SIMPL Project

Project information

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What would an inclusive model of social entrepreneurship across the city look like?

As part of the SIMPL Project with partners in Torbay and Plymouth Colab has been awarded funding from the Barrow Cadbury Trust’s Connect Fund. In a collaborative, action learning process we are engaging a diverse group of people: ones with complex lives, (social) entrepreneurs, investors, creatives, commissioners etc to come together around the question ‘what would an inclusive model of social entrepreneurship across the city look like?’.

This project intends to mobilise Exeter’s entrepreneurial spirit, which would enable a more diverse group of people to live better lives by creating the conditions for investible solutions to come to fruition. These solutions seek to:

• Be socially enterprising and have a direct positive influence on tackling Exeter’s social and environmental issues
• Equip more people to live more self-sustained lives, independent of services and benefits
• Have the potential to be replicated in other (urban) areas

This multi-stakeholder process is infused by the following values:

• HUMAN - How do we lay the foundation for finance to be deployed across a system in ways that promotes relationships, collaboration and learning?
• LEARNING - How do we learn in the face of disruption? And how do we learn from the future as it emerges?
• SYSTEM - How do we connect people and organisations across boundaries? How do we achieve a collective and deeper understanding of the issues? How do we move from silo view to systems view?

The SIMPL partnership supports and stimulates the growth of a robust social economy across the South West (and beyond): a strong (local) economy that goes hand in hand with the well-being of people and planet. One that reduces inequality and takes care of natural resources, finds ways to restore and regenerate our natural world.

Project links:

• Economic Resilience Toolkit