“We explain to people how to use the theory of change at our orientation meetings, which sometimes last five or even ten hours.”

“Our project addresses the problem that parents and professionals often overlook the issue of emotional development among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which is extremely important for social adaptation. We created a special methodology for children with ASD which teaches them to identify and express emotions. It includes two elements: a deck of cards and a mobile app. We joined the Navstrechu Peremenam program at a juncture when we were converting a prototype, which has demonstrated its efficiency, into a product which would be convenient to use. Currently, both tools have been marketed. “The Incubator gave us a chance to master the role of a social entrepreneur, leave the confines of a scientist’s lab and personal, hence limited, experience and go out into the public space, bringing our solution to as many people as possible, the people for whom it can improve their quality of life. At this stage, it’s not enough for us to know that our product is good. We have to learn business techniques. This realization was a revelation to us, and the learning process was difficult, yet thank to the Incubator and the Foundation’s team supporting us, it was doable.”

“Our project is called ‘In Silence.’ We design an educational platform for the deaf using the Russian sign language. This is our first year participating in the Incubator at the Navstrechu Peremenam foundation. Our project has received a tremendous boost over the last year. Thanks to the Foundation’s experts and our mentor, we now have a clear vision of our business model, we have designed specific steps for the next three years, considered the risks and opened new avenues of development. We have a better understanding of our target audience, their needs and our role in their lives. Back when we just joined the Incubator, our idea was to prepare deaf students for final exams. Today, we are working on a full-blown educational program which will include a number of segments and will help the deaf people become skilled, competitive professionals. “The Incubator has equipped us with knowledge which helps us achieve our goals. The Foundation invited the best experts in social entrepreneurship, the best trainer who can help you develop the skills you need to create a successful social project. During this year, we boosted a number of our skills: how to communicate, how to present ourselves, how to manage our finances. We have identified the strong and weak points of our project. Now we know how to take advantage of our strengths and how to minimize our risks. “The program brought us into the family of social entrepreneurs, helped us meet some extremely interesting people who worked with us on our strategy, shared their contacts, told us about their experience, offered their recommendations in difficult situations and generally provided moral support. We are grateful to the Foundation for the opportunity to participate in the Incubator, for its assistance, inspiration and support.”