Stop And Think A Little: A Challenge by ArcticStartup


    One thing that we love most about startups, is that very often they do what they do, because they want to make the world a better place. It kind-of comes automatically as it is basically a startup world axiom that you should not be in it for the money.

    This gets repeated over and over again, and if you live by it then it must mean that you really do want to change the world.
    The notion of “giving back” is not new and a lot of entrepreneurs not only think about it, but once they reach some level of success – they execute and help startup communities and the world at large. Be it with donations, investments or other kinds of support.

    Mark Zuckerberg has become famous for his philanthropy, promising to give away most of his riches, giving away $100 million to public schools and $990 million to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

    In our own region we also have great examples, usually around Christmas. Last year, for example, Supercell donated a whopping €3.4 million towards building a Children’s Hospital in Finland.

    Today, we heard news that Kiosked is similarly trying to help Children by raising awareness and donating €0.50 for each tweet with the #kioskedforcharity hashtag, giving the proceeds to the World Childhood Foundation.

    One way or another, a lot of the support is targeted towards children, and education. Rightfully so, as not only are they our future, but we still live in a world where a safe childhood is by far not guaranteed.

    That being said, it would be great to see startups and entrepreneurs who have not yet reached their success milestones to also contribute.

    So today, when Malala and Kaylash Satyarthi received their Nobel Peace Prize, we would like to pose a challenge to you all.

    No, we do not want you to throw water over your heads, or re-post something to your friends. In fact, it is not even about donating money right away or raising awareness.

    Instead, what we simply suggest you do is to dedicate 30 minutes of your time towards thinking of what you have personally or as a company have contributed to the world around you, and what you would like to do in the future. The rest is up to you.

    You can tweet the Kiosked tweet and help them, you can start donating a portion of your profits, start your own project, or do nothing at all.

    But if you dedicate these 30 minutes, we think that perhaps some people will decide to turn that thought process into concrete actions. Perhaps it will make a better future. So try it out and if it works for you, you could forward our suggestion to those around you. We will be doing the same and if you have any ideas of doing things together – just reach out.

    Merry upcoming Christmas to you all.