Celebrating the close of our Mexico Accelerator Programme 4th cohort

Getting together to share progress and learnings 

At the end of May 2025, entrepreneurs from the 10 social enterprises that participated in the 4th cohort of the Mexico Accelerator Programme (MAP) celebrated the end of their journey. They gathered in Mexico City to share their experience, learnings and progress over one year of hard work with fellow participants. 

Through the programme, all social entrepreneurs received personalised support and guidance from 32 IKEA co-workers around the world. Our colleagues supported them in many ways including mentorships, workshops, coaching, networking and more to prepare them to scale their businesses while driving impactful change. IKEA co-workers' engagement plays an important role in scaling social enterprises that aim to tackle poverty, unemployment, biodiversity loss and pollution, among other social challenges. 

MAP: a commitment for a more sustainable, fair and equal society. 

The Mexico Accelerator Programme (MAP) started in 2020 when IKEA Mexico first started operating. MAP is a collaboration between IKEA Social Entrepreneurship and our local partner New Ventures, with the support of IKEA Mexico. Together, we support social enterprises that improve the livelihood of some of Mexico’s vulnerable and marginalised groups increasing equality, inclusion, and sustainability in the country. 

Since the start of the MAP in 2020, a total of 41 social enterprises have been supported.  

During the closing event of the latest cohort, the participating entrepreneurs shared their experiences in the programme:

Carlos Arturo Aguilar, Project Leader in La Mano del Mono, also reflected on his experience during MAP, saying, “What I value the most about this experience wasn't just what I learned, but the kind of conversations it sparked. With my team, with our mentors, and with other social entrepreneurs who are building solutions in very diverse contexts. It was like entering a living laboratory of ideas, mistakes, strategies, and shared humanity." 

Vanessa de Oliveira, Co-worker Engagement Specialist at IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, who was present at the closing summit shared her thoughts with us: “I was touched by the generosity I witnessed between the social entrepreneurs. They were spontaneously exchanging know-how, tips, and useful experiences. When presenting their journey in the programme, for example, other social entrepreneurs showed their support and cheered each other on their successes. MAP has created a very strong network of social entrepreneurs who truly care about social impact in Mexico."

Tirza Voss, Social Impact Specialist also from IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, agreed with Vanessa and added that: “It was truly inspiring to see my IKEA colleagues from IKEA Mexico and Supply Area joining us, sharing their mentoring experiences and insights gained throughout the journey of acceleration. The presence of several MAP alumni during the event also shows how the connection continues beyond the programme. Equally noteworthy were the lead mentors (external consultants) who provided guidance that has led to remarkable successes. All coming together to celebrate the closing of cohort four was a testimony of the power of collaboration and community in driving social impact and progress – together."

Mexico is now the country where more collaborations have been established between IKEA and local social enterprises due to their participation in MAP. Examples of current collaborations include Abeja Reyna, SmartFish, Laboro and Básicos de México. Through MAP, we’ll continue working with New Ventures to support social entrepreneurs to create a better everyday life for people from vulnerable communities across the country. 

We congratulate the cohort on their progress and look forward to following their journeys and success.   
Read more about the full cohort here.

As we celebrated the close of the fourth cohort, we also excitedly welcomed the next group of enterprises joining MAP and we'll share more soon!