Swiss Re Bangalore Launches 5th Edition of Shine

Swiss Re Bangalore, the Global Business Solution Centre of Swiss Re in India has launched the 5th edition of its flagship social entreprenuership program – ‘Shine’.

Conceptualized as a transformative leadership development program, Shine is open to all early stage social entrepreneurs, with a goal to drive innovations that strengthen societal resilience in India.

This entrepreneurship program aims to support next-generation social innovators in translating their solutions into scalable business models to maximize social impact., Shine aims to collaborate with and nurtrue applicants aiming to create impact  in Transformation to Net Zero, Climate Smart Agriculture and Disaster Risk Reduction, Access to Health, Healthy Nutrition.

Applications are now open for social enterprises across India. Last date to apply for Shine is, June 8th, 2022. To apply, one can find the application form on the Swiss Re Foundation website.

Commenting on the vision of the Shine’s program, Amit Kalra, Managing Director & Head, Swiss Re GBS Bangalore, said, “Our vision at Swiss Re is to make the world more resilient, inspiring us to enable the society to thrive and progress. We have a collective responsibility towards the communities in which we operate, and we strongly believe that the solutions to most of our social challenges will come through innovative and entrepreneurial thinking. Shine, our regional social entrepreneurship program, supports social innovators in translating their solutions into scalable business models to maximize social impact. We look forward to partnering with social entrepreneurs in helping them build or scale their solutions to improve the lives of the communities they serve.”

What’s in it for the start-ups?

A six-month immersive learning program based on desgin thinking, along with a diverse and skilled team of top talents in Swiss Re Bangalore, to develop a financially viable & scalable business plan to accelerate growth of the enterprise.

Sharpened focus and approach to scale business through personalized leadership & business coaching from mentors in line with international standards

Visibility in the local social entrepreneurial ecosystem

Long-term association with Swiss Re Foundation to support the innovator in their progress and assess impact

Grand amount of up to INR 20 lakhs to implement their plan

Over the last two years, Shine has helped two social entrepreneurs scale up their business models. Sunbird Straws (2020) who have developed world’s first eco-friendly straws from coconut leaves with patented in-house technology. They employ rural women with production units in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & Kerala.

In 2021, Swiss Re supported HydroGreens that uses solar powered climate moderated multipurpose grow houses to deliver high-protien “Fodder Produce” as a service to small and marginal dairy farmers.

Vasanth Kamath, Co-founder of HydroGreen, said: “Shine Program has helped us tremendously in sharpening our narrative, laying the foundation of our franchisee model and providing much needed market linkages. The support from Swiss Re team, with diverse skill-sets, has been invaluable for us as we enter our accelerate growth phase”