The Swiss Great Walk by Homeless Entrepreneur: 7th Edition En Route to Davos for the World Economic Forum

Written by Andrew Funk

Zurich, Switzerland — From 14 to 18 January 2026, The Great Walk by Homeless Entrepreneur launches its 7th edition, a five-day trek that combines dialogue, solidarity, and social impact. This year’s route travels from Zurich to Pfäffikon SZ, then Weesen, Sargans, Schiers, and culminates in Davos for the World Economic Forum (WEF). In Davos, we will invite WEF participants to walk in solidarity with the homeless community, regardless of badge or badge color, sharing a spontaneous conversation on inclusion and opportunity in the spirit of Dialogue.

“Previously we have spoken with influential leaders from around the world i.e. Christine Lagard (President of the European Central Bank since 2019); John Kerry (American attorney, politician, diplomat, and former naval officer who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the administration of President Barack Obama); and Vivek Anand Oberoi (Indian actor and businessman).”
— Homeless Entrepreneur

Along the route, The Great Walk will identify people experiencing homelessness in Switzerland and extend outreach to global homeless populations through our social media reach, press and ongoing partnerships. We will engage a broad network of local, regional, national, and international organizations and government bodies to strengthen pathways out of homelessness. The project ensures funds and support flow through transparent channels to deliver practical help, skills training, and durable pathways out of homelessness. Local partners Socialwerk Pfarrer Sieber and Seedamm Plaza Hotel anchor the Swiss network, while Bit2Me and IEBS provide finance and entrepreneurship education; Give Back and Start Over Movement fund our programs and projects; Patrick Wind’s Europe-wide Mastermind offers strategic mentorship and funding; and UnDavos plays a key role in connecting with its major independent network and series of events running parallel to the official World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.

Homeless Entrepreneur will proudly carry its Swiss Great Walk flag highlight organizational and individual support.

Evening events along the route will bring together organizations and communities to raise funds, engage the public, and identify individuals who can benefit from Homeless Entrepreneur’s Helpline (+34 697 877 089), Voices, and HELP program. In Davos, we will have brief, on-the-spot interviews with WEF participants on the promenade aligned with the WEF slogan In Spirit of Dialogue. Andrew Funk, founder and president of Homeless Entrepreneur, will interview participants for 30 seconds to as long as they wish, inviting them to share how they would empower people experiencing homelessness to realize their potential.

Desired Outcomes for this edition:

  • Funds raised: 150,000€

  • Social impact: 1,500 new program beneficiaries

  • Partnership: 1 new long-term partner

  • Visibility: over 150,000 online impressions

DONATE

Our official spokesperson is Andrew Funk, Founder and President, Homeless Entrepreneur:

The Great Walk concludes with a community celebration and a public showcase of participants’ progress, linking local action with international collaboration. For updates, please follow us on LinkedIn, or to get involved, please contact the spokesperson above.

Watch the video below to learn more about how project management is helping empower people made of potential out of homelessness via Homeless Entrepreneur.

A Yearly Review of Homeless Entrepreneur in 2024 in 11 Pictures, 4 Videos & 2 Songs

Some say pictures speak louder than words, so we've decided to put that to the test, so everyone can see how we've sped up the process of empowering people made of potential out of homelessness via sustainable work and active citizenship for and with homeless people in our main programs once again in 2024 thanks to our growing international community.

January

The 1st edition of The Great Walk, which is an epic 150 km walk to give a voice and presence to the 150 million homeless individuals worldwide, was successfully created and completed. Every kilometer we walk represents 1 million people made of potential experiencing homelessness. We started in Zurich, Switzerland and finished in Davos to coincide with the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. Homeless Entrepreneur celebrated our 6th annual WEF Sleepout in Davos in our effort to empower people made of potential out of homelessness thanks to public-private partnerships.

Get involved & Support THE UPCOMING GREAT WALK!

February

Homeless Entreprenuer’s commitment to empowering tourists with The Social Impact Room at Hostal Grau Eco Boutique strengthened as its guests starting choosing the initiative on their own instead of being selected.

Every Social Impact Room ends homelessness for 1 homeless person per year, gives a voice to 19 homeless individuals per year and connects 62 people experiencing homelessness with our Helpline annually. On top the direct impact we have on the local homeless community, we are building a stronger, more conscientious network of professional who travel the world and want to make the world a better place so ESGs (Environment/Social/Governance) become part of the DNA of global tourism.

BOOK THE SOCIAL IMPACT ROOM NOW

March

As Homeless Entrepreneur expands throughout Europe, we educate future professionals in university about the obstacles and opportunities that the homeless community face.

Thanks to WorldStrides, our founder president, Andrew Funk, presented amazing strategy challenge for THE Great Walk to 230 students from the University of Utah, who even walked 345km as a group that day. They came up with new ideas to improve THE Great Walk, which helped us prepare for walk to Paris for the Summer Olympics Games.

SEND US IDEAS TO IMPROVE Upcoming GREAT WALKs

April

Mentorship and strengthening our bonds with corporations not only provides direct support to our beneficiaries through our HELP program and main projects, it also bridges the gap between homelessness and the corporate world for Homeless Entrepreneurs.

For example, three Homeless Entrepreneurs were invited to present their HELP program and personal projects in front of the board of Novartis (Spain) as well as receive mentorship support throughout the year.

Become a Corporate Partner

May

Travel plays a key role in improving Homeless Entrepreneur’s model of empowering people made of potential out odf homelessness. We learn more about how European cities are addressing it, while building the scope and strength of our support network.

We travelled to Belgium, Luxembourg and Belgium during May.

We are currently looking for our Mobility for Good Partner for 2025!

Become our Mobility for Good partner

June

Nothing makes us happier than empowering people made of potential out of homelessness through our HELP Program except when we unite them with the sponsors who funding their program like Ismaila and Patrick.

The community of Europe’s #1 MasterMind by Patrick Wind successfully supported 2 Homeless Entrepreneurs in 2023-24 and committed to funding 4 more HELP programs in 2024-25!

eMPOWER HOMELESS ENTREPRENEURS OUT OF HOMELESSNESS

July

Thanks to the support of Air Liquide and our network support, we successfully our second Great Walk, which started in Orleans, France and ended in Paris for the Summer Olympic Games, where we gave 150 million homeless people a voice and presence throughout the countryside and during the Olympics.

BECOME A VOLUNTEER

August

Homeless Entrepreneur partnered up with fritz-kola (our Helpline sponsor in 2024 who empower more than 200 homeless beneficiaries through our Helpline: +34 697 877 089) and Microsoft for our HEAT AID campaign for 3 main reasons:

1) No one should die in our streets due to the heat. Local government, corporations and everyday citizens have the chance to come together and ensure that individuals experiencing homelessness have the resources, tools and network to stay safe and healthy while providing opportunities to become active, working citizens again.

2) People experiencing homelessness are more exposed to heat related deaths. According to Climate Scientist David Hondula, “homeless people are about 200 times more likely to die from heat-associated causes than sheltered people.” (1)

3) Spain is one of the countries in Europe where the mortality rate of heat-related causes is the highest. Researchers found 61,672 people died of heat-related causes in Europe between 30 May and 4 September 2022. (2)

JOIN OUR HEAT AID CAMPAIGN IN 2025

September

We finally completed our Twelve Cities project by Guillem S. Benet, a minimalist catalan pianist, which sonifies the obstacles and opportunities of homelessness and poverty in twelve European cities is almost finished.

Enjoy his piano piece called “Strasbourg,“ which was the last one he composed and officially published in November.

We are also proud to have inspired the city of Luxembourg with our project.

Tim de Buyser, 14 years old, is a student at the Conservatory and won first prize at the My Urban Piano Competition in 2023. In this video filmed in the Pfaffenthal elevator, he plays a piece composed by Guillem S. Benet, which is part of a cycle of songs representing different European countries.

Learn more about our Twelve Cities project

October

Thanks to volunteers like Cristina Cabello, Global Procurement Technology at EY, Homeless Entrepreneur becoming part of the corporate DNA to create greater social impact.

We were selected as a potential recipient of Javier Pancorbo Awards’ XVII Edition at EY Spain in Madrid, Spain. Although we didn’t win the prize, we did win the hearts and minds of stakeholders at EY!

Donate & Empower Jennifer out of homelessness

November

Our model to end homelessness caught the attention of Norway!

Our founder president, Andrew Funk, gave an interactive presentation called “Mastering the Art of Ending Homelessness“ at the Norwegian International Entrepreneurship Conference directed by Kristian Aartun.

INVITE HOMELESS ENTREPRENEUR TO GIVE A KEYNOTE

December

After three long years of developing the concept, our “The UnforeSeen Variable“ sculpture created by international artist, Veronica de Nogales, in collaboration with Homeless Entrepreneur to raise awareness on global precarity and climate change to create positive social impact, it is finally going to be unveiled during the World Economic Forum at the Climate Hub Davos, which is organized by GreenUp.

JOIN THE SCULPTURE INAUGURATION: 20 JANUARY 2025 @ 15H

Summary

Thanks to everyone who has been involved, we've provided support to +1,000 beneficiaries in our main programs in 2024 and hope to empower +3,000 people made of potential experiencing homelessness in our programs in 2025.

Special Thanks to our Collaborators, Partners & Support Network who EMPOWERED PEOPLE MADE OF POTENTIAL OUT OF HOMELESSNESS WITH US IN 2024!

We’d like to thank everyone who have placed their trust in Homeless Entrepreneur by interacting with us and supporting our work and most importantly our beneficiaries in 2024 because it wouldn’t be possible without them!

We need your support for 2025!

If you appreciate our work and would like to help support us, please do.

A donation that comes from your heart, which is coherent with your interest and possibilities is the difference between more or less homeless people made of potential becoming empowered out of poverty.

Donate today & Empower People out of Homelessness in 2025.

A huge hug,

Andrew Funk

Founder President of Homeless Entrepreneur

Homeless Entrepreneur’s Sculpture Gives 150 Million Homeless People a Presence at the World Economic Forum in Davos

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND – Homeless Entrepreneur has the pleasure of announcing the unveiling of the powerful sculpture “The UnforeSeen Variable,” created by international artist Veronica de Nogales, which is organized by GreenUp at the Climate Hub (Arkadenplatz (Kulturplatz), Promenade 58C, Davos Platz on 20 January 2025 at 15h) during the World Economic Forum (WEF) This monumental piece, which embodies the challenges and resilience of 150 million homeless individuals, aims to spark conversation and inspire action on the global stage. 

The unveiling will take place on the first day of the WEF, a gathering that brings together world leaders, innovators, and influencers dedicated to addressing pressing global issues, including climate change and social inequality. “The UnforeSeen Variable” serves as a poignant reminder of the unforeseen challenges faced by many, particularly in the context of economic disparity exacerbated by climate-related issues.

Veronica de Nogales, known for her thought-provoking installations, has crafted “The UnforeSeen Variable” to reflect the dynamic interplay between society's expectations and the unpredictable nature of human experiences. The sculpture is constructed from recycled materials, reinforcing the message of sustainability and the importance of reimagining waste in a world striving for ecological balance. 

“This sculpture is not just an artistic endeavor; it is a call to action,” said de Nogales. “It invites viewers to reconsider their perceptions of homelessness and to understand that every individual has their own story, their own unseen variables that shape their journey.” 

Homeless Entrepreneur, committed to empowering people made of potential out of homelessness, aims to use this sculpture to foster dialogue and action among WEF attendees and beyond. By highlighting the intersection of economic, environmental, and social challenges, the organization hopes to inspire collaborative solutions that can uplift marginalized communities. 

“We believe that art has the power to transform perspectives and catalyze change,” said Andrew Funk, Founder President of Homeless Entrepreneur. “With ‘The UnforeSeen Variable,’ we aim to not only raise awareness but also encourage leaders to take actionable steps towards inclusivity and sustainability.” 

The unveiling event will feature speeches from advocates, artists, and leaders in the social entrepreneurship space, along with opportunities for attendees to engage with the sculpture and reflect on its message. Major press outlets are encouraged to cover this significant event, which promises to be a highlight of the WEF. 

For more information about the sculpture and its impact, please visit Homeless Entrepreneur’s website: https://www.homelessentrepreneur.org/en/solidary-projects/sculpture-the-unforeseen-variable

Join Us in Shaping the Conversation 

We invite journalists, media outlets, and influencers to join us in Davos to witness the unveiling and participate in the dialogue that surrounds this important topic. Together, we can work towards a future where every individual is seen, heard, and valued. 

For media inquiries, please contact: Andrew Funk, Founder President of Homeless Entrepreneur / Tel: +34 697 877 089 / funk@homelessentrepreneur.org

About Homeless Entrepreneur: Homeless Entrepreneur is dedicated to empowering people made of potential out of homelessness through active citizenship, entrepreneurship and creative expression. By providing our main programs, resources and support, we aim to transform lives and foster community connections.

About Veronica de Nogales: Veronica de Nogales is an international artist known for her thought provoking public art installations with Dam de Nogales Sculptors. Her work often highlights environmental and social issues, inviting viewers to engage with and reflect on the world around them.

About Climate Hub by GreenUp: The regenerative impact space Climate Hub Davos is created and hosted by the Swiss non-profit GreenUp. The Climate Hub Davos brings together people working on climate and nature, and welcomes all those wanting to collaborate and be inspired to do more: everybody is invited to visit and co-create the climate positive future we need.