MAZE and Social Impact Bonds: a 7-year journey
25.01.2022For an introduction to the concepts described in this article, please see this post by Afonso. In January of 2015, MAZE helped structure and launch the first Social Impact Bond (SIB) in Portugal. This SIB used the investment capital provided by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation to finance five semesters of computer programming classes, in three […]
What is outcomes-based commissioning?
05.01.2022Outcomes and contracting: an introduction At MAZE, we have been working for the past eight years with a range of partners to foster the adoption of outcome-based contracts in social services. Amongst these, we have been partnering closely with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation as well as the Portuguese Government. In 2014-15, we helped the creation […]
Putting money where your mouth is — impact incentives for fund managers
03.12.2021Incentives are everywhere and dictate our behaviour, as individuals and as organisations. The energy transition that we are currently witnessing is a great example of this, whereby an increasing adoption of renewable sources of energy or electric vehicles is a result of tax and monetary incentives, shaping the behaviour according to the goals of policymakers […]
November is for Oceans
30.11.2021MAZE has been accelerating and investing in solutions contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) since our foundation in 2013. To get a macro overview of our work, we will write about how some of the startups we work with are positively contributing to a specific UN SDG. In November, we delve […]
October is for Mental Health
18.10.2021MAZE has been accelerating and investing in solutions contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) since our foundation in 2013. To get a macro overview of our work, and starting this month, we will write about how our partner ventures are positively contributing to a specific UN SDG. In October, we kick-off […]
MAZE, the new B Corp on the block
07.10.2021MAZE was created by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in 2013 with the mission to improve the lives of people and the planet. We work with the public sector and the private sector, with startups and large corporates and all our activities have a common denominator which is, and will always be, our lookout for a […]