Startup initiatives in social service industries: cohousing and energy communities

ABSTRACT

Innovative companies turn transformative ideas into products/servicies to generate a profit, while social startups aim to build a better world by providing social benefits. With a novel focus on Spain, this study examines the development of cohousing and energy communities and the barriers to their implementation. The aim is to clarify whether these communities should be governed under the same principles as social startups, with government support to encourage their growth. The data for the study were gathered from semi-structured interviews with promoters of these initiatives. The results highlight the features that they share with social startups, as well as the need for harmonised regulations to govern their implementation. The findings also underscore the importance of educating people about the need to bring about a social transformation, which will require widespread community acceptance. Decision-makers should encourage the development of social startups to ensure the transition to a sustainable economy.

创新公司将变革性的想法转化为产品或服务，以填补市场空白并创造利润。 与之不同的是社会创业公司(startups)以社会效益为目标，旨在建立一个更好的世界。本研究探讨在西班牙这种新环境中发展合作型住宅和能源社区所存在的固有问题。 研究目的旨在调查，在获得有利于其增长的政府援助的同时，是否应该应该根据社会创业公司(startups)的原则进行管理。该研究的数据是通过与西班牙多个省市的倡议者进行半结构式访谈而收集到的。研究结果显示了它们与社会创业公司(startups)的共同特性以及对于实施立法规范的需求。此外本文，还强调了全社区对教育普及的接受度和其实施的紧迫性在社会转型中起到的重要前提作用。 作为确保向可持续经济转型的一种方式， 决策者应该鼓励社会创业公司的发展。

KEYWORDS:

• Social startups
• cohousing
• energy community
• social benefits

关键词:

• 社会创业公司(startups)、合作型住宅、能源社区、社会效益

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).