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History

Explore our growth since we got started in 2009. We’ve achieved some key milestones and scaled further across the world than we could have ever imagined.

International History

  1. The Beginning

    Peter Vandor creates Social Impact Award to find out if there are any social entrepreneurs in Austria. After finding a few, the first-ever award is won by Project-E, a vocational school for orphan girls in Ethiopia.

  2. Early Expansion

    Social Impact Award steps outside of Austria. With the support of Impact Hub Prague & Ropot, the program is brought to the Czech Republic and Romania.

  3. Deepening SIA

    Now active in 10 countries across Europe, SIA supports over 4000 social entrepreneurs. The managing team fast-tracks the development of the incubation and community phases of the program.

  4. The First Summit

    The first SIA Summit takes place in Vienna, gathering winners of incubations across the world.

  5. Global Reach

    SIA reaches over 6000 young social entrepreneurs across 20 countries across Europe, Africa, and Asia. The incubation is redesigned to increase its focus on mentoring and prototyping.

  6. Pandemic Times

    The global COVID-19 pandemic strikes around the globe. SIA adapts its entire program to online formats and helps thousands of social entrepreneurs put social innovation at the core of the post-pandemic recovery.

  7. A New Normal

    As COVID-19 restrictions ease, in-person SIA gatherings slowly return. SIA expands to four new countries: Democratic Republic of Congo, Germany, Slovenia, and Ukraine.

  8. A Transformative Year

    SIA embraces a hybrid approach around the world, and successfully runs 18 programs in times of war, conflict, and crisis. 160 winners and alumni gather in Vienna, Austria for the first SIA Summit since the pandemic, and the largest one in SIA history.

Local History

  1. Fresh Expansions

    The SIA program expands to Uganda for the first time, with local partner Social Innovation Academy. In its first year, SIA Uganda helps over 200 people start their journey with impact.

  2. Adapting to New Realities

    The COVID-19 pandemic strikes in Uganda. Amidst the changing circumstances, SIA Uganda welcomes hundreds of young social innovators to the community and supports the 8 most promising ideas to become reality.

Our Team

Our team works tirelessly to improve the quality of the program and deepen its impact.

Meet the team

Why we Exist

All our work and strategic decisions are governed by a strong vision and mission.

Why we exist

Our Impact

Since 2009, SIA has impacted thousands of young agents of change in more than 25 countries.

Learn more