When the European Commission released its ranking of member states based on innovation in September, Sweden topped the list. When the expert group for social economy and entrepreneurship met in Brussels in November, however, Sweden's place was empty. On December 14, Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of Sweden, informed about priorities for the presidency - security, resilience, green transition, energy transition and democracy. In order to meet the challenges we face in society today, innovation and new ways of thinking is required. We should let go of old ideas about which actors should be included and which solutions we can invest in.

In 2018, a first step was taken when the previous Swedish government, on the initiative of the then minister of business Mikael Damberg, launched a strategy for social entrepreneurship. Sweden could have then and there taken the lead in this matter, however, not much has happened since. Social entrepreneurship is not about charity but about real solutions to real problems - such as social exclusion, mental illness, inequality and crime. Issues that are very much in the government's interest to solve.

Grassroots entrepreneurship can, and should, be part of the answer to how we achieve priorities such as security and democracy. 

Both the EU and the UN, and countries such as France, Spain and Belgium, recognize the value of the social economy. We see that with the historic investment from the EU of over 2.5 billion euros through the Social Economy Action Plan. Closest to the time, the UN adopted the resolution "Promoting the Social and Solidarity Economy for Sustainable Development" on April 18th. France, which held the presidency for the first half of 2022, and Spain and Belgium, which are next in line for Sweden, all have strategies that include the social economy.

Social entrepreneurs are experts at making a lot out of a little. But they don't operate in a vacuum. Access to long-term funding and a viable market, as well as collaboration across sectos, are critical to achieving and scaling their positive impact.

The current innovation and funding system needs to be adapted for this. There are few tools and methods to go from grassroots initiatives to regionally or nationally viable solutions.

What we, as intermediaries, want is:

• An actionable national strategy for social entrepreneurship, where investment mechanisms - such as 'blended finance', 'hybrid finance' and ‘results-based-finance’, are encouraged and facilitated.

• That the innovation system is expanded to include social innovation and entrepreneurship, with targeted funding for incubators and accelerators.

• That the public sector procures and seeks partnerships with social entrepreneurs, and that an increased focus is placed on the desired outcome - not just on performing a service at the lowest possible cost.

• That we create arenas where social entrepreneurs can show their solutions and meet the organizations - private and public - who are interested in investing in the positive, social outcomes that these entrepreneurs can create.

For this to become a reality, we need braver decision-makers both in the public sector and the business world who see the value in solutions born from the grassroots and dare to invest!