Parability, a social entrepreneurship start-up

Serial entrepreneurs are often seen as a rare breed; a kind of genius who is born, not made. People who overcome great odds to become successful; risk-takers. Stories on individuals like Steve Jobs and Richard Branson foster this mythical view. If we stop at these stories, there is not much we can learn. The average individual is probably not a genius. But if we dig deeper, and really try to understand what serial entrepreneurs do, we find principles that form an overall logic for creating new ventures and new markets in a variety of sectors including technological, non-technological, and social.

During the Entrepreneurial and Innovation Network meeting at TIAS, Carla Koen, Professor of Technology Management and Entrepreneurship, identified these principles and discussed under which circumstances they should be applied in order to build a successful venture. She challenged TIAS alumni and students to generate entrepreneurial ideas, enrich ideas of others, learn how to pitch a business concept and to support each other to create new business. This session was moderated by support of Brainport Developers.  

Best Start-up Initiative: Parability

Full-time MScBA student, Ana Silva, won with her pitch and was awarded the Best Start-up Initiative by TIAS and Brainport Development Eindhoven. We asked Ana to explain more about her social entrepreneurship start-up, Parability.

‘Everyone has a disability. Luckily for most people, it is not really clear to others and it does not impede them in their daily life. Approximately 15% of the people in Dutch society, though, has a disability or chronic disease that hinders them in some way. In January 2014, the Dutch government decided to require companies with more than 25 employees to hire disabled people, to count for 5% part of the total workforce. To support both disabled people and companies, we initiate the company, Parability. 

Parability’s mission is to help people with functional limitations in finding a job that matches their qualities and talents, and to help companies to make the (small) adaptations for them and all their employees in order to excel at what they do. Parability will prove that when people with disabilities are adjudicated for their talents, like with any other job applicant, they can prove to be excellent, motivated and determined employees. Employees, who do not bounce into obstacles but can actually push boundaries and propel companies to a higher level. For me this is what working with a disability is about: Consider the points where you need help but focus on the matters where you can excel. Being raised as a ‘disabled person’, some people might need some help to discover what their exceptional talents are. 

Parability, therefore, will work with a multi-disciplinary team of specialists in the subjects of physical and intellectual (dis)abilities, in order to define the great possibilities that every person has inside of them.’