WeChangers. Porto startup raises investment of one million euros

WeChangers, a social startup from Porto that created a "LinkedIn for the social area", announces that it raised an investment of one million euros through an investment round financed by the Fund for Social Innovation, Regenerative Investment, BOMA Investments, and the FCR Common Fund.

Bernardo Janson, one of the founders, says that this amount will allow the business to grow "not only in Portugal, but also worldwide". 

The founders' goal was to help organizations with social purposes. As a result, the company created an online messaging platform "that aims to connect people and organizations whose main purpose is to solve social and environmental problems". 

In practice, WeChangers joins this contact network and provides them with tools and "collaboration opportunities", explains Bernardo Janson. It works as "a LinkedIn for the social area", he says. Currently, the "global and open" platform brings together several projects and updated data on "social organizations, foundations, investors and companies" that the startup calls "world changers". The global platform is free. However, "the private communities" that can be managed are paid by management entities to ensure the sustainability of the business.

The Social Investment Fund provided 70% of the capital raised by WeChangers. As explained in a statement to PME Investimentos, which manages this fund, this "is a public policy investment financed by the European Social Fund through Compete2020 aimed at promoting and supporting innovation and social entrepreneurship initiatives that develop innovative, impactful and sustainable responses to the solving society's problems”.