At The Inner Foundation, we are proud to announce our investment in The Social Incubator, a pioneering nonprofit that supports vulnerable young people in Romania and Moldova as they transition out of institutional care into independent adulthood. Their work speaks directly to our thematic focus on mending disrupted family systems—meeting young people who’ve grown up without stable parental support and offering the emotional grounding, practical tools, and long-term relationships needed to build a stable foundation for adulthood.
What does The Social Incubator do?
Each year, thousands of young people leave Romania and Moldova’s child protection systems, often at age 18, without the emotional safety net or practical tools needed to navigate adulthood. Many have grown up in state institutions or fractured families shaped by instability, poverty, or migration. This population faces some of Europe’s highest rates of social exclusion, unemployment, and unmet mental health needs.
The Social Incubator steps in at this critical juncture—meeting young people at the moment of transition and walking alongside them through trauma recovery, skill development, and community reintegration.
What does The Social Incubator offer?
Founded in 2014, The Social Incubator supports over 10,000 young adults annually through a trauma-informed approach designed for youth transitioning out of institutional care. Their work is grounded in four foundational pillars:
- Personal development: Activities such as vocational and psychological counseling, non-formal education, and mentoring help build self-confidence, emotional resilience, and life skills—laying the groundwork for long-term stability.
- Education: Tutoring and academic support are offered to help young people complete their studies, access further education, and strengthen learning habits in a supportive environment.
- Professional and entrepreneurial development: Through internships, career coaching, digital skills training, and entrepreneurship programs, young people gain practical experience and real pathways into employment or self-employment.
- Healthcare and housing: Support includes access to mental health services, group and individual therapy, and assistance with safe housing—addressing urgent needs and creating the conditions for a healthy transition into adulthood.
To deliver on these pillars, The Social Incubator runs a wide range of integrated activities, including:
- Vocational and psychological counselling
- Non-formal educational
- Mentoring and tutoring relationships
- Internship placement and employer mediation
- Paid job search support
- Thematic workshops and exploratory visits
- Long-term therapeutic support and emotional care
- Legal and housing assistance
This combination of personalized, long-term support and hands-on, real-world preparation is what makes The Social Incubator’s model so effective—and why it aligns so strongly with our focus on mending disrupted family systems. By addressing both individual healing and structural opportunity, they walk alongside each young person as they step into adulthood.
Why Disrupted Family Systems?
This investment sits at the heart of The Inner Foundation’s thematic focus on mending disrupted family systems. When familial structures break down—through institutionalisation, abandonment, or forced migration—the long-term consequences can echo across generations. Youth aging out of care often face heightened risks of anxiety, isolation, chronic stress, and economic marginalisation.
Our investment thesis is clear: Addressing the invisible wounds of disrupted family systems is not only a moral imperative—it’s a lever for systemic change. By integrating mental health, employability, and belonging into one continuum of care, The Social Incubator demonstrates what scalable, healing-centered support can look like.
As Annika Sten Pärson, Executive Chair and Founding Partner of The Inner Foundation, explains:
“At The Inner Foundation, we seek out solutions that don’t just treat symptoms, but change systems. The Social Incubator stood out to us for their integrated approach—combining mental health support, job readiness, and structural advocacy in a way that reflects the systems thinking we believe is essential to support emerging adults transitioning out of the child protection system. We’re proud to support their work—not only for its proven impact, but for their unwavering commitment to the young people all too often left behind.”
Adriana Preda, Executive Board Member of The Social Incubator, adds:
“For young people transitioning out of care, healing often begins with someone who truly believes in their potential. The Inner Foundation is a true partner in this journey, helping us expand access, deepen trust, and create lasting systems of support.”
Looking Ahead
This investment will help deepen The Social Incubator’s mental health programming, increase therapist retention, expand services to underserved areas, and activate systemic change through employer training and advocacy. The goal is not just to reach more young people—but to do so with greater depth, consistency, and long-term support.
The ripple effect is powerful: emotional healing, improved job access, greater social connection, and—crucially—systems that are better equipped to support those growing up without family safety nets.
Join Us
The Social Incubator’s model is ready to scale, and the need is urgent. To those who believe, as we do, in the potential of young people shaped by disrupted systems, we invite you to stand with us.
We’re actively seeking co-investors, philanthropic partners, and ecosystem collaborators who share our commitment to transforming the emotional and structural conditions facing emerging adults. If you’re interested in learning more, please fill out our interest form or reach out directly:
📩 Zakaria Hersi
Portfolio & Investment Manager, The Inner Foundation
zakaria.hersi@theinnerfoundation.org
📩 Adriana Preda
Executive Board Member, The Social Incubator
adriana.preda@asociatiasocialincubator.org
About The Inner Foundation
The Inner Foundation is an independent, non-profit foundation based in Sweden, investing in intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs addressing mental health and DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging). As a catalytic hybrid finance investor, we support both for-profit and non-profit solutions, with a portfolio of 35+ investments across Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and North America. Our thematic focus areas include loneliness, disrupted family systems, female health equity, and emotional resilience in education and workplace transitions.
About The Social Incubator
The Social Incubator is a Romania- and Moldova-based nonprofit empowering vulnerable youth aged 16–30, particularly those leaving institutional care. Through trauma-informed mental health services, job readiness programs, and systemic advocacy, they provide the tools and relationships needed for long-term independence and inclusion. To date, they have supported over 50,000 young people and are building new chapters across Central and Eastern Europe and beyond.
