NESsT

📢 Now LIVE: NESsT 2025 Annual Report Since 1997, NESsT has invested in enterprises that create dignified jobs for those most in need guided by our core belief: a good job can change a life. Over the past 29 years, we've seen this change ripple outwards beyond one life to entire communities that are thriving, resilient, and self-sufficient. In 2025, we reached a milestone that speaks to this mission: Since our founding, our collective work has contributed to improving the lives of more than 4.7 million people including Black people, Indigenous Peoples, the LGTBQIA+ community, migrants and refugees, people with disabilities, smallholder farmers, women, and youth. Inside the report you’ll find how we accelerated this momentum in 2025, including: 🔸 Expanding our portfolio from 88 social enterprises in 2024 to 142 in 2025, surpassing 100 active portfolio companies for the first time 🔸 Supporting our growing portfolio to create and sustain 50,405 meaningful work opportunities across our flagship programs across seven countries 🔸 Reaffirming our commitment to placing under-represented communities at the center of what we do through participation in global events including COP30 in Belem, Brazil 🔸 Strengthening our support to enterprises beyond acceleration as they apply for and secure impact loans with our Violet and Lirio Funds in Central and Eastern Europe and South America, respectively ...and more! 🤝 This progress reflects the dedication of our global teams, the invaluable support of our donors, and the determination and resilience of the social entrepreneurs we work with every day. We invite you to read our 2025 Annual Report and hear firsthand about what we have achieved together at the link in our profile 🔗

What does a commitment to social justice look like in practice? Across our diverse portfolio of social enterprises, we are proud to see it in action every day: local communities leading thriving businesses; people earning steady, fairly-paid incomes; and opportunities reaching those who have traditionally been overlooked. These enterprises, made up of Indigenous communities in South America, Black entrepreneurs in Brazil, refugees and migrants in Central and Eastern Europe, and many more, are turning commitment into real impact. Together, they have created 160,000 jobs and reached 3.5 million people. Swipe to see their achievements and the progress they’re making in their communities through dignified work for all ✨ #worlddayofsocialjustice #socialdevelopment #renewedcommitment Featured enterprises: @verdenovosementes @pescopescaderia @4_starlings @lazarilloapp @sachawaysa_oficial @coopavam.mt @colorytbyboxelyte @amitlivaupes

This #InternationalWomensDay, we’re highlighting how social enterprises Give to Gain gender equity. In our work supporting impact-driven businesses, we see that when companies intentionally create space for women – especially women from rural areas, Indigenous communities, or in contexts of vulnerability – the impact extends outward. These companies move away from short-term growth and adopt a longer-term vision that involves strengthening their local communities, redistributing opportunities, and building trust-based networks to navigate uncertainty. Across our portfolio, enterprises are creating opportunities that go beyond employment and opening pathways for women to lead sustainable businesses and shape resilient communities. In practice, this looks like: ⭐️ Stable and equitable income opportunities, especially in communities where dignified jobs for women are scarce ⭐️ Access to skills training so women can thrive personally and professionally ⭐️ More inclusive hiring and promotion practices that break down gender biases ⭐️ Pathways to leadership and decision-making roles in sectors where women have been historically underrepresented ⭐️ Access to capital for women starting or leading enterprises Throughout Women's Month, we’re sharing stories from enterprises that are giving to gain gender equity in @nesst_brasil , @nesst_chile , @nesst_colombia , @nesst_peru , @nesst_polska , and @nesst_romania . We invite you to follow along and explore giving to gain at nesst.org/donate

Next week, our CEO Chad Sachs will be in Iași, Romania for Enterprising for Tomorrow – one of Eastern Europe’s leading events for the social economy and social finance. Chad will be joining representatives from EIF, FEBEA - European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks and Financiers, Phitrust/MicroEurope, and Afin to discuss how blended finance and responsible investment models can better respond to the realities of social enterprises, particularly those creating jobs and opportunities for communities that are often excluded from traditional labour markets. The conversation will also explore how we can support social enterprises to move beyond short-term funding and build resilient organizations capable of creating lasting social and economic value. We’re pleased to be supporting @enterprising.for.tomorrow organized by one of our long-standing partners in the region, @angela.achitei President of the ADV Romania Group and Founder of @UtilDeco , an enterprise in our organized by one of our long-standing partners in the region, Angela Achitei, President of ADV Group and Founder of UtilDeco, an enterprise in our @nesst_romania portfolio. The conference is open to all and can be attended online ⬇️ 📆 May 19, 2026 📍 Details and registration: eft2026.live See you there! #enterprisingfortomorrow #eft2026

La selva y la cordillera comparten el mismo latido ⛰️ Es por eso que con cada transacción el Festival Cordillera estará apoyando la guardianía de 1200m² de selva amazónica, impulsando bionegocios indígenas y locales, generando ciclos sostenibles de cuidado, regeneración e impacto a largo plazo 🌱 Y así nace: Ecos por la Amazonía 🌳 Creado por @paramoimpacta y @nesst_colombia , este será un fondo de inversión de impacto impulsado por la música y la cultura para proteger este ecosistema esencial del planeta, de la mano de quienes llevan haciéndolo por generaciones ⛰️ 🏡 En el video charlamos con José Yahuarcani Sandi y Ángel Fernández Ramos de la Asociación Intercomunitaria Painü 🍃 🎥: @Tiloooooooo_ @b.zu.al . @_peladob

Did you miss our announcement yesterday? The NESsT 2025 Annual Report is now LIVE! Since 1997, NESsT has invested in enterprises that create dignified jobs for those most in need guided by our core belief: a good job can change a life. Over the past 29 years, we've seen this change ripple outwards beyond one life to entire communities that are thriving, resilient, and self-sufficient. In 2025, we reached a milestone that speaks to this mission: Since our founding, our collective work has contributed to improving the lives of more than 4.7 million people including Black people, Indigenous Peoples, the LGTBQIA+ community, migrants and refugees, people with disabilities, smallholder farmers, women, and youth. Inside the report you’ll find how we accelerated this momentum in 2025, including: 🔹 Expanding our portfolio from 88 social enterprises in 2024 to 142 in 2025, surpassing 100 active portfolio companies for the first time 🔹 Supporting our growing portfolio to create and sustain 50,405 meaningful work opportunities across our flagship programs across seven countries 🔹 Reaffirming our commitment to placing under-represented communities at the center of what we do through participation in global events including COP30 in Belem, Brazil 🔹 Strengthening our support to enterprises beyond acceleration as they apply for and secure impact loans with our Violet and Lirio Funds in Central and Eastern Europe and South America, respectively ...and more! 🤝 This progress reflects the dedication of our global teams, the invaluable support of our donors, and the determination and resilience of the social entrepreneurs we work with every day. We invite you to read our 2025 Annual Report and hear firsthand about what we have achieved together at the link in our profile 🔗

This #EarthDay, we’re looking at what it takes for smallholder farmers to meet global environmental commitments. This year’s theme “Our Power, Our Planet” calls on people and communities to protect local ecosystems and prioritize climate-stability and resilience. But what does this look like in practice for small farmers? Ana Belen Jalixto, Lirio Fund Andes Portfolio Manager, who has supported farmers’ cooperatives at NESsT for four years shares: “For smallholder farmers, meeting rising environmental standards often comes with higher costs, more complexity, and delayed returns. It's necessary to adapt global commitments into local realities and have strong support systems in place. That’s where the #NESsTLirioFund comes in.” Located in northern Peru, Valle Verde is one of the newest enterprises to join the NESsT Lirio Fund. By connecting sustainable practices with market access and financial support, it ensures small farmers can take care of the environment while making a dignified living. #NESsT is supporting the enterprise to pay its farmers’ fair, on-time wages and strengthen its environmental conservation practices. Swipe to learn more -> #earthday2026 #ourpowerourplanet

As we get ready to share our 2025 Annual Report, we’ve been reflecting on what this year has taught us. ✨ Every year, we use our impact management tools to dive into the results of every company in our portfolio and, across the board, the results of each NESsT program. During two weeks of these benchmarking meetings, we had the chance to hear from our local portfolio managers on what stayed with them most from working day-to-day with social entrepreneurs. What challenged them, what shifted, and what they’re carrying into this year. From how we structure funding to how we support leadership and decision-making and what happens after acceleration — we’re continuing to learn what it really takes to support social enterprises to grow in a way that is resilient and inclusive. Swipe to discover these insights. Shortly we’ll publish our 2025 Annual Report, where we'll go into detail about these lessons and more. Stay tuned! 📖 ⚡

✨ Part II of our 2025 highlights! ✨ Join us as we celebrate how companies in our acceleration programs across South America and Central and Easter Europe are growing. 🚀 💫 With targeted mentoring and patient capital, these businesses are strengthening how they operate – accessing new markets, securing internationally recognized certifications, and expanding their production capacity. And as they grow stronger, so does their impact: they contribute to new jobs in their communities, pay stable, higher incomes that allow families to plan ahead, and engage in long-term conservation efforts that protect the environment. Here's what it looks like in practice 👉 🔸 Organic coffee company Federación Campesina Del Cauca F.C.C. increased supplier income by 58% supporting household income stability for local farming families 🔸 ASSOAB planted +3,000 seedlings as part of reforestation efforts protecting and restoring critical ecosystems in the Brazilian Amazon 🔸 Bank Żywności w Olsztynie (Olsztyn Food Bank) reached over 70,000 people in its local community addressing food waste and providing training and job placement services in one of Poland’s highest unemployment regions 🔸 Diaspora.Black more than doubled its revenue, providing income opportunities in the tourism sector more than 400% above Brazil’s average minimum wage 🔸PesCo Pescaderia opened a new store in Lima, increasing sales by 35% and connecting artisan fishers to urban markets 🔸 Circular economy enterprise Bendito Residuo Residuo doubled the volume of materials it recovers and transforms and completed its acceleration journey with NESsT after 4 years in the program 🔸 Posh Academy supported +60 people through training, placement and employment in the beauty sector, with a focus on support for refugees from Ukraine seeking secure jobs with career pathways. Stay tuned! Our full 2025 impact report is coming soon, sharing more stories of growth and impact. @bankzywnosciwolsztynie @assobioeconomia @diaspora.black @posh_academy @benditoresiduo @pescopescaderia @fcc.coffee

✨ 2025 was a year of measurable growth for the companies in our portfolio ✨ In 2025, we worked hand-in-hand with a portfolio of over 100 companies across South America and Central and Eastern Europe. Despite a year marked by many challenges from climate shocks to market disruptions, these companies continued to grow, supported by our targeted mentoring and patient capital. This growth translates into stronger businesses with access to new markets, internationally-recognized certifications, increased revenues, expanded production capacity, and stronger commercial and marketing strategies. And when it comes to impact, stronger businesses contribute to new jobs being created locally, stable, higher incomes, predicable payments that allow for forward planning, and intentional, long-term conservation work. Here's what it looks like in practice: 💫 Green energy company Novatio increased its sales five-fold contributing to 166,000 tons of CO₂ savings 💫 Cooperativa Kanuja secured organic and Fairtrade certifications enabling it to pay premium prices to 222 cacao farmers 💫 Blisko Foundation renovated its community-based social kitchen hiring 15 people who face barriers to good jobs ahead of the center’s launch in early 2026 💫 Maré de Sabores achieved 20% revenue growth while digitalizing its operations marking its successful transition out of the portfolio 💫 Wen Kimey, operating in Araucanía, Chile, increased its revenue by 120% enabling it to work with more Mapuche suppliers 💫 UtilDeco grew its coffee roastery revenues by more than 20% becoming the social enterprise’s fastest growing business line and an engine for both sales and local employment 💫 Sacha Waysa doubled its capacity to welcome tourists in Archidona (Ecuador), expanding local income opportunities through new lodgings and services Stay tuned! Our full 2025 impact report is coming soon, sharing similar stories of growth and impact. 🌿 @novatiosas @sachawaysa_oficial @maredesabores @wen_kimey_alimento_ancestral @blisko_fundacja @cooperativakanuja

As we round up B Corp Month, we’re spotlighting @cottonnation.la , one of the newest companies to join the NESsT Lirio Fund. Cotton Nation is the largest producer of Regenerative Amazonian Cotton (RAC) in Peru and a certified #BCorp, working with over 3,000 farming families in San Martín. For many of the farming families Cotton Nation supports, cotton represents their primary source of income. In a region where climate shocks and fluctuating prices make agriculture increasingly uncertain, Cotton Nation ensures farmers have a reliable buyer, fair prices, and the support needed to plan ahead. The company also works directly with local producers to grow cotton using regenerative practices that actively restore soil health and local biodiversity. Read more about how this B Corp is helping farmers build climate resilience through financial stability and regenerative farming that protects the lands upon which they depend ->

“When I’m at home, I spend a lot of time alone, and at this age, I sometimes feel like I’m no longer useful. But this job changed that. It was good to have people to talk to, to share the day, to learn and teach. EcoCiclo gave me more than just a job – it gave me back my motivation.” Seamstress – EcoCiclo EcoCiclo (@ecociclosocial ) was founded by Hellen Caroline Nzinga, Adriele Menezes, and Patricia Zanella, three Black women from northeastern Brazil, who set out to tackle menstrual poverty through innovation, sustainability, and inclusion. When the three founders decided they wanted to develop Brazil’s first 100% biodegradable sanitary pad, they also decided they wanted to hire women from under-represented backgrounds to help them do it. Today, EcoCiclo provides dignified income opportunities for women from Black communities, over the age of 45, those facing unemployment, and mothers. Co-founder and CEO Hellen Nzinga shares, “EcoCiclo was born from lived experience, from understanding that menstrual dignity is directly connected to economic and social freedom. As founders, we are driven by the belief that women deserve access, choice, and the power to build their own futures. Every step we take is about turning care into innovation and impact.” Swipe to hear from the women behind EcoCiclo-> This Women’s Month, we’re highlighting enterprises in our portfolio that give to gain gender equity: providing stable income opportunities for women, supporting them to access training and employment support, and providing them with the tools they need to thrive personally and professionally. If you’d like to join us in giving to gain, visit nesst.org/donate