Fuelled by her mission to elevate the voices and stories of marginalised groups, Rowena Bahl founded youtopi - a streaming platform dedicated to tackling social and environmental issues.
Rowena is part of our entrepreneurial accelerator programme - Accelerate Regional. Recently, we chatted with her about her experience in the programme, plus her journey as an impact entrepreneur.
By using films as a tool for positive change, youtopi is bridging the gap between awareness and action.
Their alternative, socially responsible streaming platform is designed for today’s conscious citizens. They showcase films that heighten awareness around global social and environmental issues.
Rowena - the driving force behind this incredible impact enterprise, is nothing less than inspirational. As an impact entrepreneur, she's been learning a lot about herself.
"The innate desire to help others and to improve the world in which we live is a massive part of what it means to be human. Working in the impact space means we are aligned with this very instinctual way of being - it feels true to who we are as humans, and that's one of our favourite parts", Rowena says.
Although she's only just joined our Accelerate Regional, this programme has helped her connect with this on a deeper level, while unpacking new ways to amplify her impact.
"Before Accelerate, we had hit a little bit of a block; however, now that we've joined Accelerate, knowing that we have a great organisation in our corner has helped push us forward. Starting a business can be a very lonely experience and having Accelerate there to bounce ideas off and to talk things through has given us more clarity and direction".
Tapping into Impact Hub's global network has been a highlight of her experience so far.
"We love how global Impact Hub is. We had no idea that we would be completing sessions with people from so many different parts of the world. We thoroughly enjoyed the session on resilience and better understanding the part it plays in creating a sustainable business. We also found the business diagnostic and planning session helpful and are excited about building a roadmap to achieve our goals".
Looking ahead, she's excited to work on youtopi's business model, and explore new ways to add depth to it. "We believe gaining a clearer understanding of this will help us amplify our impact".
When asked about her number one piece of advice for aspiring impact entrepreneurs, Rowena tells us it's about persistence.
"Keep knocking on doors, keep learning, keep applying your learnings - most importantly, keep going".
Here at Impact Hub, we've seen first-hand just how challenging the journey of impact entrepreneurship can be. But, Rowena is a shining example of just how powerful persistence in the face of challenge can be - and how much impact can be created as a result.
If you'd like to accelerate your own impact, check out our range of programmes.
