Transversal Scope
Description
The areas that are part of this scope (Ecosystem, New Projects, and Long-Term Sustainability) crosscut the entire action of the Foundation and seek their long-term sustainability.
New Proyects
Objective
General
Incubate solutions that facilitate access to appropriate financing, knowledge, or markets for ventures and companies at a specific stage in their path to entrepreneurship. This support enables them to evolve from an idea to a minimum viable product capable of generating income that favors their sustainability through market mechanisms.
Specific
Markets: Promote the generation of market information, its systematization, and its availability to different economic agents to facilitate decision-making and coordination among diverse actors.
New Fund: Develop a new investment vehicle that facilitates access to capital for dynamic companies promoting more inclusive and sustainable development.
Orbita
Background
Through a partnership between the Sustainable Development Solutions Network – SDSN Bolivia, Fundación Innovación en Empresariado Social IES and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC-Canadá), the Observatorio Boliviano para la Industria Turística Sostenible (ORBITA) was launched. ORBITA is part of the project “Tourism as an engine for inclusive gender and sustainable development in Bolivia.”
Description
ORBITA seeks to establish collaboration between private, public, and non-governmental institutions for joint dissemination, training, and research activities that benefit the tourism industry. The main goals of ORBITA include:
- Establish connections between tourism, gender equality, and the transition to a low-carbon economy in Bolivia through actionable data and research. Build partnerships to support the recovery and growth of the tourism sector, inform public policies, and guide public and private investment in the tourism sector, fostering women’s economic empowerment, gender equality, and transition to a low-carbon economy.
- Develop solution-oriented research, strengthening innovation and the use of technology in small and medium-sized companies in the tourism sector, to generate evidence and learning about best functional practices for the public and private tourism sector in Bolivia.
- Develop solution-oriented research, strengthening innovation and the use of technology in small and medium-sized companies in the tourism sector, to generate evidence and learning about best functional practices for the public and private tourism sector in Bolivia.
Objective
ORBITA’s main objective is to “Generate evidence and test innovations to understand if, how, and under what circumstances tourism can become an engine for development whose priority is gender equality and sustainability”
ORBITA model
Our intervention model is based on making decisions based on evidence to enable sustainable actions, allowing us to create a connection between tourism and other major productive and service chains in Bolivia.
INTELLIGENCE: Digitalized and democratized information where we learn and share to strengthen business, public, and community decisions. Our efforts are focused on promoting and enhancing the tourism experience through creative and technological industries.
ACTION: We drive changes aimed at improving economic opportunities, ensuring financial and social stability through a precise understanding of the tourism industry. We foster environmental protection and harmony, promoting responsible use of resources and factors of production.
CONNECTION: We create networks among legally established companies, territories, governments (at all levels), and supporting industries. This positioning of tourism as a transformative axis breaks the dependency on natural resources, strengthening spaces for social and personal development for both women and men.
Target group
- Companies dedicated to providing tourism services
- Academic institutions with research capabilities in the fields of environment, gender equality, and/or tourism
- Territories with tourism potential and vocation
- Public institutions with tourism management capabilities
Ecosystem
Objective
General
To promote the development of more and better dynamic impact-driven companies in Bolivia by cultivating entrepreneurial communities that foster connection and coordination among stakeholders, access to information, opportunities, and business knowledge that encourage innovation and value creation.
Specific
- Identify, classify, and make visible support institutions based on the type of services they provide and the entrepreneurial/business development stage they address.
- Identify, classify, and make visible entrepreneurial leaders based on their willingness to provide feedback to the ecosystem.
- Establish physical and virtual spaces to facilitate the connection between support institutions, entrepreneurial leaders, and business owners.
- Promote knowledge management related to case studies, lessons learned, and best practices at both the entrepreneurship/company and support institution levels.
Components
- Mappings
- Articulation spaces
- Knowledge Management (Library)
Activities
Conectadas
This is an initiative by Fundación IES under the TEA WEEB project (Transformative Ecosystem for Gender Empowerment of Women in Bolivia) carried out in consortium with CECI in La Paz, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz.
Conectadas is a completely free activity where women leading micro and small businesses can meet different providers of business services (communities, institutions facilitating access to financing, knowledge providers, digital marketing companies, etc.) that suit their business needs.
At the same time, these business service providers have the opportunity to reach potential clients, explaining the benefits they offer, their requirements, and other important information.
Why?
Because there are many products and services within the reach of women entrepreneurs, but the information is not readily available. This initiative aims to create a space where women entrepreneurs can connect with service providers, addressing their specific needs.
Additionally, the experience includes expert training in identified areas such as legal, tax, and digital marketing. There are also talks by attending entrepreneurs who share a bit about their business journey, and participants become part of a community of women entrepreneurs called “Nosotras en el Ecosistema Empresarial”.
The event concludes a lunch where all participants have the opportunity to get to know each other in a completely relaxed and friendly environment.
Más que un Taller
It is a space where women entrepreneurs can network with each other and acquire new knowledge and practical tools, guided by experts in a relaxed environment while enjoying good food.
Long Term Sustainability
Objective
General
To create the necessary tools for institutionalizing the interventions of Fundación IES and consolidating its intervention technology, in order to promote operational excellence and foster the sustainability, replicability, and scalability of its interventions.
Specific
- Planning, Monitoring, Evaluating, and Learning: Improve efficiency in processes and effectiveness in achieving results for Fundación IES interventions.
- Institutional Relations – Strategic Communication and Resource Management: Establish tools and communication channels with the Foundation’s target audiences to showcase the scope of its interventions and generate short, medium, and long-term opportunities.
- Technical and Financial Sustainability: Strengthen the organizational culture and structure and preserve the Foundation’s assets.
Components
- Planning, Monitoring, Evaluating, and Learning
- Institutional Relations – Strategic Communication and Resource Management
- Technical and Financial Sustainability
