The Partners for the Amazon Platform Acceleration Program (PPA) completed the impact assessment of its first year in operation. In 2019, the 15 accelerated businesses, located in the states of Amazonas and Pará, received an intensive support package including workshops, mentorships, advisory services and tools for management and marketing, in addition to connecting through networking and cooperation opportunities.
Together, these businesses have generated 251 direct jobs, and 67% of them have women in the lead. In all, 43 municipalities and five states are positively impacted by its activities, benefiting 110 communities.
These are some of the data from the 2019 Impact Bulletin of the Acceleration Program, which provides indicators on social and environmental impact, business evolution, management and governance, and financial capacity. The set of indicators was developed by PPA in collaboration with the entrepreneurs and partners themselves, and consists of 36 items.
“This vision that we started to have with the Program, of the need to have social and environmental indicators, brought a great deal of strength to the business. Although the heart of my company already has these concerns, we did not have the systematized data to be able to clearly demonstrate our impact”, says Joanna Martins, from Manioca.
The Program invested R$ 1,870,000.00 in accelerated businesses in 2019. Some startups participated in a business round with investors, which raised more R$ 1,100,000, invested by USAID, Conexsus, NESsT, SITAWI and Denis Minev in the businesses Manioca, Ration +, Peabiru Forest Products and Amazon Vegetable Casings.
“We are very pleased with the results of this first year of the program, both for the success in building a robust assessment and monitoring methodology adapted to the Amazonian reality, and for the impact generated by the businesses and startups supported in just 12 months”, assesses Mariano Cenamo, director of new businesses at IDESAM and coordinator of the PPA Program. ”another incredible result was the formation of a support and collaboration network among the entrepreneurs themselves, who permanently share learning and even do business and partnerships. ”
Innovation and networking
One of the differentials of the PPA Acceleration Program is its customization in accordance with the needs of entrepreneurs in the Amazon. And also the co-creation with an extensive network of partners and with the first accelerated group. Some of the entrepreneurs had already participated in other acceleration journeys, but reported that none of them was so attentive to the region's peculiarities.
“The PPA Program greatly strengthens the ties between people who work in the Amazon, and together we are going much further and stronger,” says Joziane Alves, from 100% Amazônia, one of the accelerated businesses in 2019.
A network of supporters and partners has also supported and actively participated in the design of the Program, which is constantly evolving and adapting to business needs. Companies, civil society organizations and private social investors (philanthropy) participate in this network.
“The Amazon has great potential for entrepreneurship, but there is still a lack of innovative models such as the one that the Partners for the Amazon Platform offers to realize this potential through this program. The private sector plays a central role in initiatives like this and in the search for mixed financing models to help develop the region while preserving biodiversity,” said Ted Gehr, director of USAID/Brazil.
This mix of companies, organized civil society and philanthropy is also present among the investors mobilized for the business roundtables promoted by the Program. For early stage ventures, it is often difficult to find investors who work with tickets for smaller amounts, which makes it difficult for businesses in early stages to access resources, which need smaller contributions to run. This is also an important contribution of PPA to these startups, as indicated by Andrea Resende, director and head of impact investing at SITAWI.
For 2020, the call that selected the 15 businesses participating in the new acceleration group received 201 entries, more than double the number of the previous year. Several of the entrepreneurs also participated in a business round with investors, which totaled R$ 4.8 million invested in nine of the 15 projects in the 2020 class. This increase in the number of subscribers and the amount dedicated by investors to these businesses points to strengthening from the program.
The new business portfolio is more diversified, including initiatives located in the states of Amazonas, Pará, Mato Grosso, Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina. For the first time, Call for Business opened the possibility of registration for companies headquartered in other regions of the country, as long as they are willing to open an address in the northern region within six months after the beginning of the Program.
>> To learn about the business that will be accelerated in 2020, Click here.
Awards
Recognized by the 4th Incubation Challenge and Impact Acceleration of Anprotec (National Association of Entities Promoting Innovative Enterprises) as one of the five best in Brazil, being the most outstanding in the northern region of the country, the Program also won second place in the Call for SDSN Innovative Solutions (Solutions for Sustainable Development) among initiatives in Latin America that contribute to achieving the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).
The Program was also selected by the FIIMP (Impact Foundations and Institutes) as one of the six intermediary organizations of the impact ecosystem that support business development to receive technical and financial support over two years (2019 to 2020). And it participated in the 1st GIFE Social Innovation Show, which brought together contributions generated or promoted by civil society organizations, philanthropy and private social investment in the search for solutions to Brazilian social and environmental challenges.
“We believe in strengthening the Amazon region's economy by supporting businesses with impactful solutions based on sustainability. The PPA Acceleration Program is an excellent opportunity to strengthen innovative initiatives that generate income and value biodiversity.” evaluates Georgia Pessoa, Executive Director of Instituto Humanize, one of PPA's investors and supporters
>> The PPA Acceleration Program Impact Bulletin 2019 can be accessed here
About the PPA Acceleration Program
O PPA Acceleration Program stands out for being 100% dedicated to entrepreneurs working in the Amazon, as well as regional demands and realities. In addition to the business incubation and acceleration process, the program offers opportunities for investment, cooperation, networking and promotes the creation of an interconnected sustainable business community. Created in 2018, it is led by a group of PPA companies, coordinated by the Idesam (Institute for the Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Amazon) and has strategic and financial support from USAID, CIAT, Instituto Humanize and Fundo Vale. By making annual calls, it selects 15 deals for each acceleration cycle, which lasts six months. The journey includes on-site workshops, individual mentoring, business monitoring, thematic webinars, scholarships and logistical support for participation in events or courses, accounting, legal and brand advice.
About PPA
THE Partners for the Amazon Platform (PPA) is an expanding organic collective action platform, led by private sector companies whose objective is to develop and identify innovative solutions for the sustainable development and conservation of the Amazon's biodiversity, forests and natural resources. It operates through four thematic groups (GTs): (1) Entrepreneurship, sustainable business and impact investing; (2) Bioeconomics; (3) Amazon Value Chains; (4) Territorial Management, conservation and communities.
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