Congratulations to TTF Grantees! MFC and Cerise+SPTF together with 8 social finance institutions kick-off Transform Together Fund Project

On the 14-15 February, 2024, MFC and Cerise+SPTF, met in Paris to welcome 8 beneficiary organizations that received grants to implement and test green and digital solutions that will benefit their clients.

During the meeting, we had a chance to learn about each others’ projects, talk about challenges, and inspire each other. Read on to explore variety of the projects.

Organizations that received grants and their projects

ADIE (France) – Development of remote and digital support services on Green Transition

General objective of the project is to offer clients and prospects an integral support for the implementation of a green focus in their business strategy. This will include design and implementation of a digital tool that would advise clients on the topic of green transition, design of a workshop “Green transition a lever and opportunity for my business”, and support through individual coaching.

Confeserfidi (Italy) – GreenShift: Empowering Microentrepreneurs for a Sustainable Tomorrow

In its project Confeserfidi will focus on educating entrepreneurs on climate change, energy crisis, and the importance of sustainable business practices. They will offer: audits to evaluate businesses’ environmental impact and recommend sustainable alternatives, Green Tech Trainings, workshops on sustainable supply chain management, and create Sustainable Community Forum, which will become a platform to share green initiatives, collaborate, and seek advice.

Coopfin (Italy) – The development of new female cooperatives in the rural areas of Sardinia Island by increasing digital skills

In its project Coopfin focuses on raising awareness of the importance of digitalization to improve women’s’ work quality in the rural areas of Sardinia Island. With their activities they aim to increase number of working women. The project relies on the combination of on-line (video courses) and one to one tutoring on digital and cooperative management skills.

FAER (Romania) – Life through our soil!

In its project FAER aims at creating trainings on good soil management practices and circular economy and implementing basic soil chemical analysis for farmers that will help them create a medium-term plan in good practices and management on soil. What is more, FAER will also train their staff members, so that they can provide better consultancy on good soil management and practices.

FDPA (Poland) – Digitalization as an opportunity for efficiency of enterprises in rural areas

In its project FDPA will test professional digital ICT solutions among 23 employees, as well as a group of 10 micro-entrepreneurs, and improve their e-competence (for example, digtal signature), which will translate into strengthening the capacity of FDPA. The new skills will be used by the staff in their work with microentrepreneurs in rural areas, in particular promoting among them the use of digital tools in running their businesses. During online meetings FDPA will teach 300 entrepreneurs about the opportunities offered by precision agriculture, energy efficiency, and new challenges reagrding soil.

Microlab (Italy) – EmpowerHer:FosteringWomen’sDigitalEntrepreneurshipforSustainability

The project’s objective is to foster women’s employability and facilitate self-employment, specifically by supporting the establishment of micro-enterprises through digital and sustainability training, mentoring, and financial assistance. The project addresses 40 women who live in Italy – 20 female entrepreneurs who already have an established business and wish to enhance it with a focus on sustainability and digitization and 20 aspiring female entrepreneurs who have a business idea but need guidance. MicroLab will offer training, mentoring, and networking opportunities for these entrepreneurs.

OMRO (Romania) – Filbo eCopilot – Business Copilot For a Green, Sustainable Future

The goal of OMRO’s project is to build and promote the Hermina eCopilot, an AI Chatbot designed to guide small entrepreneurs towards green and sustainable investments. The chatbot will be designed to teach, guide and assist small entrepreneurs in aspects of Green, sustainable investments that will benefit their business, for example, projects that involve Solar / Green Energy, Environmental-friendly construction, recycling, sustainable or intelligent farming, recycling. The chatbot will validate (or invalidate) ideas that entrepreneurs have, will perform basic education, and ultimately guide the user to apply for a Filbo Green Loan while making clear the benefits, returns on investment and potential positive benefits.

SIS Credit (Bulgaria) – Enabling vulnerable micro entrepreneurs apply green and digital practices in their businesses and households through tailor-made consultancy and online loan application process

The project aims at offering comprehensive approach in supporting the target clients of SIS Credit through digitalization of the consultancy and on-boarding process of clients (virtual branch that could be approached even from the most remote parts of the country) and in the meantime improve the consultancy towards AI solutions for starting entrepreneurs (with focus on women and other vulnerable micro entrepreneurs), green solutions for small businesses and households and free-of charge consultancy on available EU programs for innovative and green projects. The outcome of the project will be an online tool that will offer the target clients tailor-made service: free-of-charge consultancy and on-boarding for loan application (if the client needs funding apart from consultancy).

3Bank (Serbia) – Digitalization of AGRO loan process (farmers digital literacy)

This project is aimed at enabling digital signing of documents in loan process for small registered farmers (by qualified electronic signature provided by e-Government of Republic of Serbia), as well as electronic archive of loan documentation (paperless process).The digital sign will be integrated in existing loan process retaining personal touch with client advisors who visit small farmers households, deliver loan decision on a tablet device and train farmers to sign documentation by mobile Consent ID application (e-sign). This business approach that combines digital and physical elements maintains key values for rural clients where trust and support of advisors is foundation for accepting new digital solutions and encourages them to experience new technologies/digital skills.