Swiss Re Foundation aims to boost health and environmental innovations through Shine Southeast Asia

• Shine, Swiss Re Foundation's flagship social entrepreneurship programme, invites participation from social entrepreneurs from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
• The programme provides early-stage social entrepreneurs with a grant and access to Swiss Re's leadership, as well as business expertise and coaching to help them scale their initiatives for impact.

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 20 May 2024 - Swiss Re Foundation is bringing its flagship initiative, Shine, to Southeast Asia for the first time, as it aims to replicate the success from Shine chapters in other regions. Since inception in India in 2018, Shine has expanded to Brazil, Slovakia, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK, US and now Southeast Asia.

The programme which seeks to boost innovation in critical impact areas – such as the Net-Zero transition, health and nutrition, financial literacy, socio-economic well-being, skills development, climate-smart agriculture, disaster risk reduction, and coastal resilience – is open to social entrepreneurs in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

Swiss Re will be collaborating with Impact Hub Kuala Lumpur (outreach partner) and BOOKBRIDGE (learning partner) for its Southeast Asia programme.

Tackling tomorrow's challenges today
Swiss Re Institute's recent report, Changing Climates: the heat is (still) on, states that APAC economies dominate the top 10 in terms of economic losses as a percentage of GDP from hazard intensification due to climate change. Thailand is one of the countries that show the greatest vulnerability to potential for rising losses as the countries are also exposed to a high probability of hazard intensification, primarily from flooding.

"Southeast Asia is a crucial market for the insurance industry, marked by a dynamic blend of rapid economic growth while being susceptible to pressing issues like climate change and barriers to healthcare. This unique convergence calls for heightened support for innovators and disruptors to spearhead solutions to these societal challenges," said Victor Kuk, CEO of Swiss Re Asia. "Drawing from the impactful outcomes of our prior Shine programmes in other regions, coupled with the expertise of Swiss Re's team in the region, we are confident in their ability to guide the next generation of early-stage entrepreneurs and build resilient societies."

Programme details
Shine Southeast Asia is calling for applications from social innovators across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand until 19 June 2024. The winning applicant will undergo a six-month immersive learning programme starting from January 2025, in which they will be partnered with Swiss Re experts and leadership to develop a strategic, financially viable business.

Aside from Swiss Re's expertise, the selected entrepreneur stands a chance to win financial award of up to SGD 40 000 to fuel their enterprise's growth.

For more details on dates and for the link to enter, please visit: Swiss Re Foundation

Read our impact story from the 2021-22 Shine entrepreneur, Hydrogreens Agri Solutions: From grass to glass, a greener value chain for milk (swissrefoundation.org)

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News Source: Swiss Re