Impact Story: Hear From A High-Impact Founder

Veronica Suarez
2 days ago
4 min read

Veronica Suarez (2025 Impact Accelerator Program alum) shares her high impact founder story of building and launching her own high impact organization.

My High Impact Founder Story

I applied to HIP’s Impact Accelerator Program (IAP) at a moment of a real transition in my career.

The world of starting your own organization is not linear. I had been building my organization and came very close to securing funding. But then, like for many others, the funding landscape shifted in 2025. The opportunity fell through, my timeline collapsed, and I found myself needing to step back and possibly re-enter the job market.

It was not an easy moment. It felt like I was standing between two paths: continue to try to build the organization or fully dedicate myself to finding a job. That’s when I decided to apply to the IAP. I needed intellectual grounding and I needed community.

Going Through the Impact Accelerator Program

During the program, I was actively applying for jobs. I went through multiple interview processes, advanced in several of them, and came very close to offers I was genuinely proud of. But at the same time, I faced the familiar rhythm of rejection that comes with competitive spaces, especially in effective altruism (EA). It can be a very lonely process.

But because of the IAP, I was part of a group of people asking similar questions about impact, direction, and purpose. That, in itself, was already a huge win. But also, there were the “extra” things, like having HIP’s Executive Director Nina, or my facilitator at the time, now Director of Programs at HIP, Emil, make referrals on my behalf. That was incredible!

Because the process of applying for jobs can take a mental toll, I decided to pause. And because of my entrepreneurial brain, I started building another program for my organization, it was like energy getting discharged into something useful. And, then again, awesome Nina and Emil heard me out and acted as recommendations for grant applications.

The Power of a Network

In an ecosystem like EA, having a network is a very powerful tool. I come from Ecuador, a tiny country in South America, with almost no EA representation. Going to in-person conferences is not easy, especially in the middle of building something from scratch or trying to find a job. So having an organization thats core purpose is to put people together, no matter where in the world you are, is extremely powerful.

It was in that pause, days before my last group meeting with my IAP cohort, that I got an email from Coefficient Giving saying my organization got funding for an idea I applied before joining HIP (things take time). Nina and Emil and my cohort peers were probably one the very first people I told. I wanted them to be proud.

From Participant to Founder

As I began to launch my organization (again), HIP’s support didn’t stop, it evolved. I could share ideas, get input, and refine my approach with people who genuinely wanted me to succeed. I even got the opportunity to use HIPs resources, like the volunteer-match and 3 wonderful IAP alumni joined my organization as volunteers for months. (Thanks dear Adam, Paula and Chiara, forever grateful).

While doing recruitment for my (now funded) incubation program I also had the opportunity to volunteer with HIP as a facilitator. It allowed me to have an inside perspective on how these programs are designed and run. The HIP team has been incredibly generous in sharing their resources, ideas, and ways of structuring sessions.

For an early-stage founder, this is not a “nice to have”, it's a privilege. Entrepreneurship is often described in terms of ideas, execution, or funding. But at the early stages, it is also deeply about resilience, and resilience is very hard to sustain alone.

Launching My Own Organization

My organization is the Laboratory of Social Entrepreneurship, it seems fitting for this blog post. As I write this, we have just launched our first cohort of 8 incubated organizations. I truly believe in the power of entrepreneurship to improve our world. I believe there are so many incredible talented and brave people with the potential to put their careers in service to a greater cause.

And I also know, from experience (as you can read), that the path is not simple. It requires discipline, humility, a lot of love for what you are doing, and also, a bit of luck. I feel very lucky finding my people in EA, it has truly made me a better professional.

I have spent my entire professional life in the social and nonprofit sector, and felt strongly that this was the right path and was deeply aligned with my purpose. That said, when I decided to start my own organization, it also felt a bit scary. Doing this within the Effective Altruism space also adds another layer because while anyone can engage with the ideas, building within this ecosystem, getting funding, or joining organizations is extremely competitive and demanding.

Having people who not only review your work, but who believe in you and are willing to put their name behind you, changes everything.

What the Impact Accelerator Program reinforced in me is that a movement is not just a set of ideas. It is a network. And being part of that community, being closer to it, engaging with people who are actively building, sharing, supporting, makes a profound difference. And strengthens my desire to keep building and believing.

Advice for High-Impact Entrepreneurs

Now, from my role of mentor, incubating high-impact nonprofits in Latin America, I have some advice for those of you reading and interested in high impact entrepreneurship:

Do it, the world needs you!
There are too many problems in the world worth solving, that we must try our best.
Do it with caution and self-care. Slow is better than never. Being cheerful about it is better than being frustrated and tired about it.
If you can, join an ecosystem (HIP and my organization will be lucky to have committed and brilliant people like you)