SocialTech Lab

We are on a mission to build the next wave of peacetech innovations to empower entrepreneurship in fragile contexts and shape a more peaceful world. The first and principle peacetech platform of SocialTech Lab, CyprusInno, was founded by a mixed Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot team who overcame decades of social and geographical division to create the first and largest cross-border platform connecting entrepreneurs on the divided island of Cyprus. Our team utilizes a novel method of entrepreneurship as a mechanism for peacebuilding. As a mixed Cypriot team and citizens of a divided nation, we constantly wondered how we can actually build sustainable peace through innovative means. CyprusInno,... read more We are on a mission to build the next wave of peacetech innovations to empower entrepreneurship in fragile contexts and shape a more peaceful world. The first and principle peacetech platform of SocialTech Lab, CyprusInno, was founded by a mixed Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot team who overcame decades of social and geographical division to create the first and largest cross-border platform connecting entrepreneurs on the divided island of Cyprus. Our team utilizes a novel method of entrepreneurship as a mechanism for peacebuilding. As a mixed Cypriot team and citizens of a divided nation, we constantly wondered how we can actually build sustainable peace through innovative means. CyprusInno, challenges the division in Cyprus by creating a platform whereby all Cypriots can work together towards a peaceful and prosperous future while building a collaborative entrepreneurial ecosystem. CyprusInno uses entrepreneurship as a peace-building mechanism and entrepreneurs and peacemakers, and we ultimately built what we call and island-wide ecosystem with over 4,000 members and over 40 partners on both sides of the island. CyprusInno's mission is to bring young social entrepreneurs together in post-conflict regions such as Cyprus to build sustainable social businesses together and, as a result, sustainable peace to enable social and economic development. We realize this mission through SocialTech Lab's hybrid digital, live events, and physical space platform model. Through this model, we've seen success both through our digital engagement, our live engagement (such as the largest inter-communal networking events in our island's history), social metrics through cross-border engagements and business collaborations, and value creation (measured in euros) through cross-border collaborations. In 2021, we moved into historic 4-piece container located within the UN Buffer Zone on the border between both sides of the Cyprus, which we transformed from a military base into what we call a Social Impact Generator. The Base by CyprusInno, as we call it, is the first innovative space of its kind in the world located in a Buffer Zone and it combines the elements of a coworking center, meeting/office space, accelerator/incubator, innovation center, and multimedia studio. It is located on the grounds of the historic Ledra Palace in Cyprus' UN Buffer Zone, now headquarters of the UN Peace Keeping Forces in Cyprus Sector Two, in the divided capital city of Nicosia. The Base by CyprusInno is a Social Impact Generator, where multiple players in our innovation ecosystem come together to co-create solutions to real world problems, thus leading to social impact and economic development and sustainable peace. We transformed this space by hand using upcycling methods and with support of the local community. It can be accessed by entering Cyprus's neutral zone from either side, and it features a coworking center and events space with a stage, custom coworking tables, a snack corner, ideation lounge with writeable walls and conformable flooring and bean bags, a soundproof multimedia and podcasting studio, a conference room, and more. The Base aims to establish a peaceful and interactive space in Cyprus' Buffer Zone that maximizes cooperation via entrepreneurship all while facilitating the formation of intercommunal startup that create social impact. We host a variety of programming including a social startup accelerator, co-working, resident startup teams, mentorship, hackathons, panel and networking events, and more, all with people from both sides of the island. Our mission here is to transform Cyprus' dead zone into a creative space that empowers youth from rival communities to take control of their future as we battle a deepening division. Take a look at a day in the life of The Base by CyprusInno: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CPKrOh9NPE