Hosted by Erste Group, ERSTE Foundation and Česká Spořitelna in partnership with Ashoka, good.bee and emersense, “Banking for Social Entrepreneurship” brought together more than 120 selected participants in an engaging conference that pioneered several new ideas and triggered many exciting thoughts on ways to connect and leverage banking and social entrepreneurship for lasting positive impact in CEE.

Amongst the many guests and speakers of the conference: Andreas Treich (Erste Bank), Erhard Busek (IDM), Felix Oldenburg (Ashoka), Sava Dalbokov (good.bee), Jeroo Billimoria (Aflatoun), Jonathan Robinson (The Hub), Eva Varga (NESsT), Brian Richardson (Wizzit), Rupert Strachwitz (Maecenata Institut), Peter Püspök (Oikocredit), Nikolaus Spieckermann-Hutter (gcp), Franz Karl Prüller (ERSTE Foundation) and Michael Fembek (Antara Solutions).

A final thought on the role of emersense in the conference: “As learning designer of ‘Banking for Social Entrepreneurship’ we particularly intended to enable a high level of engagement and significant relevance for both social entrepreneurs and bankers throughout this unique event. We tried to make it happen in a blend of learning and exploration, seeking to encourage passion and spur creativity of everyone involved, adding edge and spark to let participants obtain clarity, form new ideas and initiate meaningful actions upon their genuine ambition.”