Why Social Entrepreneurship Deserves Its Own World Cup?
Inclusion

Tomás Garnelo

FounderImpact Social Cup

Why Social Entrepreneurship Deserves Its Own World Cup?

10:29·10 September 2026

This article was automatically translated from its original Español version. Read the original

Tomás Garnelo is 30 years old, from Galicia, and co-founder of Impact Social Cup, the largest social entrepreneurship competition in Spain, which gathered three thousand people at the Madrid Arena in its latest edition and awarded 100,000 euros in prizes.

The idea was born in 2023 out of frustration: the success stories that dominate social media (the big hit, the Lamborghini, the quick exit) leave no room for those who build purpose-driven projects. "We are making the wrong people famous", says Garnelo. The response was to create a competition in a show format, with teams, presentation videos, high production values, and public voting, so that presenting a social impact project would be as attractive as any other major event.

The first significant edition was held without spending a euro on marketing, relying solely on calls and conviction. And it worked: people from small towns attended alongside fourteen-year-olds, all believing in the same thing.

His long-term mission is to eliminate the distinction between entrepreneurship and impact entrepreneurship. "The belief that you either start a business for profit or create an NGO to do good is still very entrenched,” he explains. "If you have a good why and you are convinced of it, you have a motivation that will constantly fulfill you," he argues.

María Díaz Valderrama
impact.info journalist
Published on 10 September 2026
Photo credit — Impact Social Cup

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