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Success stories

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Isabel Pesce Mattos

2014 Laureate for Latin America

FazINOVA
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Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola

2013 Laureate for Sub-Saharan Africa

Wecyclers
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Namita Banka

2013 Laureate for Asia-Pacific

Banka BioLoo
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Gabriela Flores

2012 Laureate for Latin America

Kirah Design
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Anna Stork

2012 Finalist for North America

LuminAID
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Kresse Wesling

2011 Laureate for Europe

Elvis & Kresse
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Business Updates

21Dec
Business Updates

BRINGING AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE TO THOSE MOST IN NEED

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Melissa Menke participated in the 2013 edition of the Cartier Awards as a finalist for Sub-Saharan Africa. Her company Access Afya offers affordable access to professional healthcare clinics for people living in Kenyan slums.

Melissa Menke, the founder & CEO of Access Afya, readily admit that her company has gone a long way since participating in the Cartier Awards in 2013. Whereas the company was in pilot phase with only one working clinic when she first applied, it has since expanded to three clinics and will be opening two more clinics next year thanks in part to the funds raised during pre-seed and seed financing this year.

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Melissa Menke participated in the 2013 edition of the Cartier Awards as a finalist for Sub-Saharan Africa. Her company Access Afya offers affordable access to professional healthcare clinics for people living in Kenyan slums.

Melissa Menke, the founder & CEO of Access Afya, readily admit that her company has gone a long way since participating in the Cartier Awards in 2013. Whereas the company was in pilot phase with only one working clinic when she first applied, it has since expanded to three clinics and will be opening two more clinics next year thanks in part to the funds raised during pre-seed and seed financing this year. Melissa has also gained attention abroad for her social enterprise. Most notably, she was named a Global Health Fellow by Forbes and participated in the Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy this year.

Melissa is also currently developing her field-based healthcare offering in addition to the micro-clinic model she presented at the Cartier Awards 3 years ago. While the micro-clinic model is impressive in that it brings affordable healthcare to poor neighborhoods where public hospitals and clinics are scarce, the field-base model takes this idea a step further by bringing affordable healthcare directly to children in schools and casual workers in factories. This is achieved with minimum equipment for maximum efficiency with just a nurse, a community health worker and a backpack. The field-based model is more convenient than conventional clinical care, and is able to find things earlier that need medical attention.

Since its inception, Access Afya has provided healthcare to over 10,000 people living in the Nairobi slums. Melissa takes pride in the fact that Access Afya “tracks outcomes, not just outputs”. By treating people with respect, making sure there is an individual follow-up and guaranteeing a sustainable and affordable system, Access Afya has gained a base of loyal customers. The company is now looking to run its model in other cities outside of Nairobi within two years’ time.

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08Nov
Business Updates

SCAPPATOPO SOON TO HIT THE EUROPEAN MARKET

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Carla Delfino is the Cartier Awards 2014 laureate for Europe. Carla hails from Italy and is the founder and CEO of Imperial Europe, a company that produces organic not-toxic repellents to control but not to kill pests.

ScappaTopo which means “Run Away Mouse!” in Italian, was Imperial Europe’s first product to hit the market in 2013. As the first multi-sensory mice repellent that is non-toxic to humans, household pets and wildlife, the product was an instant success in Italy.

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Carla Delfino is the Cartier Awards 2014 laureate for Europe. Carla hails from Italy and is the founder and CEO of Imperial Europe, a company that produces organic not-toxic repellents to control but not to kill pests.

ScappaTopo which means “Run Away Mouse!” in Italian, was Imperial Europe’s first product to hit the market in 2013. As the first multi-sensory mice repellent that is non-toxic to humans, household pets and wildlife, the product was an instant success in Italy. The sales revenue has been multiplied by 2 each year since its launch 3 years ago and has attracted quite a bit of media coverage. Indeed Carla Delfino is regularly invited to present her product and to talk about her experience as a woman entrepreneur on Italian TV networks such as RAI and La7. She was even able to secure additional funding from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Programme and from Latium Region innovative female entrepreneur fund.

However, every entrepreneur faces challenges and Carla is no exception to this rule. Despite the success of ScappaTopo in her home country, Carla has yet to launch the product in the EU as the Biocide Registration Regulation required by the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) is a complex, lengthy and costly process. Still, Carla is undeterred and has submitted all the necessary documents in the hopes of receiving the product authorization by the end of this year.
Carla has made great strides since winning the Cartier Awards in 2014. She broadened her distribution model to encompass a new e-commerce website which has been attracting an average of 50.000 visitors/month. She also set about improving her existing product ScappaTopo and developing a new line of products. A special diffuser was designed making it possible to spray the ScappaTopo aroma in larger areas such as food processing facilities or industrial premises. Carla plans to market this diffuser through a professional sales network directly to the end users (restaurants, bars, hotel, food processing industries, etc.). Carla is also in the process of designing a special non-toxic repellent called Wonder Ants to repel ants and cockroaches. She is currently trying to secure funding for the R&D of this product and plans to submit this project to the next H2020 Programme call.

Learn more about ScappaTopo here

Check out ScappaTopo’s Facebook page here

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04Nov
Business Updates

DIAMOND CAB: TRANSPORTATION AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES FOR WHEELCHAIR-BOUND ELDERS

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Doris Leung is a 2013 Cartier Awards finalist for the Asia-Pacific region. She hails from Hong Kong and is the founder of Diamond Cab, a company that provides barrier-free taxis for wheelchair users.

Doris Leung first came up with the idea for Diamond Cab when her mother began to experience mobility problems. She soon realized that there were no wheelchair-accessible cabs available in her hometown Hong Kong. She decided it was time she take matters in her own hands and founded Diamond Cab in 2011.

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Doris Leung is a 2013 Cartier Awards finalist for the Asia-Pacific region. She hails from Hong Kong and is the founder of Diamond Cab, a company that provides barrier-free taxis for wheelchair users.

Doris Leung first came up with the idea for Diamond Cab when her mother began to experience mobility problems. She soon realized that there were no wheelchair-accessible cabs available in her hometown Hong Kong. She decided it was time she take matters in her own hands and founded Diamond Cab in 2011.

Since its launch 5 years ago, the company has expanded its Diamond Cab operations and now counts 7 cabs in activity. Doris has also diversified her range of services by starting Diamond Leisure in 2014, Diamond Leisure organizes barrier-free outings for wheelchair-bound elders using Diamond Cab. She now plans an average of 6 outings per month with activities ranging from bowling to buffet dinners. These activities have the advantage of being free for the wheelchair-bound elders staying at select nursing homes thanks to her strategic partnership with the Lee Hysan Foundation. Every week these leisure activities are organized by young Diamond Leisure Officers, creating cross generation inclusion and changing the traditional culture of senior care. Additionally, Doris is currently working on another offer called Charity Tour where she plans on replicating the Diamond Leisure model on a bigger scale and making it free for all wheelchair users and not just the elderly.

However, Doris must make sure that her fleet of cabs does not get too obsolete and is always on the lookout for opportunities to further expand her business. Indeed 4 of her 7 cabs are getting higher and higher mileage which is why she is seeking US$ 210,000 in funding to replace them. She is also looking for new sources of funding and new investors, sponsors and strategic partners in the travel business sector to further develop her Diamond Leisure activities and hire more staff members.

Learn more about Diamond Cab here

Check out Diamond Cab’s Facebook page here

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01Jan
Business Updates

Kashida expands internationally with new office in Dubai

2016 is the year Kashida expanded to Dubai, with a sales office in Dubai Design District.
Based between Beirut and Dubai, the brand aims to strengthen itself regionally prior to international exposure. This Ramadan, Kashida's collection is available at Bloomingdale's Home, Dubai Mall. With its major asset being design, the brand works on releasing its new collection late 2016, which will be made available on its online shop as well as select points of sale.
Kashida ships worldwide within 2-5 working days, and enjoys new clientele who shop online.

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