Welcome by Chairman, Flemming Besenbacher
In just 12 days, UNLEASH will kick off in Denmark. We are so excited to welcome our 1,000 global top talents from more 129 countries. We have tech-entrepreneurs, leading academics, young professionals, and development program officers. All talents have proved a passion for positive change.
We have gathered an incredibly diverse group of young and dedicated talents, and we cannot wait to kick start the co-creation of innovative solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2017 approaches rapidly, our team is working hard to finalize the program in Denmark. You can stay updated by following us on social media or discover new developments on this blog. We do have a few noteworthy updates to spark your appetite:
A new venture fund for social entrepreneurs
To support the solutions after UNLEASH, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, Dalberg and the UNLEASH team are currently structuring a venture fund for social entrepreneurs and talents working with the SDG-agenda. After UNLEASH, the talents can apply for capital to support implementation of their solutions by submitting detailed funding applications. They will also become part of a global eco-system for social entrepreneurship that can support the solutions as they scale through technical assistance, match-making with external funders and a potential enrollment in other programs such as the Big Bet Initiative and FT/IFC Transformational Business Awards. IFC and Dalberg are currently working on the structure of the fund and capitalization strategy to ensure its long-term viability.
Experts and facilitators from around the world join UNLEASH
As we speak, we are putting the last touches on our innovation process curriculum along with Monitor Deloitte and our amazing Innovation Advisory Board. Once the talents arrive in Denmark, experienced facilitators and thematic content experts from around the world will stand ready to support the talents and their team as they co-create and develop innovative and impactful solutions to the SDGs. We have already announced a few of our amazing experts via our Facebook, but stay tuned as we present an entire ecosystem of players who are ready to provide support.
A platform to support ideation and networking
We have just updated our online community to turn it into a platform of connectivity and co-creation. The talents can use this community to share and generate insights into global challenges. We will use these insights as inputs in our innovation curriculum.
All in all, we are so excited to be able to welcome so many amazing people in Denmark shortly and allow you to become immersed in a truly global initiative dedicated to solving some of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges.
Flemming Besenbacher
Chairman, UNLEASH