Nucaps winner of the 1st edition of 'Scale the Impact'

Madrid, June 8, 2023. The Navarra-based startup Nucaps has been selected to win the first edition of Scale the Impact. This program is developed by Danone, a leading company in healthy food, and Social Nest Foundation, the global platform for entrepreneurs and impact investors. The purpose of the startup acceleration program was to spur growth and business opportunities for startups with social and environmental impact, in addition to encouraging the inclusion of B Corp values into their management model.

The first edition of this program was a unique opportunity for startups to accelerate their growth with access to the finest experts and tools. Scale the Impact was composed of 20 training modules (hybrid model), in addition to individual tracking for each startup, real measuring of impact and access to top international investors.

Selected from a pool of 200 projects, the 20 startups who participated in the three-month program operate mainly in the areas of sustainable and regenerative agriculture, specialized nutrition, circular economy and the future of retail, the end goal being to find solutions to the most urgent social and environmental challenges worldwide. All of this within the SDG framework, which include goals ranging from "Zero Hunger" and "Good Health and Wellbeing" through to "Sustainable Cities" and "Responsible Production and Consumption".

Founded in Navarra, the winning startup aims to improve people's health by helping produce food, supplements and medicines that are enhanced by making their nutritional ingredients stable, easily absorbed and natural. The prize winnings were 30,000 euros and the opportunity to connect with top international investors in order to scale up the project.

The closing awards ceremony took place during the program's Demo Day, held as part of South Summit Madrid 2023. Ten startups pre-selected from among the 20 emerging companies in the program took part in it. All of them got the opportunity to make their pitch before a jury made up of representatives from Danone, Social Nest Foundation and B Lab, in addition to some other leading organizations in the technology and innovation ecosystem.

For Margarita Albors, founder and executive president of Social Nest Foundation, "Scale the Impact goes to show how crucial it is for different actors to collaborate in order to generate a positive impact on society and the environment. This program is the outcome of joint work between a company committed to sustainability and a foundation that promotes innovation and entrepreneurship as levers for positive impact. We have had a variety of different actors coming together to collaborate in their support of the innovative startups who are tackling urgent social and environmental challenges, such as regenerative agriculture solutions, sustainable forestry, food waste reduction and the fight against plastic pollution in the oceans, among others. It is a success as an ecosystem”.

For her part, Laia Mas, Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Danone, points out that "purposeful innovation is the driving force we can harness to lead the transformation that our society and our planet need. For this reason, accompanying these 20 startups over the course of these months and learning so much from them has been an exciting journey, one that encourages us to continue in our commitment to the exchange of experiences and ideas towards a common goal. Because it is only together, through disruptive innovation and technology, that we will be able to move forward and take on the many social and environmental challenges facing us as individuals, companies and society.”

The program has received the award for "100 best ideas", granted by Actualidad Económica and Unidad Editorial, in the category of SMEs and Startups.

‘Scale the Impact' also receives support from B Lab Europe and B Lab Spain, who have provided general advice on program design, stakeholder relations and access to B Lab tools, along with other resources.