CSR Creates Social Capital, Enhances Brand Reputation: inDrive

Investing in projects with social impact that goes beyond a company’s business core can have broader impact not only for the company, but for all stakeholders surrounding it, says inDrive. The company considers that this approach allows the creation of social capital, making communities stronger, and enhances brand reputation.

On June 11, 2025, inDrive announced the third edition of its Alternativa Film Festival, a nomadic festival that supports filmmakers from what the company calls the Global South. The event will take place in Colombia in 2Q26, with a prize fund of US$120,000. According to Liza Surganova, Head, Alternativa, the initiative is designed to amplify voices that deserve global attention and to support films that align with the parent company's mission. “This initiative gives visibility to filmmakers from the Global South, providing financial support, mentorship, and promotional and distribution tools to share their stories, tools that align with inDrive’s culture of challenging injustice and unlocking access where there were once few opportunities,” Surganova told MBN.

When questioned by MBN on why a mobility company would invest in a project that is not directly related to the company’s core business, Rafael Garza, Country Manager, inDrive Mexico, said the company sees these projects as tools for long-term value creation, rather than as traditional philanthropy. “Our core values: people, purpose, and performance, go far beyond our mobility and urban services platform. Investing in arts, sports, and education generates invaluable social capital: stronger communities, motivated young talent, and a brand reputation anchored in purpose. That adds long-term business value in ways traditional advertising never could,” he told MBN.

Garza told MBN these projects benefit the lives of their beneficiaries, and at the same time unlock value for the company’s business model, and, as a consequence, further CSR initiatives. “A film festival strengthens our brand, forges unexpected partnerships with government agencies, universities, and cultural organizations, and opens new dialogues. That builds trust and differentiation, which corporate clients and investors increasingly look for in partners with real, long-term vision,” he added.

Surganova adds that these projects offer partners symbolic and practical returns. She explained that when a company sponsors a filmmaker or supports the festival, the action transcends simple branding, allowing the partner to actively contribute to cultural change. “It is not just branding, it is co-creating cultural change. That alignment builds reputation, opens access to new audiences, and offers a competitive edge that, over time, translates into commercial opportunity,” Surganova explained to MBN.

While investing in CSR is an important step for companies to have a positive impact, experts stress that CSR objectives should not be created with the only reason of having an immediate return on investment. According to the Harvard Business Review, business benefits should be a spillover from CSR initiatives, not their primary goal. 

"By providing meaningful financial backing (to filmmakers), we are sending a powerful message to filmmakers: ‘We believe in your voice, not just your content’s marketability.’ The result? Films that reach schools, communities, and global audiences,” Surganova concluded.