CEMEX-TEC Award is the most important award in Monterrey, Mexico, for social innovation and social entrepreneurs. This is due to two elements: the Bootcamp nature of the program and the large sum of grant money involved; and 2020 marks its 10 anniversary. Since its creation, CEMEX and Impact Hub Monterrey have received 3,765 applications from more than 74 countries, and supported 128 projects from 23 countries, as well as collaborated in the improvement of 73 communities.

One of the winners was Dilo en Señas, an app that teaches Sign Language. This venture started in Impact Hub Monterrey with the intention of helping the hearing impairment community and grew from there. They were in the entrepreneurial program focused on people with disabilities and then participated in CEMEX-TEC Award and before being selected by Shark Tank Mexico.

Since its creation, CEMEX and Impact Hub Monterrey have received 3,765 applications from more than 74 countries, and supported 128 projects from 23 countries.

What is the CEMEX-TEC Award

The CEMEX Company is the second-largest cement factory in the world and has a big commitment to social responsibility. Tec de Monterrey is one of the most prestigious business schools in Latin America, and together they created the CEMEX-TEC Award.

When it started in 2010, the CEMEX-TEC Award was a local award, but with the years it grew and developed very quickly. It went from being a national event to a regional one. The intent was to create an award that will have a global impact, and for that reason, CEMEX contacted Impact Hub Monterrey to form a partnership. The idea was to use the Impact Hub network to provide a global presence and audience to the CEMEX-TEC Award.

CEMEX-TEC Award and Impact Hub Monterrey collaboration 

The CEMEX-TEC Award and Impact Hub Monterrey collaboration is very unique. Together, they develop strategies and make presentations around the world with the intention of finding high-quality ventures that participate in the different categories of the award. For example, in Latin America, Impact Hub Monterrey collaborated with Impact Hub San José in Costa Rica.

To show how close to the heart this partnership is, Alfredo Villalonga, co-founder of Impact Hub Monterrey, and César Sanchez, Impact Hub Monterrey Director, visited and explained to local members the importance of this award. The responses were great! Last year a CEMEX-TEC Award Tour was held and Alfredo and César went on to visit Impact Hub Mexico City, Impact Hub Prague, Impact Hub Madrid, Impact Hub King’s Cross, Impact Hub Brno and Impact Hub Vienna with the same aim of sharing their story and the CEMEX-TEC opportunity to other Impact Hub members around the world. This resulted in over 1,500 ventures from all the countries participating in the contest.

The connective power of the network 

It is difficult to reach a global community, but thanks to the power of the Impact Hub network and how each community is curated, the job is much easier than expected.

During the scouting process of the CEMEX-TEC Award, each Impact Hub helped with the logistics and organization of events and presentations. This included helping to contact and connect with local speakers and promoting the event. Things such as catering and preparing the space were important elements that local Impact Hubs provided support with. All the events varied immensely and each culture was different. However, at the end of the day, the dedication and passion of all the staff and members of the Impact Hub network is to create a more sustainable world and to have a place for all the people on it.

The positive influence that local Impact Hubs have on their local communities and their members is what makes the Impact Hub network so special.

The outcome of the CEMEX-TEC Award

More than 1,400 ventures entered the contest! This number is almost double than in 2018 and ventures from over 60 countries participated. It’s clear that Impact Hub Monterrey has the power of the network to thank for that!

There were two winners, from a total of 30, that came from Impact Hub Berlin. One was Mimicry, a non-profit impact design ad-venture founded by Nora and Vera in Berlin. The other was Ayumi Matsuzaka who founded DYCLE, a project that re-invents a baby diaper’s life-cycle. Ayumi said she felt that the CEMEX-Tec Award “was an unexpected and emotional learning process” and that the “Bootcamp organized by Ashoka Mexico was the biggest gift for the winners. I needed to expand my business vision and grow personal empathy for other social entrepreneurs on the other side of the world.” The positive influence that local Impact Hubs have on their local communities and their members is what makes the Impact Hub network so special.  

Where to find more information

This year Impact Hub Monterrey has big goals. In 2020 the tour will be repeated, so keep an eye out on further information. There are some incredible prizes, like an all paid capacitation in an experience week in Monterrey and Grants that vary between $10,000 USD to $25,000 USD. There are currently no changes to the CEMEX-TEC Award and it is continuing as planned (at the posting of this article). Please check the website for up-to-date information regarding the Covid-19 status. 

If you would like to learn more about the CEMEX-TEC Award or schedule a virtual conference for your community, you can email Alfredo Villalonga. He will also be hosting a webinar about the award and the activities of Impact Hub Monterrey on Wednesday, April 15 2020 at 3 pm (GMT). Sign up for the “Social Innovation in times of crisis: Entrepreneurship for the people” webinar here.

If you are looking for more information or to register in the CEMEX-TEC Award you can enter here. The applications will be open until May 31, 2020. This is a great opportunity to scale your impact, so don’t miss out!