What’s an Impact Hub?
You could liken it to an incubator, a warm and fuzzy type of business location that functions like an office, fully and comfortably furnished, designed to welcome young entrepreneurs with no place to lay their laptop, yet.
You consider yourself an entrepreneur? A start up innovator? You have no place to plug in your electronics and/or talk to people? Join the hub, set up shop, every day, or twice a week, or whatever suits you, at low cost!
Last week, the Minister of Economic Affairs, Communications and Sustainable Development, Geoffrey Wever, in the company of Monica Kock, President of the Aruba Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Pering Group’s Alberto Perret Gentil, and Ruth Bonnevalle-Kok of UA, University of Aruba, inaugurated a lovely co-working facility, by cutting the red ribbon and announcing its availability.
It looks great, you should visit. You may join as a member, even as a virtual member.
According to co-founder and general manager Mary-Ann Falconi-Rasmijn, with the opening of the Impact Hub, our entrepreneurial and business community experienced a game changing move toward accelerated growth and sustainability.
She also presented Impact Hub’s five co-founders, who are entrepreneurs, eager to make a change in how we do business on our island and how we can better our local community, namely Alberto, Gerald, Layhing and Elthon.
FYI: Impact Hub is a fast-growing global network of entrepreneurs and innovators with more than 24.000 members in 107 hubs across 63 countries.
From Vienna to Manila, Boston to Tokyo, and since last week also in the Dutch Caribbean, Aruba, the 63rd Impact Hub Candidate, turning full-fledged Impact Hub in November 2022, caters to startups, entrepreneurs, professionals, non-profit organizations and corporations.
According to Alberto Perret Gentil, if you are a young entrepreneur the Impact Hub founders can help you access bankers for example, or mentors in the business world; you will gain connections with like-minded peers, learn to make a business plan, create policies, get inspired by fellow success stories and best of all have a quiet business-oriented place to work, not just in Aruba, but across the globe in 107 locations.
Our community faces many challenges, say Mary-Ann, and we can face them, if we collaborate, share resources and nurture and promote innovations.
According to Irwin Perret Gentil, by establishing the Impact Hub, the organization formed strong alliances with key stakeholders while other alliances are in the process of being formed.
We should all look forward to incubator programs, events, trainings and projects for Impact Hub members and the community in partnership with the Aruba Chamber of Commerce, Government of Aruba and the University of Aruba.
The cocktail party event at Harbour House, was attended by KVK’s Managing Director Martijn Balkenstein, and many business leaders.
In her address Mary-Ann acknowledged the brilliant professionals and developers who are truly devoted to our Island, our people and our economy, Irwin, Alberto, Irwin Jr., Jaime, and Lawrence, the Pering Group and the Poundwise team.
This is an exceptional CSR initiative, she said, an admirable example of Corporate Social Responsibility, in partnership with the PANA foundation.
