Diego is a Brazilian, who for over 10 years was in the corporate world as an IT and customer experience executive. He found it to lack purpose and so decided to take the leap to becoming a Social Entrepreneur. It was 2019, he had a degree in Computer Engineering and a Master’s in Business Administration but had no deep knowledge about the social sector nor a network, so finding a job was hard. Hence, he enrolled into the Social Innovation Management postgraduate course at Amani Institute.
After graduating Diego found his purpose of “using technology to fight social inequality” and the motivation to turn that purpose into a new venture. He started a consultancy to support social businesses and NGOs, which assisted underprivileged people in the outskirts of big cities in Brazil, into using digital technologies to create more social impact. Four months later, the pandemic arrived and with it brought obstacles to his very young initiative.
Reframing the new reality, Diego saw new opportunities to continue to work in line with his purpose. Just a few months later in 2020, he started Unio Eventos Online, a social business that connects two different group’s needs. For one side, they hold interactive virtual events for companies. For another, they provide free training in virtual events production for industry professionals that are from groups in vulnerable situations. After they have been trained, they are recruited to work in events they organize whilst being supervised initially by more experienced professionals.
Now, some years after leaving what could be considered as a great job, although still facing the challenges of the entrepreneurship life, he is grateful for all the learnings he has already accumulated, happy for having a life full of meaning and hopeful for the impact he can make in the world along with the network of passionate changemakers he is meeting along the way.
