{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Disruptors for GOOD | Social Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprises","title":"How Nest Is Building the Business Infrastructure the Global Artisan Economy Never Had","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1416,"description":"Rebecca Van Bergen, founder of Nest, joins Causeartist to discuss 20 years of building business and financial infrastructure for artisan and maker economies across 123 countries. The conversation covers how Nest supports micro and small creative businesses, the structure of their accelerator programs, the Makers Future Fund in partnership with Etsy and Pinterest, and why the handmade economy may be more durable than most people assume.GuestRebecca Van Bergen is the founder of Nest, a nonprofit organization that provides business development support, financing, and market access to artisan and maker businesses globally. Nest operates in 123 countries and supports over 4,000 micro and small businesses through its Artisan Guild, e-learning platform, and cohort-based accelerator programs.Topics CoveredThe founding of Nest in 2005 and its connection to the early microfinance movementWhy loans alone are insufficient without business education and market accessThe scale and data challenges of the global handcraft economyHow the Artisan Guild works and who it servesThe structure of Nest's business accelerators, including the sustainability-focused cohort and the UNHCR refugee artisan programWhy grants paired with education outperform education aloneThe Makers Future Fund: capital and financial literacy for US maker businessesHow Etsy and Pinterest contribute as funders and recruitment networksThe ripple effects of artisan income on women, families, and communitiesLessons from 20 years of running a nonprofit social enterpriseThe intrapreneurship opportunity inside large companiesWhy AI and automation may accelerate demand for handmade goodsKey InsightsFinancing is consistently the top need reported by guild members across every geography. The Makers Future Fund was built specifically to address that gap for US-based maker businesses who have no viable path to formal credit.Nest pairs every accelerator with a small business grant. Business advice without capital to act on...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/CMjNZSE9-K1JHNGSgWvPa6AJ4pONoFgGpZ_VdP2tKuY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9lYmNk/ZGY5M2ZlMGFmY2Rl/NDQ3NmU1MmNhMjg0/YWNiZS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}