Torino by Impact

In this final episode of Torino by Impact, Alessia is in conversation with Mario Calderini, one of the founders of Torino Social Impact and its spokesperson. Torino Social Impact has 300 members and has already tested prototypes such as the Social Stock Exchange and the Competence Centre for Impact Valuation and Measurement. The organisation’s aim for the future is to keep building the social economy ecosystem and better connect with local social policies. But how? And why is Torino the ideal environment to shape a social economy town? Listen to find out!

“Real estate could be much more effective if designed to produce an impact.” These are the words of Matteo Robiglio – architect and founder of Homes4All, an innovative startup working to promote urban regeneration and reduce the housing emergency in Torino, now scaling in Genova, Taranto and beyond. How does Torino’s unique culture and attitude to philanthropy make this project work? Join Matteo and Allessia to find out!

They do research, write scientific papers, publish reports and work with the municipality of Torino and other partners to study and promote social entrepreneurship and innovation – still, they would like to do even more. Social Innovation Monitor (SIM) is a team of researchers and professors that was founded by Paolo Landoni, professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Department of Management and Production Engineering in Politecnico di Torino. In this episode, Paolo discusses with Alessia Gianoncelli the challenges SIM faces, aspirations for more visibility and the future he envisions for Torino as a dynamic and impact-driven city.

In the year 2020, two recent graduates attended a unique training in Torino, Talenti per l’Impresa by Fondazione CRT, which inspired them to create a startup from scratch, without any funds or support – only the goal of reducing the environmental and social impact of the fashion industry. Elena Ferrero, CEO of Atelier Riforma, which she co-founded with Sara Secondo, COO, talks to Alessia Gianoncelli about how her Atelier Rifoma’s innovative technology helps reduce the amount of textiles that end up in landfills, how difficult it is to keep a startup alive in its first steps and how to build the city that we want to see in the future.

A point of reference for every entrepreneur, every CEO, every manager, every professional and every student interested in learning about social impact: this is the vision of Giuseppe Dell'Erba, managing director of Fondazione Cottino, when it comes to Cottino Social Impact Campus. Join Giuseppe and Alessia Gianoncelli in a dynamic conversation about Europe’s leading hub for social impact, its vibrant relationship with Torino, challenges of the past and dreams about the future of the city.

Making the North-West of Italy an attractive and prosperous region for citizens, local communities and all Italian organisations: this is the goal of Fondazione CRT. In this episode, Alessia Gianoncelli speaks with Stefania Coni, International Projects Coordinator of Fondazione CRT, about how the foundation is contributing to the prosperity of Torino and of the region in the post-pandemic era. Plus, get a sneak preview of EVPA’s Impact Week, for which Fondazione CRT is an anchor partner. Impact Week is taking place in Fondazione CRT’s magnificent home, OGR – join us!

Food waste is a vast social problem that affects food insecurity, environmental degradation and water scarcity. Agree NET is an innovative social enterprise that fights food waste by increasing the shelf-life of fruit and vegetables. This start-up was created by three entrepreneurs, Gustavo Gonzalez, Irene Masante, and Stefano Ferioli, and incepted within the program ‘Talenti per l’Impresa’, run by Fondazione CRT. In this episode, Alessia Gianoncelli talks with Irene Masante about the evolution of Agree NET, the positive impacts of addressing food waste and the challenges and opportunities that entails innovating in agriculture.

Torino is an impact city in part thanks to its academic institutions. In this episode, Alessia Gianoncelli explores with Paolo Biancone the role of the University of Torino in fostering knowledge and innovation in the city. Alessia and Paolo talk about the collaboration between stakeholders to foster social impact – for example, through creation of the social entrepreneurship committee with the Chamber of Commerce, University of Torino, Politecnico di Torino and Torino Social Impact – and the future outlook for social impact in the city.

We hear more and more that Gen-Z can play a pivotal role in shaping solutions for a better future for all, but it’s not every day we get to interview young social entrepreneurs like Arianna! Arianna Ortelli, who founded Novis Games with Marco Andriano, shared with our own Alessia Gianoncelli how her organisation fosters an environment where everyone can enjoy the magic of gaming, regardless their visual abilities. We also discuss the collaboration with associations for the visually impaired, such as UIC – Unione Italiana dei Ciechi e degli Ipovedenti in Torino and APRI – Associazione Pro Retinopatici e Ipovedenti, and software houses.

Can lawyers become impact enablers? This is the question we explored together with Emiliano Giovine, while walking down the streets of Torino. Emiliano, Head of ESG & Legal Impact at RP Legal & Tax, President of GAIL Europe and Legal Impact Scientific Director at Cottino Social Impact Campus, explained to Alessia Gianoncelli from EVPA how challenging it was, in the recent past, for lawyers to be perceived as innovative and for legal impact to establish itself as a new lens with a role to play within the impact ecosystem.

We continue our journey in Torino with Daniela Gregnanin, responsible for the mission “Boosting Innovation” at Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo. Daniela shared with Alessia Gianoncelli from EVPA how her foundation went from being an impact facilitator to an impact generator, touching upon topics such as organisational development, innovation, the importance of achieving SDGs at local level, the use of evidences to make strategic choices, the roles of cities and the need for inclusive technologies.

Welcome to Torino by Impact, where Torino’s top changemakers voice their insights in ten minutes or less. Hosted by Alessia Gianoncelli from EVPA, the podcast offers glimpses into Torino’s vibrant impact space, directly from the leaders driving its most interesting innovations. In episode 1, we talk impact with Laura Orestano, CEO of SocialFare, the first centre for social innovation in Italy, which just turned 10 years old.