Winners of the social entrepreneurship pitch contest “Let the good ideas grow 2024” – the nonprofit organisation “Tavi draugi” and the creative sustainability platform “Bourzma”

In the final of the annual social entrepreneurship pitch competition “Let the good ideas grow” held on the afternoon of October 17, the best social entrepreneurship initiatives for 2024 were determined. The jury award went to the a nonprofit organisation “Tavi draugi” for their idea to restore unusable donated items and rent them out as inventory. In the audience vote, the creative sustainability platform “Bourzma” was recognized as the best for their plan to create a textile upcycling workshop for sustainable clothing production. Each winner received a cash prize of €4,000 from the competition organizers — the Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia and Luminor Bank — for their business development.
Jury award
The nonprofit organisation “Tavi draugi” regularly receives and distributes a large volume of donations, supporting individuals and institutions in need in both Latvia and Ukraine. Assistance is provided in response to urgent requests, as well as to help people who cannot afford to buy food, clothing, or hygiene products, and to support families and elderly individuals in the regions. By responsibly sorting the large volume of donations received, an inventory is created that is not needed or practically usable for anyone for various reasons. To protect the environment, reduce waste, and give items a second life, while also attracting additional funds for charity projects, “Tavi draugi” plans to restore unusable items and offer them as rental inventory to individuals and businesses for event decoration and services.
Last year, the jury’s award went to Zane Bērziņa’s initiative “Is It Easy to Put on Pants?” from Ogre Municipality, which is now successfully operating as the social enterprise “Vilbers”, producing specialized clothing for people with mobility impairments.
Audience award
The competition was streamed live online, allowing viewers to vote for their favorite, thus determining the second winner of the competition. The audience award went to the “Creative Sustainability Platform – Bourzma,” which addresses the issue of waste generated by the fashion industry. The platform aims not only to raise public awareness about sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions in the clothing industry but also to provide real opportunities for a greener and more responsible fashion consumption while simultaneously developing creative skills of young Latvian artists by organizing various public cultural and entertainment events, such as clothing upcycling workshops, art exhibitions, and performances by emerging musicians. The association’s largest event is a two-day festival featuring a fashion show, a market, music, and other activities. Additionally, “Bourzma” provides young artists with an online store, infrastructure, and marketing support. The association plans to expand its activities by creating a textile upcycling workshop.
In 2023, the audience recognized “BJMK Rokskola” as the best — a social enterprise from Jelgava City, offering alternative music education in a supportive environment.
Other finalists
In the final of the competition “Let the good ideas grow”, social entrepreneurship ideas were presented by 10 existing and aspiring social entrepreneurs from various regions of Latvia.
“This year, we received 92 applications from all regions of Latvia, covering a wide range of themes and providing much needed solutions to various societal challenges. The top 25 strongest social entrepreneurship initiatives were selected for the second round, and this year’s semi-finalists truly pleased and surprised us — with such diverse and genuinely valuable business ideas aimed at solving social issues. Choosing 10 finalists was particularly challenging, but it is a good indicator that the field of social entrepreneurship is becoming increasingly popular and robust,”
emphasizes Regita Zeiļa, director of the Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia.
“The wealth of bold ideas and the determination of the participants also characterize this year’s social entrepreneurship competition, which remains a key component of this inspiring event. We are very pleased with the great response again this year — 92 applications, each aimed at improving societal processes, whether by caring for the environment around us, enhancing the well-being and mental and physical health of certain groups of people, or supporting local communities and regions. Every year, we see that social entrepreneurship in Latvia is ready to develop and grow, offering solutions that often remain unnoticed,”
says Kerli Vares, the head of Luminor Bank in Latvia.
There were also several sympathy prizes. The Finance Institution “Altum” gave it’s prize to the “Krapes mainor” from the Ogre region for its idea to enhance the environment to promote rural tourism and create fishing spots accessible to wheelchair users.
The social entrepreneurship pioneer in Latvia, “Otrā Elpa” presented a prize to “Mombee.lv” — a platform providing informational, emotional, and practical support for expectant and new parents, especially mothers dealing with postpartum depression.
Luminor Bank awarded the initiative “Veselība katrā kumosā” by Elīna Zandere from Jūrmala City, which offers specialized food production for people recovering from oncology and other health issues.
Meanwhile, the Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia presented its sympathy prize to the company “IziPizi” from the Ogre region for its plan to enhance the food parcel network in Latvia to facilitate the sale of locally produced food.
The competition also featured the following social entrepreneurship initiatives: the Support and Development Center “Kopā” from Jelgava City, offering support services for families, particularly fathers, raising children with autism spectrum disorders; the initiative “Dosim papīram otru iespēju!” by Sandra Lazdiņa – focused on producing paper pulp and paper products; the Sports, Education, and Culture Innovation Association—providing underwater diving training for visually impaired individuals; and Māra Rudzīte’s planned company “3i Agency” from Līvāni, which will offer training to raise environmental awareness, room rentals, tourism, and accommodation services in settings that maximally integrate reusable materials.
The competition “Let the good ideas grow” has been organized for the fifth year by the Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia in collaboration with Luminor Bank, aiming to promote the development of existing social enterprises and new social entrepreneurship ideas, as well as to inform all Latvia about these initiatives. The competition is supported by the charity shop network “Otrā elpa” and the Development Finance Institution “Altum,” co-financing its operations from European Union fund resources—European Social Fund Plus project No. 4.3.3.3/1/24/I/001 “Support for Social Entrepreneurship”.