Two workshops at LEVEL UP 2026
LEVEL UP 2026 will take place on Monday 28 September. During LEVEL UP 2026 – Brabant’s leading start-up and scale-up event for ambitious founders, entrepreneurs and innovators – the partners at Startups for Society will be running two interactive workshops for impact start-ups.
SAVE the date: 28 September
Are you in the process of scaling up your business and keen to make a positive social impact? If so, these workshops offer practical insights, relatable real-world examples and valuable opportunities to meet experts and other entrepreneurs from the Brabant ecosystem.
The workshops are an initiative of, and are co-organised by, the partners of Startups for Society: Tilburg University, Fontys, Avans University of Applied Sciences, Tilburg City Council and Midpoint Brabant.
The programme content is developed in collaboration with experts from IMPACT-UP, a Brabant-based partnership comprising the Province of North Brabant, Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas), HAS Green Academy, Avans University of Applied Sciences, Fontys and Tilburg University. IMPACT-UP conducts research into impact entrepreneurship. Together with impact entrepreneurs, supporting organisations and networks, it works to generate new knowledge and insights that contribute to the further development of impact entrepreneurship in Brabant.
Registration for the two workshops will open shortly via the LEVEL UP website. You can already register for the main event:
Workshop 1 | Growing smartly as an impact start-up
Speakers: Kerry Forrester (Tilburg University) and Rob van der Rijt (Breda University of Applied Sciences)
Impact start-ups create both economic and social value, but often operate in a playing field that is not yet geared towards this. You are competing with organisations that operate under different conditions and use different pricing models; as a pioneer, you face the greatest obstacles; and you are dependent on collaboration to achieve social impact. So how do you ensure that you can grow sustainably?
In this interactive workshop organised by the Startups for Society partnership, you’ll work alongside other impact entrepreneurs and experts to explore how you can strengthen your position. You’ll gain an understanding of the challenges that many impact start-ups face and explore where the greatest opportunities lie for scaling up more effectively and achieving greater impact.
The Brabant-based coalition IMPACT-UP is conducting research into impact entrepreneurship. Together with impact entrepreneurs, four recurring patterns have been identified: a playing field not yet geared towards impact, the pioneer’s paradox, collaboration as a prerequisite for success, and the pressure that impact entrepreneurship can place on personal wellbeing. During the workshop, we’ll link these themes to your own practice. What do you recognise? What’s still missing? And where can you make a difference?
At the end of the event, you’ll go home with new insights into your role as an impact entrepreneur, practical tools to help take your business forward, and valuable contacts with entrepreneurs and ecosystem partners who share the same ambition.
The workshop is aimed at social entrepreneurs, researchers, business developers, networkers and other key figures who wish to work together to strengthen social entrepreneurship in Brabant.
Workshop 2 | Ready for the next stage? Discover the funding that suits your impact ambitions
Speakers: Astrid Kaag (Province of North Brabant) and Marleen Janssen Groesbeek (Avans University of Applied Sciences)
Your start-up or scale-up is ready for the next phase of growth. You want to scale up and make a social impact. But what kind of capital is right for your mission? How do you convince investors of both your business case and your impact? And how do you strike a balance between return on investment, scalability and social value?
In this interactive workshop organised by the Startups for Society partnership and delivered by the Brabant-based IMPACT-UP coalition, you will discover how impact-driven financing helps start-ups and scale-ups to grow responsibly. Using inspiring real-life examples and familiar dilemmas, we’ll explore which forms of financing are best suited to different growth stages, business models and impact ambitions.
You’ll find answers to questions such as:
When does impact become attractive to investors?
How do you translate social value into a compelling investment case?
How do you manage the tensions between growth, returns, mission and governance?
After this session, you’ll have a clear picture of the funding options that suit your business, practical tips to strengthen your investment pitch, and valuable new contacts with entrepreneurs, impact investors and ecosystem partners from Brabant.
These workshops are an initiative of, and are co-organised by, the partners of Startups for Society: Tilburg University, Fontys, Avans University of Applied Sciences, Tilburg City Council and Midpoint Brabant (see startupsforsociety.nl).
Are you looking for valuable connections for your impact startup?
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