Impact Social Cup: what it is and how to participate
Impact Social Cup, the biggest competition and event for positive impact entrepreneurs in Spain
The Impact Social Cup is the largest social entrepreneurship competition in Spain, which aims to reward entrepreneurs who are making a positive impact on society. Over its different stages, this cup brings together companies, investors, startups and entrepreneurs with innovative ideas with a social impact.
Final of the Impact Social Cup 2024 in Madrid
With more than €100,000 in prizes, the Impact Social Cup not only seeks to give projects visibility, but also to offer them the chance to scale up and achieve lasting impact. It is also sponsored by major brands, such as Iberdrola Group, of which Iberdrola España is part, and other leading organisations, positioning it as a unique event in the field of social entrepreneurship.
Iberdrola Group is taking part in the competition as a partner of the Sustainable Energy team, supporting entrepreneurship linked to renewable energy, environmental protection and a fair and inclusive energy transition.
In its third edition, the Impact Social Cup is expanding its international reach and, for the first time, opening participation to projects from Latin America.
What is the Impact Social Cup and how does it work?
The Impact Social Cup is an entrepreneurship platform that, through a competition, identifies, supports and gives visibility to projects that provide solutions to major social and environmental challenges. Its aim is to bring positive impact closer to society as a whole and turn those who make it possible into role models for new generations.
The initiative connects entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, freelancers and social organisations with large companies, investment funds, universities and institutions across Spain. Its philosophy of "coopetition" combines competition with collaboration: projects compete for the prizes while sharing learnings, forging alliances and finding opportunities to grow.
In addition to funding, the cup offers training, mentoring, visibility and connections with potential investors and collaborators.
Phase 1: Selection
In the first phase, the projects are grouped into eight teams according to the global cause they address (such as cities and communities, health, education, etc.). Sustainable Energy is the Iberdrola Group-sponsored team, aimed at projects that work towards environmental protection, renewable energies and sustainable solutions, ensuring a just and inclusive transition for all.
Each team, made up of investment funds, mentors and specialised sponsors, evaluates the projects and selects the most innovative and socially impactful ones.
The entrepreneurs chosen receive initial training and support to refine their proposals before advancing to the next phase.
Phase 2: Semi-finals
During the semi-finals, participants receive specialised training in areas such as communication, marketing and financing.
In addition, the sponsors provide accommodation and support to entrepreneurs so that they can focus on developing their projects. During this stage, the semi-finalists from each sector compete at events held at each sponsor's headquarters.
Phase 3: Finals
Participants who make it to the finals present their projects to an elite jury made up of leading figures in entrepreneurship and social impact. In this last stage, the finalists compete for the Impact Social Cup prizes, which are intended to recognise and support the most outstanding initiatives.
The grand final brings together entrepreneurs, companies, investors and other players in the positive impact ecosystem at an event that combines innovation, entrepreneurship and entertainment, and offers the selected projects an opportunity to gain visibility and build new connections.
The Iberdrola Group present as a partner in the Impact Social Cup
What are the main benefits of the Impact Social Cup?
Participants of the Impact Social Cup not only have the opportunity to compete for prizes but can also take advantage of multiple benefits:
- Networking: Opportunities to establish connections with industry leaders, investors and other entrepreneurs committed to social change.
- Training and mentoring: Workshops, lectures and mentoring sessions with entrepreneurship experts.
- Visibility: Selected projects have the opportunity to gain visibility at the national and international levels.
- Entertainment: Enjoy unique artistic performances and a diverse gastronomic offerings committed to the environment and sustainability.
- Prizes: Funding, access to accelerators and prizes for the most outstanding projects.
What are the requirements and how can I participate in the Impact Social Cup?
These are the requirements to participate in the Impact Social Cup:
- Have an incorporated company or be a registered business: both companies and self-employed persons can participate, provided they are legally registered.
- Active business model: the project must be a going concern and invoicing, i.e. it must have a functional business model.
- Revenue of up to €2M: the project must not have generated more than €2M in the 2025 fiscal year.
- Alignment with one of the 8 teams: the project must be related to one of the eight social and environmental causes addressed by the Impact Social Cup teams.
What are the eight Impact Social Cup teams?
These are the eight teams, representing different social and environmental causes, you can play on:
- Education and employability: Projects that promote access to education, lifelong learning and access to job opportunities.
- Social inclusion and diversity: Projects that promote equality, accessibility and integration of at-risk groups in all social and employment areas.
- Sustainable energy: Projects focused on environmental protection, renewable energy and sustainable solutions, ensuring a just and inclusive transition for all.
- Health and well-being: Projects that improve physical and mental health, promote healthy habits and ensure access to basic health services.
- Economic development and reduction of inequalities: Projects that promote economic inclusion, equity and sustainable growth, especially for at-risk groups.
- Technology and positive digitalisation: Projects that develop digital solutions, connect communities and use technology as a tool for positive impact.
- Art, culture and social transformation: Projects that strengthen community ties and connections between people and groups, and foster creativity, art and culture.
- Sustainable cities and communities: Projects that enrich society, strengthen community ties and promote or use art and culture as drivers of transformation.
Impact Social Cup in numbers
Results of the 2024 and 2025 editions.
200,000
€200,000 in cash prizes
6,500
Approximately 6,500 in-person attendees across all its events
80
More than 80 partner organisations, including partners and collaborators
Impact Social Cup 2026-2027: an open call for Spain and Latin America
The Impact Social Cup is celebrating its third edition with major new features to broaden the reach of the competition and continue supporting projects with a positive impact. For the first time, the call is open to projects from Latin America, with the aim of connecting entrepreneurs and organisations working to address major social and environmental challenges.
This new edition is aimed at start-ups, SMEs, freelancers, NGOs and associations developing innovative solutions. It also keeps its structure of eight teams and strengthens the opportunities for training, support and connections with companies, investors and strategic collaborators.
Interested projects can submit their applications until 31 October 2026. According to the schedule announced for this edition, the semi-finalists will be revealed in December 2026 and the team knockout rounds will take place between January and March 2027.
Impact Social Cup 2026-2027 Grand Final
The third edition will culminate on 7 May 2027 in Madrid, where the finalist projects will have the opportunity to present their initiatives and compete for the Impact Social Cup prizes.
The new edition offers more than €100,000 in prizes and support, including €40,000 in cash, acceleration programmes, mentoring and opportunities for international visibility.
Among the planned awards, there is also the production of a documentary and its distribution on platforms, with the aim of showcasing the projects' stories and bringing them to new audiences.
Read the call for entries and submit your application on the official Impact Social Cup website.
Previous editions of the Impact Social Cup
The second edition of the Impact Social Cup brought together more than 440 projects, organised into eight teams dedicated to different social and environmental challenges. Of these, 48 reached the semi-finals, six per team, until the eight finalists were selected.
Partner companies hosted various events at their headquarters, including Iberdrola España, where the Sustainable Energy team semi-final was held in May 2025.
The grand final took place on 16 October 2025 at Madrid Arena, with nearly 3,000 attendees and representation from 139 municipalities. The event brought together companies, investors, universities, institutions, entrepreneurs and social organisations for a day devoted to innovation and positive impact.
Aldealista, a project that connects people with villages to drive rural repopulation, was named winner of this second edition, which awarded €100,000 in cash prizes.
Semifinal of the team supported by the Iberdrola Group
The first edition of the Impact Social Cup was held in 2024 and brought together 215 projects from across Spain. The semi-finals took place on 14 September, with nearly 500 attendees, while the grand final was held on 21 September at La Nave, Madrid, where eight finalist projects presented their initiatives to some 900 people.
The edition awarded a total of €100,000 in prizes among four projects. The first prize, worth €40,000, went to LUP, a Bilbao-based company that developed a smart magnifying glass that converts text into speech to help people with visual impairments. In second place, with €30,000, was Rooral, a Málaga-based project that connects villages with digital nomad workers to combat rural depopulation.
Third place, with €20,000, went to Valencia-based INDYA, a smart nutrition company for athletes, and fourth place, with €10,000, went to Catalan company WIVI Vision, a project that assesses and trains vision in a personalised way using clinical video games.
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