As we kick off Pride Month celebrations, we’re revisiting recent efforts that have helped drive our work to bring vital financial and technical support to enterprises that are advancing equality for the LGTBQIA+ community in Central & Eastern Europe.
In early 2024, the NESsT Violet Fund launched a call for applications as part of its new strategy to offer smaller, more accessible ticket sizes tailored to high-impact enterprises that create jobs and inclusive workspaces for the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and more) community in Central and Eastern Europe. Building on the insights gained from these efforts, the fund continues work to expand its portfolio and bring vital financial and technical support to enterprises that share its commitment to safe, respectful, and diverse workplaces grounded in equity and inclusion.
NESsT received submissions from a diverse range of organizations – including associations, cooperatives, foundations, and traditional businesses – all led by or employing LGTBQIA+ individuals and other under-represented groups in the region. The applicants spanned multiple sectors, from bicycle production and sports facilities to healthcare and other services such as HoReCa, hospitality, education, IT, and employer branding.
NESsT Violet Fund team attend Women in Tech Summit 2024
One enterprise – a Polish manufacturer of natural cosmetics with a strong track record of LGTBQIA+ inclusion – secured approval from the Violet Fund Investment Committee in late 2024. The company, with a strong commitment to advancing its inclusive employment efforts, is set to receive funding and officially join the portfolio in early 2025. Additionally, two other companies passed the initial review stage, positioning them as strong candidates for investment in 2025.
Throughout 2025, the team has been conducting due diligence on several companies from this diverse pipeline, from for-profits seeking to strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) through NESsT’s guidance to community-based social enterprises supporting LGBTQIA+ inclusion but lacking access to capital.
In parallel, throughout the last year, the NESsT Violet Fund team continued its efforts to drive awareness and action for LGBTQIA+ inclusivity among small and medium-sized enterprises through attending strategic networking events throughout the year.
NESsT Acceleration and Impact Director Renata Truzzi (mid-left) and CEE Director Filip Wadowski (mid-right) speak at 2024 Impact Week alongside Louis Georges Regis (left), ENAR, and Titilope Adewusi (right), 9ijakids, at the panel “Overcoming Barriers to Financing Minority-Led Enterprises” at Impact Week 2024 in Bilbao
At the LGBT+ at Work Conference in Bucharest, Romania, NESsT Portfolio Manager Justyna Markowicz participated on the panel ‘How can we encourage and create an inclusive LGBT+ culture at work?’ alongside representatives from Accenture and the UN Refugee Agency. Panelists highlighted how silence can contribute to exclusion and emphasized the need for proactive allyship. This includes identifying and addressing barriers – such as language and representation – to create workplaces built on empathy, engagement, and informed decision-making.
At Impact Week 2024 in Bilbao, Spain, The European Network Against Racism (ENAR) and NESsT co-hosted the session ‘Overcoming Barriers to Financing for Minority-led Enterprises’, exploring ways to get capital directly to companies led by underserved or underrepresented communities. Filip Wadowski, NESsT Violet Fund Director, spoke to the funds experience in shaping investing approaches that speak to the real needs of enterprises led by and hiring from the LGBTQIA+ community and creating investment criteria to ensure financing reaches those it is meant to support and that language or system barriers do not get in the way.
The team actively attended other key events across Poland and Romania, including the RDCC & Stonewall Roundtable: Advancing LGBT+ Rights in Romania and the Role of Multi-Nationals in Bucharest, the Beyond Labels inclusive job fairs in Kraków and Gdańsk, Poland., and the LGBT+ Film Festival Poland at Kinoteka in 2025.
(from left to right) NESsT Violet Fund team: Justyna Markowicz, Filip Wadowski, and Nadia Belkessam.
Additionally, the Violet Fund was featured in the fifth edition of the “Positive Impact Startups: Radical Social Innovation” report by Kozminski University in Poland, highlighting its work to create a more LGBTQIA+ inclusive job market by investing in companies that create work environments where all employees feel valued, respected, and safe.
“In Central and Eastern Europe, there is still much work to be done to make equal rights a reality for the LGBTQIA+ community. There are few laws and policies in place that address the barriers that members of this community face in their daily lives. Discrimination is especially prominent in the workplace, where LGBTQIA+ people are often treated less favorably and even experience harassment and bullying. With the NESsT Violet Fund, we aim to support companies that create inclusive work environments where all employees feel valued, respected and safe.”
You can read more about the NESsT Violet Fund here: https://www.nesst.org/violet-fund