Impact News

Happy Retired is a long-term impact partner of Dream Impact, and they have an exciting new program to share!   For those who don’t know yet, Happy-Retired Charity Action (HRCA) was established in 2015, and is a charity that mainly targets local young-old (aged 50+), including retired people and people planning to retire. It provides…

Slowood has recently joined our ESG Innovation Lab as a social impact partner.   A brainchild of a local Hong Kong couple – Kai and Dora – Hong Kong-based Slowood aspires to be a space where sustainable shopping was effortless and customers can find a wide range of eco-friendly products in one place. The entrepreneurial…

CSR, ESG, and CSV have been buzz words not only in the social impact sector, but also in the corporate world in recent years. Whichever direction you choose to start with, it could lead to various forms of collaboration with other purpose-driven organisations. In this article, we will look into the meaning of CSR, ESG…

We sat down with Fair Trade Hong Kong Foundation and Kaifong to talk about their collaboration and collective impact. Watch the video below. (videographer / Alastair Man)   “Success is not a solo act,” said Luke Tam, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Kaifong Tour. The importance of collective impact is so profound, that it’s the…

We sat down with the founders of Rooftop Republic Urban Farming and Happy Retired to talk about their collaboration and collective impact. Watch the video below. (videographer / Alastair Man)   #CollectiveImpact, most of us can agree, is when two or more individuals or organizations come together to create social and environmental impact that would…

Oh, arts and heritage – two big words that seem to be so detached from our day to day life. Something that’s nice to have, pleasing to the eye; some can even enrich our mind and environment. But is it all that arts and heritage are for?   At Dream Impact, we believe that arts…

ESG is known to be mandatory reporting for listed companies and corporate compliance in investing and environmental issues; whereas Social Innovation has been stereotyped as catering to the underprivileged, promoting diversity and inclusion. In this blog post, you will learn that they are not what you think they are – at least not here at Dream Impact.

Updating every week before Christmas! Scroll down for a treat!! We have discount codes lined up for you! The art of gifting is tricky, isn’t it?! Lucky for you, the partners of Dream Impact not only provide impact-driven experiences and services, but also products that are perfect as Christmas gifts to spread the spirit of…

We do things differently at Dream Impact, and ESG Training is no exception. At Dream Impact, wellness is at the core of any ESG strategy and action. As part of our 5th Anniversary milestone program Dream Waves of Impact, we organised an Experiential ESG Training Day, taking the conversation about ESG out from the cold…

Dream Impact has just turned 5. We started off as a humble community in 2017, grown into a driving force in accelerating Hong Kong’s impact ecosystem in 2019, and in 2022, we have further deepened our connection with the ecosystem, and developed a unique blend of ESG solutions, training and consulting services, with Dream Impact’s…

Why affordable and sustainable housing matters, current status in Hong Kong, opportunities and challenges in investing in related ventures.

We’re thrilled to announce that Dream Impact Ambassador Program 2022 is ON! Our 5 ambassadors, each advocate for a different but equally important and meaningful aspect of the social innovation world, will go out of their ways to bring our Dream community closer and stronger. Read their bio below, and catch them at Dream Impact…

Dream Impact is entering the 5th Anniversary in 2022! At this momentous milestone, we are excited to announce the release of our first Sustainability and Impact Report! Dream Impact has been committing our mission to connect social entrepreneurs to resources, bridging communities for collaborations, and scaling up and deepening impact in various fields in the…

Mental health technology changes the way we seek mental health support. The stigma surrounding mental health and the high cost of treatments put people off from getting mental health support, eventually suffering from severe mental health issues since mental health professionals fail to make the earliest intervention.  With health technology, people can obtain mental support…

Save this Impact Event Calendar for 2022 to get involved. We have selected our 8 impact themes that have been developed under our impact philosophy.     Over the years, Dream Impact have seen collaboration opportunities missed due to agenda and resources mismatch. With creating and growing social impact being a core part of what…

Dream Impact is proud to be a Content Partner of ReThink HK to be hosted on 5-6 October 2022 at HKCEC! Stepping into its 3rd edition, ReThink HK is the city’s most ambitious business event for sustainable development, a large-scale, cross-sector platform that champions ESG transformation and showcases game-changing innovation. This year, ReThink HK will…

The ocean is our major source of food, transportation, and recreation.  The ocean contributes hugely to the global economy and our fate greatly depends on ocean quality. Even before Covid-19, the ocean economy was already gaining momentum.  A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development indicates the doubling of the ocean economy between…

Corporates can help amplify your social impact, but forming an impactful corporate partnership takes more than you sharing the same social mission. In this blog, we will share the 3 basic steps that can help you form an effective corporate engagement strategy to help you land a successful corporate partnership. Step 1: Develop a clear…

Securing a corporate partnership can be tricky, but understanding the ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) reporting framework will give our fellow social startup founders a headstart. In this blog, we will discuss how social startup leaders can obtain information from corporates’ ESG reports to plan your corporate engagement strategy. Understanding ESG Reporting Frameworks According to…

Summary: In this article, we discuss the state of microlending for Migrant Domestic Helpers in Hong Kong, opportunities and risks of microlending to the MDHs, impact creation and factors for impact ventures to consider when entering the market. Fintech is revolutionising microlending. People who are unable to obtain loans from mainstream banks can now borrow…

This article takes a closer look at examples of Sustainability and Social Impact entrepreneurs and startups in Asia which have accelerated their business or had a market launch or even expansion because of Covid-19. The appearing entrepreneurs were part of a series of interviews focussing on “Digital Life under Covid-19 and beyond” produced by Heinrich-Boell-Stiftung’s…

In Dream Impact’s Impact Philosophy, we believe all great impact starts from within, and we urge everyone to take care of their body, mind and spirit. Our impact community partner, Balancd Fitness, is doing exactly that. About Balancd Fitness Balancd Fitness is a social start-up with aims to help people improve their mind and body…

Find out where our impact community partner Time Auction is in the impact ecosystem and their impact philosophy. Tell us more about Time Auction Time Auction is a charity that advocates volunteerism. We encourage volunteering with inspiring experiences, while connecting skilled-volunteers with NGOs.  We started Time Auction as a side project in 2014, which quickly…

Co-Written by: Michael Ip, Placida Yu, Jasmine Ko Contributors: Melanie Cheng, Dorothy Lam On Feb 4th 2021, Dream Impact hosted an on/offline hybrid launch event “Ways Forward For a Collaborative Impact Ecosystem” with over 150 virtual participants for the social enterprise landscape study in Hong Kong together with the British Council, The Social Enterprise Summit, The…

Social entrepreneurs, now’s the time to take action if you’re looking to have an office or a desk at Dream Impact, at the same time get access to an impact community – as Dream Impact is now a registered co-working space under SIE Fund’s Enhanced Social Innovation Coworking Space Subsidy Scheme! (SIE Fund Coworking Space…

Written by Cintia Nunes; Impact Philosophy Dream Impact turned 3! We are still in awe for the amount of support we get from our partners, the community, friends and loved ones – we really are a blessed team. From a space for social impact on the first year, to a closely-knitted community on the second…

Written by Kate Tsoi As part of the “Dream Impact Turns 3” Anniversary Event on November 13th, Dream Impact hosted two panels on impact investment with a group of seasoned impact investors and impact ecosystem veterans in Hong Kong. We have summarized some key takeaways from both panel discussions below, courtesy of our speakers. Approaching…

From SIE funds led by HKSAR, family foundations philanthropy, to multinational corporates grants, the amount and judging criterion of each program varies. How should social start-ups prepare?

Grew tired of ordinary offices, co-working spaces that are full of young workers but no friends. Perhaps you are actually looking for a community that is formed by partners that share the same passion with you! This is what Dream Impact is working hard to deliver. Here, you can find many interesting and inspiring stories…

Impact Hub is a global community network and a shared platform that brings individuals together who have a vision and drive to make positive social changes through their businesses and innovations. A few weeks ago, we visited Impact HubvTaipei and as soon as we were there, we felt – “this feels very much like a…

Do you really know Hong Kong? What is the Hong Kong Culture? How are Hong Kongers really like? Being born and raised here, living here for decades, it seems strange for us to not be able to articulate this well. Dream Impact’s partner – Kaifong Tour, a social enterprise that aims to bring community experience…

We are grateful to have all of your support in Dream Impact 2.0 Relaunch & Celebration! There were over 200 guests here with us, including long-time supporters and new DI friends. Apart from having guests from across sectors, we also had partners’ showcases and workshops, shared our new strategic directions and partnerships and of course,…

Social Enterprises (SE) prioritize social impact while corporations emphasize more on profit. Though these two may seem irrelevant, they can actually complement each other. Hong Kong’s SEs are mostly startups, but it doesn’t mean that they cannot collaborate with corporates. Of course, they have to equip themselves first. Social startups mostly rely on angel investors…

In Hong Kong, the term ‘social enterprise’ is slowly taking off, and more and more social enterprises have established. A recent survey shows that Hong Kong public’s awareness of social enterprise has raised significantly, but most of the people still believe that the main functions of social enterprise are helping the poor and creating jobs…

Social enterprise & Social Innovation Impact Companies at 21st century do not only look for profit maximization, they will take environmental sustainability and social impact into account as their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Using Starbucks as an example, they use Fair Trade coffee beans, which ensures the farmers who worked hard to grow the beans…

“Dream Impact is just like one big family. Today, someone from the community made everyone some Chinese soup. It truly warms the heart.” Thomas, Co-founder of Inclusive Impact. Inclusive Impact, a newly launched social enterprise chose Dream Impact as their home base. As an experiential training company, it leverages Design Thinking, Growth Mindset and changes…

How to find suitable funding for social startups? I believe this is the question in most social entrepreneur’s minds.   As per our earlier post, we have discussed the difficulties that startups face. A sustainable business model is important in running a business because of a competitive funding environment. However, at the very first stage,…

“Stepping into the future without looking back, together, we co-create dreams without fear” (“向著遠方踏進去  走過的不回望  夢與想不惜一切去共創” ) lyrics of – 夢飛行 was written by a famous lyricist, Mr. Kit Wong. He, used to be a famous lyricist and former vice president of the US-funded bank, founded two social enterprises, and helped teens to chase their dreams.  …

Earlier, MicroForests held an exhibition and graduation ceremony in order to celebrate 15 mom designers’ graduation. It was glad to see their hard work after 4 months of training.   MicroForests, one of our partners, is a social enterprise that provides training for women who are single parents, new arrivals to Hong Kong and from low-income…

Can you imagine the effects that plastic waste has on the environment? More and more plastics are burned or buried in the ground and most of them are not degradable in the next few hundred years. Research has shown that over 8 million tonnes of plastic waste leak from land into the sea each year.…

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” Steve Jobs.   In our last post, we looked into the research on why some startups fail. Over 42% of the failures are because there is no market need for the business, which means people are not willing to…

Indeed, an early-stage start-up faces many problems. Recently, there is research analyzed what actually stops startups from growing. It is good for people in this entrepreneurial ecosystem to learn. Surprisingly, the top reason that startups fail is no market needs. No market needs will lead to insufficient funds and easily run out of cash.  A sustainable…

Have you finished your bucket list in 2018? How about this year? What is on your bucket list or resolutions you have made this year? It might be difficult to keep to your resolutions especially when there are many changes throughout the year. Some small tips might help you to make your New Year’s resolutions be more…

Over the past year, more than 860 events happened in Dream Impact, bringing over 22K visitors to our space. To celebrate all the individual dreams and collective impact, we threw a big party with 96 partners and guests last Friday, exactly 365 days since our Grand Opening Ceremony on Nov 9 last year. Our team…

Time flies – Dream Impact is now ONE YEAR OLD! Our Grand Opening was on 9th Nov, 2017. We cannot be this success without you stepping into Dream Impact with an enthusiastic heart in society.  Let’s take a glimpse of some highlights over the past 365 days! Together with Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, we…

It keeps raining these weeks. When can we go out and play with the sun? I believe we can see the sun next week. As a result, we would like to invite you to Metro Green Urban Farm which is run by one of our partners rooftop republic. Rooftop Republic is enthusiastic in Integrating urban…