from New York and Switzerland also pitched some of the most promising innovations in urban sustainability, before an opportunity for networking with other members of the local innovation ecosystem.

Culinary Action! On the Road

Impact Hub New York Metropolitan Area partnered with Basque Culinary Center to launch the 2nd edition of Culinary Action! On the Road: an international entrepreneurship program for foodtech startups that kicked off in September 2022 with competitions in New York (US), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Copenhagen (Denmark), Tokyo (Japan) and Tel-Aviv (Israel), in collaboration with local partners.

The program culminated with a pitch event that attracted cutting-edge projects, entrepreneurial talent and technology startups from the agri-food sector involved in the 360º gastronomy and food technology fields. The initiative was geared towards startups devising new products or services that help to transform gastronomy value chain players, from chefs, head waiters and managers to producers, distributors, diners, etc.

Impact State of Mind Conference

Impact State of Mind was a three-day UNGA side event at the intersection of Climate Action and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Climate Change is the greatest challenge of our generation, but it’s not the only one! We organized this event because we believe we have a responsibility to help advance efforts to combat climate while also taking into account the many other urgent issues that demand our attention now.

Impact State of Mind brought together local and global innovators to explore various intersections through co-creation, fire-side chats, panels, and networking. Our partners bring together a mix of sessions that leverage their deep and authentic experiences, while engaging audiences to magnify impact.

Building an African Innovation Ecosystem in New York 

Building An African Innovation Ecosystem in NY was an initiative by Impact Hub New York Metropolitan Area and Impact Hub Accra, co-created with African Women in Technology, and Baobab Consulting. The event is part of the Impact State of Mind Conference in partnership with Marketplace of the Future. 

This UNGA side event highlighted leading Africa-focused innovators from both sides of the Atlantic, with the aim to catalyze collaborations and exchange between Africa-focused entrepreneurs, African diaspora, and others passionate about connecting to African innovation ecosystems. New York is the most important city for Africans outside of Africa. Leveraging our collective networks and 14 partner Impact Hubs on the continent, we believe we can help advance the sustainable rise of Africa and New York!

Morristown Launch 

Impact Hub New York Metropolitan Area hosted a soft launch event and ribbon cutting ceremony for the “Center for SubUrban Climate Action,” in Morristown, New Jersey – America’s first publicly accessible innovation hub focused on decarbonizing the suburbs and advancing the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Group Visit to Museum of Future Experiences

We brought a group of people from our Impact Hub Community to visit the Museum of Future experiences – a physical venue and production studio for high-tech immersive experiences. Exploring mediums such as VR and Spatialized Sound, MoFE creates intimate sensorial experiences that bend the mind and touch the human spirit. 

Climate Action on NYCs Waterfronts

NYC will be greatly impacted by climate change – and sooner than many of us thought. It’s essential that we prepare the city for rising waters and more intense storms – in a way that speaks to our highest values! We brought together communities from across the city to give feedback on the city’s plans and brainstorm solutions that can inform policy.

We organized the event in partnership with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate Resilience, ideanco., and LMHQ. You’ll have a chance to give feedback, engage, and brainstorm solutions via “world café” co-creation sessions. 

Impact State of Mind Virtual Events Series

Impact Hub New York Metropolitan Area launched a free, virtual program created to support the NY Metro Area’s impact innovation ecosystem during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. The program featured sharing breaking information as it affects the startup ecosystem, help businesses pivot to digital models, grasp new technologies, and ignite innovation towards impact. 

The program was composed of virtual sessions representing a mix of succinct webinars, workshops, panel discussions, and online activities. Content was interactive and available to participate live or watch on our Youtube channel post-production.

Learn more about the individual event sessions here.

LGBTQA+ Pride Brunch

We were honored to bring together our LGBTQ+ community and ally members together for a relaxed social brunch in Hell’s Kitchen.

An Equitable & Sustainable Newark

“An Equitable & Sustainable Newark” was part of a walking tour we hosted in Newark, New Jersey in collaboration with Forward Ever Sustainable Business Alliance and Have You Met Newark.

We invited guests to meet local entrepreneurs and community development leaders, as they discussed inclusive development projects. Guests experienced an AWESOME mural tour, and had great snacks along the way.

Envisioning the Future of Protein 

We were happy to partner with @israelinnewyork & ACT Food Tech fot: “Envisioning the Future of Protein”, a virtual event all about access to healthy foods.

Attendees discussed how consumers can discover plant based foods, and what to expect for the future of the sustainable food movement.

Social Innovation in Queens 

We had a dinner and discussion at Katch NYC in Astoria Queens to hear from leaders in the local sustainable business community and meet others in the social impact sector. We heard from the Queens Deputy Borough President, the Founder of Queens Together, and local entrepreneurs to understand inclusive economic development in Queens, and the dynamic environment and vision of entrepreneurs in the ecosystem.

Investing to Create 1B Sustainable Livelihoods by 2030 

We hosted Prof Durreen Shahnaz, Founder of Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) and IIX Foundation. Prof Shahnaz is a global leader in social impact and impact investment and is soon launching the fourth Women’s Livelihood Bond (WLB), part of a bond series that is unlocking US$100m of private sector capital to impact over 3 million women across Asia-Pacific and Africa.

Unpacking the Data

In the past year the movement demanding a more inclusive economy for all groups has grown. In this event StartOut and Socos Labs highlighted the findings of the StartOut Pride Economic Impact Index (SPEII), a data project designed to measure the progress of entrepreneurs belonging to many groups, while our diverse panel unpacked the significance of the results for a multitude of communities and identities across the New York Metropolitan Area.

Building a Purpose Driven Business

Guests joined Silvina Skverer, Co-Founder & Partner of Thinking Beyond Business, Soledad Matteozzi, Co-Founder & Partner of Thinking Beyond Business for this hybrid workshop highlighting the importance of running a purpose-driven business. They discussed tools for developing purpose-driven businesses, and why these models operate better than traditional options. The workshop was valuable for businesses who are just starting to understand the importance of cultivating a business purpose and need guidance on how to properly articulate it.

Neighborhood Spotlight: Community Inspired Solutions from the Bronx

Innovations in Quality Remote Education

Unpacking Implicit Bias

Impact Funding for Social Entrepreneurs During Covid19

The David Prize

Unpacking the Privilege in Purpose