Powered by People, the wholesale marketplace for conscious buyers, announced today it has been awarded a grant of £329,504 ($330,000) by TRANSFORM which will bring digital tools to Powered By People’s pipeline of 5000 small-batch makers to provide access to global markets. TRANSFORM is a joint initiative between Unilever, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and EY, established to facilitate market-based and life improving solutions for 15 million people in low-income communities globally by 2030.
Powered by People is a social enterprise enabling sustainable small-batch makers all over the world by giving them access to global markets through its B2B tech platform while also providing the digital tools and financing resources artisans need to scale their businesses in a meaningful way. Its rapidly growing network of over 600 small-batch producers across more than 59 countries gives retailers and trade access to high-quality, responsibly made products across the home, fashion, jewelry, and apothecary categories.
Powered by People’s marketplace allows conscious retailers of any size to satisfy the growing consumer demand for authentic, differentiated and sustainably made products while simultaneously providing small-batch makers with the access and agency they need to grow their businesses.
“We are thrilled to partner with TRANSFORM and its visionary team to help digitize thousands of small businesses within Powered by People’s ecosystem,” said Hedvig Alexander, Co-founder, Powered by People. “It’s only with blended capital that the possibility of true impact exists. If we are serious about building a better world and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, new and more inclusive business models are necessary, and they require a different kind of financing like those provided by TRANSFORM.”
While the World Economic Forum forecasts that the handmade and small-batch sector will reach $1 trillion by 2024, the sector has historically lacked investment, digitization and access to global markets—despite being the world’s second-largest employer after agriculture. Powered by People uses tech for good to level the playing field for makers so they can compete with much larger manufacturers of factory-made goods.
Powered by People’s pipeline of small batch manufacturers comprises many women entrepreneurs who – with better access to learning and digital tools – can become bigger and more established businesses supporting their communities. It is within this pipeline that the real impact – elevation and social change – lies. Investors increasingly want to invest in making this kind of impact, but the results are possible only with more patient forms of capital.
Lisa Hawkes, Sustainable Behaviour Change Manager at Unilever, said “The world needs more businesses to improve livelihoods of low-income people, especially in Africa. Powered by People stood out as a business that is putting the needs of their small batch makers at the core of their operations, while linking them to new revenue streams to help them grow. We see tremendous potential to use digital tools to help these makers grow their businesses and look forward to working with Powered by People to positively impact lives and livelihoods.”
About Powered by People
Powered by People was founded in 2021 by Ella Peinovich, Hedvig Alexander and Alison Phillips, passionate social entrepreneurs whose combined experience in technology, economic development, design and retail have made a positive impact on the lives of artisans in communities all over the world. The company’s B2B wholesale platform seamlessly connects buyers in North America and Europe with small-batch producers in more than 50 countries around the world. The Powered by People marketplace makes responsible, sustainable and social-impact buying easy by providing financing to makers and flexible payment terms to buyers. International communications, payments and logistics are supported through the company for frictionless transactions. Ultimately, Powered by People is maker-led with a mission to take small batch mainstream. When small businesses thrive, they support not just themselves, but also their employees, families and communities. As they grow, Powered by People grows. To learn more, please visit www.poweredbypeople.com.
About TRANSFORM
TRANSFORM is a joint initiative between Unilever, the FCDO and EY. Established in 2015, it works to accelerate impact enterprises, blending funding and support to deliver market-based solutions to the world’s biggest development challenges. TRANSFORM uses its capabilities and expertise in marketing, distribution, digital, and business resilience to deliver transformative market-based solutions to low-income households in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia that last. For more information on TRANSFORM, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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