Impact Pioneers

Entrepreneurs are vital to the growth and prosperity of communities. But what role can entrepreneurs play in tackling climate change? And how can we imagine and build ecosystems that inspires and supports entrepreneurs to rise to this challenge?

Impact Pioneers is a leadership programme that sets out to convene leaders and enablers working in organisations and networks seeking to promote the nurture and growth of local entrepreneurship and innovation. The programme takes a starting point in the idea that entrepreneurship is a key driver of both economic and social development, as well as a force that can help accelerate the global green transition. The thematic focus of the programme varies from year to year, but the learning goals remain to offer participants the opportunity to:

Photo: Björn Olin/imagebank.sweden.se

Who can apply?

The application is open to entrepreneurship ecosystem leaders and practitioners who work in organizations and networks that want to develop their support for entrepreneurs with businesses related to sustainablility and green transition. More specifially, we imagine applicants to work as:

• Startup hub/accelerator/incubation founders and managers
• Tech and innovation hub founders and managers
  
• University accelerator/incubator managers
• Public sector employees involved in work that supports Climate Tech entrepreneurship

In 2026 Call announcements and programme countries will be communicated in late February and March. (applicants must be a citizen and resident of one of them). In 2026 the programme will be offered to two different regional cohorts as follows:

EUROPE cohort: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia**, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine*
MENA cohort: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Palestine

*Ukrainian applicants who reside outside of Ukraine are also eligible to apply.
**Governmental employees in Georgia are not eligible to apply.

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Be a citizen and resident of one of the programme countries
• Work in an organisation or business systematically working to nurture and grow entrepreneurs.
• Have the mandate to develop new international partnerships for your organisation/business.
• Have a good working knowledge of both written and spoken English.
• Be willing to actively participate, provide support and share their experience and knowledge with other participants.
• Have identified opportunities and challenges that could be worked on during the programme to help their organisation improve its contribution to the local entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem

An applicant’s home organisation/business must also meet the following requirements:

• Be locally owned and based in one of the programme countries.
• Be somehow hosting/coaching (or be in the process of starting up hosting/coaching of) entrepreneurs with business ideas that are related to sustainability and green transition.
• Run the organization/business with focus on contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Programme structure and format

Commitment and expectations
Impact Pioneers ’26 programming is scheduled from May to November 2026. Final schedule and timeline will vary across cohorts and be provided upon acceptance to the programme.

• Participants should be prepared to spend around two hours per week in online activities such as participating in sharing sessions and working a personal project.
• As a participant, you should also be able to join the one week summit onsite in Stockholm in September 2026.

Participation in Impact Pioneers is free of charge**.
The Swedish institute arranges and covers costs related to:

• Learning programme
• Flights to and from Sweden for the Sweden week onsite visit
• Accommodation, meals, transportation and insurance while in Sweden

Programme components:

1. Online networking, sharing and masterclass sessions 
   Networking, sharing and masterclass sessions will be conducted online in both large and small group formats (organised by region and mixed). Other than the social element, they will include case sharing and high-quality masterclasses, highlighting latest developments within the field of entrepreneurship and innovation, sustainable development and green transition. These sessions aim to offer participants new network, perspectives, cases, tools and frameworks.
2. Sweden week (late September / early October, dates to be communicated)
   During this week, programme participants will gather in Stockholm, Sweden. The week will be an interactive and immersive onsite experience, offering a unique opportunity to network with peers and engage with Swedish entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem leaders and experts. The week will feature workshops, field visits to leading innovation hubs and impact entrepreneurship environments in Stockholm. This experience aims to strengthen participants’ network, and create new connections with the Swedish entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem. Participation in Sweden week is exclusive to participants who have successfully completed the programme’s previous components.
3. Way forward. In the final component of Impact Pioneers ’26, participants make a plan on how to put their new skills and network into action. They share new perspectives, cases, tools and frameworks with colleagues and stakeholders in their local ecosystems, develop ideas for future partnerships across the international peer group and establish further relationships with the Swedish embassy and related network in their home country.

Programme objectives

The shortterm programme objective of the programme is to strengthen capacity among leaders and enablers working in organisations and networks seeking to promote the nurture and growth of local  entrepreneurship and innovation. By enabling the exchange and sharing of perspectives, cases, tools and frameworks the aspiration is to grow collective efforts and impact. A central component of the programme is also networking across an international cohort of peers and with the Swedish ecosystem. This component is key, as is the programme hopes to plant seeds for future partnerships, to the benefit of startups and scaleups as they seek to expand their growth, reach and overall impact.

The longterm programme objective is connected the SDG 8, target 8.3, which includes promotion of activities and policies that support entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation to encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and mediumsized enterprises, ultimately contributing to job creation and sustainable economic, social and environmental development.