Jane Halstead
Brand & Comms Lead
There are many exciting things that have happened at Neighbourly over the years and at the end of 2023, we were delighted to be invited to join Microsoft’s Entrepreneurs for Positive Impact (EfPI) Accelerator programme for 2024. The Programme is part of the company's broader efforts to support entrepreneurs, start-ups and scale-ups focused on creating positive social and environmental impact.
Our proposition of helping companies do more to support the communities they serve, socially and environmentally aligns closely with the programme’s goals, and with Neighbourly’s tech stack and impact dashboards, there is an excellent fit.
The programme provides dedicated mentorship, guidance, resources, and networking opportunities. As well as tapping into the extensive resources at Microsoft’s disposal it’s also an opportunity for like-minded businesses and individuals to come together and share knowledge and resources.
Last week, our COO Zoë Colosimo was invited to Microsoft's London HQ along with other leading change makers from the programme: Granular Energy, Hello Lamp Post, and MeVitae to talk about AI for Social and Environmental Innovation.
It was an inspiring and insightful day, packed with positive conversations on how AI can be harnessed as a force for good, and the potential for private and public sector to collaborate and learn from each other in this field.
The EfPI Accelerator program forms part of Microsoft’s #BuildFor2030 Initiative, which aims to progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.Microsoft also became a signatory to the Rise Ahead Pledge. Signatories commit to take action in time for 2030, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and pledge to create collective, quantitative targets for their activities in time for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2025.
A landmark report, the Corporate Social Innovation Compass, complements the pledge, covering more than 10 mechanisms for companies to partner with social innovators, the benefits and the journey that companies take when engaging with social enterprises.
As signatories to initiatives like Rise Ahead, Microsoft is demonstrating a long-term commitment to enabling positive change, and we are excited to contribute to that vision.
Watch this space for further updates on our involvement in the Positive Accelerator programme.
