Queensland's High Potential Impact Enterprises Join The Elevate+ Accelerator Program To Tackle Social & Environmental Issues
A new cohort of 13 dynamic social enterprises throughout South East Queensland, have begun impact boom’s Elevate+ Accelerator Program.
led by purpose-led entrepreneurs, each of these enterprises, are responding to a vast range of issues & challenges in their local communities and beyond.
After a highly competitive application process from across the South-East corner of Queensland, the selected entrepreneurs and their teams shone through as passionate leaders deeply driven to create a positive impact and to prove that business absolutely can be a force for good.
These inspiring social entrepreneurs are well worth watching as they evolve, develop their enterprises and expand their impact. Come and meet them all at the upcoming Brisbane Social Enterprise Drinks and Networking event on March 7.
This Social Enterprise Sector Development Grant project is proudly supported and funded by the Queensland Government. We’d like to express our gratitude to the Yunus Centre, Griffith University for their ongoing support. We also thank the entire cohort for the grit and commitment they’ve shown in coming so far in their unique journeys and their drive to make a positive impact.
Meet the 2023 Elevate+ Cohort
The Gamilaraay people once operated vast grassland economies. Yaamarra & Yarral aims to bring back the native grain economy, grounded in authenticity and integrity, and in the process, flip agriculture on its head.
This approach uses agriculture as a solution, not a problem – these grains are long-lived perennial grasses that store carbon deep in the soil; they are keystone, habitat forming species; they prevent erosion and help the water infiltrate into the soil; they don’t require any external inputs, are resilient to extreme weather; and they’re superfoods.
They plan to take the raw product, process it into flour, and take it to market to demonstrate the viability of the industry. However, beyond this processing endeavour, is an intergenerational vision to grow and expand operations. It’s about embedding this industry in authentic First Nations leadership, building capability and capacity for First Nations people, economic independence, and healing people and healing Country.
Founder - jacob birch
save our supplies
Save Our Supplies (sos) has developed an innovative and cost effective way of eliminating clean medical waste in hospitals and repurposing it to be used by people in desperate need of better health care.
Australia's high standards of medical care mean that once packaging is opened and the contents are no longer sterile, the remaining unused, clean supplies cannot be used and they are simply dumped. Similarly, instruments and equipment are thrown out every few years despite being perfectly usable.
Local theatre nurse, Clare Lane felt we not only need to help "save the planet", but help people in need at the same time. Appalled by this waste and knowing there needed to be a change, she founded SOS to address the issue.
founder - claire lane + Rebecca Macrae & team
Art Worthy offer creative, collaborative workshops & solutions to a growing global issue of loneliness.
They are currently providing collaborative creativity workshops that use creativity as a vehicle for connection. In the workshop, participants work together to contribute their small part of every artwork - focussing on presence, and compassionate connection to self and others.
Art Worthy create inclusive collective artworks which are printed onto exclusive market bags for the artists to take home. The artwork then gets sold, with 100% of profits going towards delivering the same workshops for people living with the ultimate disconnection – homelessness. Because ALL people Art Worthy of connection.
Founder - Lauren Tucker
avoThrive
AvoThrive offers FREEDOM FROM the GUILT of eating desserts and FREEDOM FOR migrant BREADWINNERS to live with financial empowerment.
They sell guilt-free avocado desserts, then contribute 51% of profits to creating and designing a general financial course for migrant breadwinners in Australia (i.e. those who financially support their loved ones back in their home country).
Deeply rooted in her lived experience, Founder Dyan is passionate about financial inclusion for migrant breadwinners. She intends to ‘break the cycle’ and flip the cultural norm around by using her accounting expertise to share & teach breadwinners about financial abundance.
AvoThrive envision two things: an Australia where everyone can freely enjoy a healthy dessert, and an Australia where migrant breadwinners can be free from financial worry.
Founder - dyan merz tolentino
Bin Bypass facilitates consumer to consumer recycling by designing, manufacturing, installing and monitoring container docking stations in the public domain.
Their 'Bin Bypass' product is a world-first, industrially-designed container docking system that stacks both vertically AND horizontally. The Bin Bypass was primarily designed to provide a more effective way for urban recyclers to collect containers and return them to a collection point in exchange for cash.
These docking systems are easily able to attach to poles, bins and fences to divert recyclable containers from landfill and make the process of collecting containers safer, more efficient and more dignified.
Co-Founders - Kris Spann & Jonathan gibson
cadent
Cadent is a strategic digital and technology consultancy with a mission to make the maximum positive impact on the future of humanity.
They comprehend their clients’ strategic objectives, then build digital products to achieve them, such as a suite of mobile apps and a cloud management system for the capture and culturally appropriate sharing of Aboriginal traditional knowledge for a not-for-profit in the Kimberley, and a secure, accessible portal for the federal government and private industry to help people from Pacific island nations get work in Australia. .
Cadent donate profits to the world’s most effective health, development and long-term risk charities via the Giving What We Can Pledge; by working to the highest standards of ethics and sustainability, pursuing Social Traders, B Corp and ISO certifications; and by building with impact at heart, using accessibility, inclusion, and human-centred design techniques in all our work.
Founder - james gauci & Jack Murphy
Collabaloop has a vision to be leader in driving positive system wide culture change within the global construction industry.
The construction industry unfortunately has a poor track record on a multitude of social issues including high suicide rates, low diversity, and poor wellbeing outcomes.
Collabaloop helps solve these challenges and more, including employee retention by their SMS based workforce engagement platform that captures a real-time pulse from the workforce, enabling organisations to better retain and utilise their talent while improving organisational culture through data-driven decision making.
Collabaloop also provide funds and resources to focused initiatives that improve outcomes for apprentices and other new starters to the construction industry in order to help them thrive and build resilience in the workplace.
co-founders - mikael heinonen & Andreas Ramm
Full Circle Fibres is a farm to fabric business, traceable, ethical, high quality, and local; with an eye on our future.
800,000 tonnes of Australian textile waste goes to landfill annually; 1.4 BN items of apparel per annum are imported, and Australia has no complete ‘onshore’ textile to textile circularity.
Yet, we’re well positioned, with world leading natural fibres and a rich community of researchers, pockets of manufacturing and expert technical capability, to turn both old textiles, and other agricultural by-products into the sustainable fibres of the future, powered by renewables to create a system in balance.
The technology exists now, ready for place based implementation, taking the traditions of craftsmanship and industry excellence with advanced manufacturing, automation and nature positive systems design. There's just one missing link left, spinning & re-spinning, for complete circularity.
Full Circle Fibres is a game changer; collaborating to connect legacy industry with best practice to generate a world in balance.
Founder - meriel chamberlin
Australian Urban growers (aug) exist to cool cities. They grow food closer to home to fight the effects of rapid urbanisation, deforestation, and climate change.
AUG lead sustainable development initiatives by reducing waste and growing awareness. They envision a future where sustainable food hubs interweave through metropolitan blocks, regional hubs and remote communities. And they act today to help our future urban farmers build the skillsets required to support the rapid and distributed growth of this industry.
You can partner with AUG to buy fresh produce, sponsor educational opportunities, and embark on a corporate sustainability initiative. By partnering with us you are helping to illuminate the importance of food and its pivotal role in sustainable economic development.
Founders - Chris Fullon, Steve falkner & bethany morris
Impaktr is a behaviour change coaching and training company. They train purpose-driven leaders to build habits for peak performance and well-being.
Impakter believe that one day there will be a world in which all leaders aim to make a meaningful impact. Our mission is to help leaders take charge of their life, make brilliant decisions, and fearlessly work on creating a better world. To achieve their mission, they provide a modern way to embed ancient wisdom into a leaders’ lifestyles. In essence, Impaktr offers evidence-based training and tools to change behaviour, maximise performance and elevate well-being.
Their programs focus on reducing stress, building resilience, and getting mental clarity. Ultimately, so that they can make a lasting positive impact on their communities.
founder - yannick van hierden
The Fig Tree Gift Shop
offering unique products handmade by talented artisans around the world & helping to support their families and communities.
The Fig Tree Gift Shop focuses on being as socially responsible as possible in all aspects their business. They not only want their customers to, love the beautiful products, but also to feel great about doing their bit to make a difference to others who don’t have it quite as good as they do!
Their business model enables profits from selling fair trade products to fund life changing opportunities through The Fig Tree Children charity who are providing hope and opportunities to orphaned and at-risk young people in Sierra Leone.
This funding helps the charity develop their "Pathway" program designed to expand community-based training and sustainable employment. By the middle of 2023, they’ll help the charity increase the number of young people being educated from 85 to 100.
Founder - jane shakespeare
umgum Marketing & Media
Umgum Marketing & Media brings brands to life. They help businesses engage with customers through a human-first approach to digital marketing.
In an ever-growing digital age, customers crave genuine connection, yearning to feel seen, heard, appreciated and inspired. Using data analytics, market research and proven strategies to innovate and enhance customer experience, we create campaigns that feel authentic and personal.
As a social enterprise, they train, employ and support survivors of domestic violence and provide funding for organisations supporting survivors.
Over 42% of people seeking help from homelessness services in 2020-21 experienced domestic violence and currently, there is a lack of support for victims in the areas of housing, trauma-informed therapy, work opportunities and training - which they plan to change.
Founder - christina cannes
Yoga on the inside
yoga on the inside provide yoga & embodied-mindfulness programs aimed at making yoga “accessible” to ALL, in particular those who are on the fringes or marginalised.
Their trauma-informed approach provides individuals with skills to increase overall self-control and emotional stability and to assist in reducing stress, anxiety, aggression, hostility, and symptoms related to issues of unresolved trauma.
Their vision is to contribute to the rehabilitation of community, regardless of people’s backgrounds. They serve people who are incarcerated, impacted by domestic and family violence, front-line personnel, in addiction recovery programs, those with mental health challenges or people living with disability. The service to these cohorts is where they make their impact, supporting individuals in their rehabilitation and recovery.
They’re proud to be the only Australian affiliate of Prison Yoga Project, running over 17 programs across Australian correctional facilities so far.
