How do you build social impact that isn’t at the mercy of grants? In this episode, we meet Sam Ross, business development manager of The Melting Pot, Scotland’s Center for Social Innovation.

Sam shares how the organisation evolved from a pioneering co-working space to a three-part engine—Collaborative Hub, Good Ideas incubator, and sector-agnostic Consultancy—creating a self-sustaining model and avoiding over-reliance on grants.

We dig into “places with purpose,” taking innovation beyond big cities, and the art of saying no so you can say yes to bigger impact.

Innovators Who Have Her Attention:

Zakia Moulaoui Guery, founder and CEO of Invisible Cities

Edinburgh Tool Library

The Remakery

Welcome Brain

If you know someone who would be a great guest, please email me at [email protected] or send me a message on LinkedIn. 

Podcast recording and editing by me, Rachel Sosin.

Cover art by Danielle Brooks: https://www.daniellebrooksillustration.co.uk/

Technical support from Abhinav Wadhwa: https://www.abhinavwadhwa.in/ 

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/vocalista/strangers-in-the-night-acapella

License code: IP17ENDYVQGNUH6E