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As Launched in 2024, the Olympism365 Innovation Hub is a collaboration between the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Beyond Sport and Women Win to inspire innovation in sport for development. One of the program’s strands, Enterprise365, supports innovators using income generation, sustainable finance and regenerative investment models to address social challenges through sport.
The strand was designed to help sport-led social enterprises strengthen the ideas, systems and partnerships that make their work and impact more sustainable.
More than a year into the program, a clear theme is emerging: building longevity looks different in every community. For some innovators, it means building new revenue streams. For others, it means strengthening governance, testing digital tools, deepening community leadership or creating models that local partners can run and grow.
In Papua New Guinea (PNG), Grass Skirt Project is empowering underserved youth through sports in the belief that cultivating entrepreneurial mindsets and leadership skills can create a stronger and more equitable PNG. It is designing a school-based model that uses sport, student leadership and community access to generate income locally. The organization, which advances gender equality through rugby league, fitness and leadership programming, has anchored the model at Badihagwa Technical Secondary School in Port Moresby.
The school holds the operating license and keeps revenue from community access. For Founder and Managing Director Tahina Booth, that shift is central to the project’s future.
“What changed during this grant period is that the school stopped being a venue and became the operator. The school holds the license. The school keeps the revenue from community access. GSP licenses the 10 Million Strong curriculum and the GymBox Skools brand into the school’s operation. That is the difference between a project that ends when the grant ends and a model that owns itself.”
In India, Tanjun Associate LLP connects sport, women’s livelihoods and environmental sustainability through bamboo and natural fiber products. Through its Vendor Enterprise Model, Tanjun supports women to participate as vendors across the value chain, while also building market pathways for community-made products.
The organization opened its first BambooforEarth studio and workshop near Dehradun. It also began selling products through exhibitions and developed prototypes for environmentally sustainable sports equipment, including a handwoven table tennis net made with recycled cotton and a bamboo table tennis table. The model is now becoming a stronger income generator for the enterprise.
In Uganda, Ba Nga Afayo Initiative is addressing unemployment, poverty and limited access to education. It was able to strengthen its Truth Design Academy, which provides young people with practical training in graphic design, video production, 3D animation, digital marketing, coding and entrepreneurship.
Enterprise365 funding helped the academy enroll more than 180 paying students, expand its computer lab and invest in outreach and marketing to attract new learners. It also helped the team purchase a backup generator to keep learning going during power outages. Ba Nga Afayo is developing TrueXperts, a freelance platform that connects students and graduates to remote work and income-generating opportunities.
The goal is to keep growing Truth Design Academy as a self-sustaining social enterprise: one that equips young people with digital and creative skills while generating proceeds that can support Ba Nga Afayo’s wider sport for social change work.
Other innovators adapted their models in response to new opportunities. Power Meri, based in PNG and Australia uses rugby league to promote gender equality and create opportunities for women and girls. The organization began shifting its revenue focus from product sales alone toward women-led rugby league tourism.
That shift is tied to Port Moresby’s growing rugby league tourism market. With a Papua New Guinea team expected to enter Australia’s National Rugby League in 2028, the organization sees an opportunity to create tourism experiences led by women in rugby league. Future revenue from the project would support reinvestment streams focused on women’s rugby league, education and menstrual health.
In South Africa, AMANDLA Social Enterprises focused on strengthening the systems behind its Safe-Hub model, which combines football-based youth programming, dedicated youth spaces and access to support services. Through Enterprise365, AMANDLA progressed its digital portal for managing programs, participants and data, while also strengthening coworking operations. The team completed the Portal’s core architecture, backend integrations and administration environment. It also made its coworking spaces easier to book, manage and use. Those updates are helping AMANDLA prepare for wider rollout and run the model more consistently across sites.
However, not every example centered on revenue.
Arena Recycling Industry used football and community-based activities in Tanzania to engage young people in climate action on plastic waste, leadership and environmental responsibility. Through beach clean-ups, climate change awareness sessions and youth-led engagement, Arena saw young people become more confident sharing their ideas and taking active roles in their communities.
One participant, Lucy Kamage, shared how the project helped her find her voice.
“Before joining these activities, I never thought I could stand in front of people and speak about issues affecting my community. Through the environmental awareness sessions and community activities, I gained confidence and learned that young people can be leaders in creating change.”
The projects are varied, but they point to a shared lesson: strong ideas need practical support to grow. For these innovators, that includes trusted partners, community leadership, clear systems and revenue models that fit their context.
Through Enterprise365, organizations are testing what sustainable development can look like in practice — from school-operated facilities and bamboo-based enterprises to digital skills training, tourism, coworking and youth-led climate action.
Invest in the Olympism365 Innovation Hub
Cultivate an ecosystem of innovators and social enterprises across the sport, social impact and tech sectors through the Olympism365 Innovation Hub. Launched with seed funding provided by the IOC, Beyond Sport and Women Win are seeking partners to drive further innovation.
If you are interested in investing in the Olympism365 Innovation Hub and our innovators, contact us at [email protected]
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