The closing event of the Impuls programme gathered ten of the entrepreneurs who had participated in the 2018 edition. They were invited to present their projects in front of a committee consisting of partners as well as volunteering experts from the Impuls network. Three of the projects were recognised by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy as well as by members of the Tremplin Foundation, sheltered under the aegis of the Fondation de Luxembourg, who have been awarding the Tremplin Prize for the past 6 years.
Gianluca Marinelli, Tina Leurs et Alessio Weber from the project Sovi
The closing event of the Impuls programme gathered ten of the entrepreneurs who had participated in the 2018 edition. They were invited to present their projects in front of a committee consisting of partners as well as volunteering experts from the Impuls network. Three of the projects were recognised by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy as well as by members of the Tremplin Foundation, sheltered under the aegis of the Fondation de Luxembourg, who have been awarding the Tremplin Prize for the past 6 years.
The Tremplin Prize 2018, that aims to support entrepreneurial projects with a core objective that is social and therefore humane, was granted to to Gianluca Marinelli, Alessio Weber and Tina Leurs, the three cofounders of Sovi Solutions. Their project offers a digital solution to replace and improve upon the pictogrammes that are often used as a communication tool for autists.
“Winning this prize is truly an honour for us! It will allow us to advance and bring our project to fruition faster. Thanks to this significant support, we hope to greatly and rapidly improve the quality of life of people who are suffering from a communication disorder. We will first concentrate on the Luxembourgish market, but we are aiming for internationalisation right after”, Alessio Weber entrusted to us. The three students began their entrepreneurial journey thanks to the association Jonk Entrepreneuren and are now among the finalists of the Fit4Start competition organised by Luxinnovation. A great example of the continuity of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem!
Tohid Tohidi, initiator of Music Intercultural Inclusion, won the Tremplin Foundation’s “Favourite’s Prize” with his project that aims at using music to promote the social integration of underpriviledged people. To this end, the project plan includes workshops to promote awareness of oriental instruments and the creation of multicultural and multilingual musical compositions.
The project holders and their trainers
The founders of the Tremplin Foundation highlighted the maturity and relevance of the projects that were presented and reaffirmed “the importance of contributing to the vitality of social entrepreneurship in Luxembourg by supporting projects that demonstrate a strong potential impact on social cohesion.”
Finally, Mara Kroth and Johannes Heuschkel, two students from the University of Luxembourg, were awarded a financial prize by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy for their project GoldenMe. The project is the first digital platform in Luxembourg that connects retirees amongst themselves, and allows them to find various close-by events such as classes, excursions, etc. The goal is to allow them to stay active and prevent social isolation.
With such a large diversity in projects in 2018, the Impuls sessions in 2019 are looking very interesting. Pelagia Baxevani, programme manager, comments on this: “We put in a lot of effort to gather varied profiles who will bring a real wealth to the group. The fact that two student projects were rewarded sets a nice example, and I am very happy that the social entrepreneurship is so well represented!”. She is now actively preparing the next edition, which will begin at the start of April. Any project holder whose project has a social impact can apply via the website.
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