As Europe accelerates its transition toward more sustainable, resilient, and socially responsible economies, businesses are increasingly expected to demonstrate not only economic performance but also measurable social and environmental value. In Slovenia, these conversations have historically remained concentrated within the social economy sector and among mission-driven enterprises. Today, however, a growing number of conventional SMEs are beginning to recognise that long-term competitiveness depends on their ability to address societal and environmental challenges in structured and credible ways.
Against this backdrop, the Program 100i – 100 Impact Ventures was launched with an ambitious objective: to help “impactize” 100 companies and prepare them for the emerging ecosystem of impact-oriented markets, partnerships, and financing opportunities.
Led by FUND 2740 – High Impact Foundation with support from the Slovenian Enterprise Fund, the initiative builds on previous work developed through the Google.org-supported ActImpAct initiative. The program contributes to broader efforts aimed at strengthening impact entrepreneurship capacities both in Slovenia and across the wider region.
Moving Beyond Traditional Sustainability Approaches
Unlike many entrepreneurship programs that focus exclusively on startups or social enterprises, Program 100i intentionally works with SMEs from a wide range of sectors and development stages. Its goal is not simply to introduce sustainability terminology, but to help companies rethink products, services, business models, and strategic priorities through an impact-oriented perspective.
The program combines workshops, mentoring, and practical methodologies designed to support businesses in integrating impact into their operations and growth strategies. Key focus areas include:
- understanding impact entrepreneurship and impact-oriented business models,
- strengthening innovation and competitiveness through impact design,
- improving impact readiness and access to impact investment opportunities,
- introducing certification systems such as the People and Planet First framework,
- applying AI-supported tools and methodologies for impact transformation,
- and reinforcing connections between businesses, communities, and societal needs.
SMEs Are Increasingly Seeing Impact as a Strategic Advantage
One of the most important findings from the program’s first phase has been the strong interest shown by SMEs from conventional industries, as well as early-stage entrepreneurs. While many companies initially joined out of curiosity about sustainability trends or funding opportunities, participants quickly began to recognise the broader strategic value of impact-oriented transformation.
Many SMEs highlighted that “impactization” enables companies to move beyond superficial sustainability communication and toward more credible and structured development models. In particular, businesses saw value in methodologies that help reduce the risks of greenwashing, innovation washing, and impact washing by introducing measurable objectives, accountability mechanisms, and recognised certification frameworks.
Participants also identified several concrete benefits associated with adopting impact-oriented approaches:
- increased innovation capacity through problem-oriented product and service development,
- stronger competitiveness and differentiation in sustainability-sensitive markets,
- improved relationships with communities and stakeholders,
- better preparation for future regulatory and financing requirements,
- increased access to impact investment and blended finance opportunities,
- stronger internal understanding and management of impact creation,
- and greater trust through transparent certification and verification systems.
Importantly, many SMEs no longer perceive impact solely as a matter of corporate social responsibility. Instead, they increasingly understand impact-oriented business development as a strategic tool for resilience, market relevance, talent attraction, and long-term positioning.
Building Bridges Between Traditional SMEs and the Impact Economy
The Slovenian experience demonstrates that impact entrepreneurship can serve as a practical bridge between traditional business ecosystems and the rapidly growing field of impact economy development. It also shows that SMEs are willing to engage with impact transformation when practical tools, understandable methodologies, and realistic implementation pathways are available.
As European policies continue to evolve around sustainability, resilience, social economy development, and impact investment, initiatives such as Program 100i offer valuable insights into how conventional SMEs can gradually transition toward more purpose-driven business models without sacrificing competitiveness or entrepreneurial flexibility.
For more information about the initiative, please contact: info@fund2740.com.
