Are you ready to turn your social business idea into a reality? From developing a strong business plan to building a network of partners and supporters, we are here to help you every step of the way. As a global network of impact entrepreneurs, we understand the numerous challenges that come with launching a successful social enterprise. The journey ahead may seem daunting, but with the right support and resources, you can overcome any obstacle and make a lasting impact in your community and beyond. 

At Impact Hub Founders Academy, we are determined to help you tackle the challenges of starting and growing a social enterprise. Our network has helped open 100+ Impact Hubs worldwide, where impact entrepreneurs who are ready to drive change will gain the shared knowledge of our insights and processes. In our first-ever Future Founders day event, we covered the ins and outs of getting started. Here’s what you need to know.

Key Takeaways from Impact Hub’s First Future Founders Day

Designed to help people and teams interested in bringing Impact Hub to their cities, Impact Hub launched its first-ever Future Founders Day. The event was initiated to explore the Impact Hub business model and vision, to share inspiring Impact Hub co-founders stories, and to outline the best practices for building thriving communities.

There was a great showcase of strength from the network and activated impact makers across the globe at Impact Hub’s first Founders Day. Alongside the global team and experts from the network, Impact Hub founders came together to shed light and provide insight into their founding journey. 

My dream was to be part of a network where I could learn from places like Accra and Kathmandu. For me, it is still an ongoing learning journey. It is not easy to be a social change leader with many problems that need solving. Therefore, we really need each other. We need Impact Hubs run by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. – Tatiana Glad, Executive Director Impact Hub Global

Opening an Impact Hub

Founding an Impact Hub or rebranding an organisation is more than just setting up social entrepreneurship in a local community. It is an opportunity to come on board as business partners and co-owners of the Impact Hub Network. Impact Hubs are curators of the physical, virtual, and social spaces of the change we want to see in the world. These spaces help materialise the change by offering infrastructure, connections, and inspiration. The Impact Hub Network is a collaborative entrepreneurial community of impact-driven entrepreneurs, civil society leaders, innovators, investors, and organisations. To build and support these communities, Impact Hub provides relevant peer connections, a wide choice of programmes (skills training, incubation and acceleration, ecosystem development etc.), and collaborative working, meeting, and event spaces.

Community is an essential element of starting any Impact Hub, and only with its support will the business be sustainable. The local and global community is at the heart of everything Impact Hub does.

When we were approached to join the network, we were wondering if we were good enough and if we were at the right place. In order to elevate our work, we had conversations with our board and team, and even held town halls. Our community told us they needed that. They wanted more connection, more ideas, more partners. – Bahar, Impact Hub Kathmandu

Benefits of Becoming Part of the Global Network

Founding an Impact Hub allows the team to embed itself in the global network as business partners and tap into its benefits. These benefits include:

• A resilient business model
  From initiating to scaling up, support through guidance and expertise is provided to profile and leverage one of the world’s largest social entrepreneurship communities. 
• A globally recognised brand
  70% of Impact Hub founders regard the Impact Hub brand as a key benefit of founding an Impact Hub. 
• Joint business making
  Gain 110+ business partners and benefit from translocal programme opportunities and member services.
• Ongoing support and guidance
  Gain access to how-to guides, webinars, toolkits, in-person capacity building, regional and global gatherings, and ongoing knowledge sharing. 
• A global community of entrepreneurs
  Local members have access to a global community with more than 25,000+ members.

Founding Impact Hub Accra is single-handedly one of the best decisions I’ve made. If there was ever an institution that allowed me to bring all my joys and ambitions together, I couldn’t have found a better network and group of people to do it with. Be intentional, find great people, and build some interesting things in your city by founding an Impact Hub. – William Senyo, Impact Hub Accra

Founding a Locally Rooted Impact Hub 

Whether starting from scratch or transitioning from an existing organisation, assistance is provided. Once the local community has been engaged, the next step is applying to join the Impact Hub Founders Academy. The Founders Academy is a five-month programme designed to equip the founders and team with skills and abilities to open a regional Impact Hub or rebrand an existing organisation. With comprehensive training and support, new founders will learn to build a diverse and thriving community, develop entrepreneurial support initiatives, and tailor these approaches to their local context. 

Part of the role of an impactful community is creating spaces where serendipity can happen. By managing and curating that community effectively, we open up many opportunities for serendipity to occur. – Bruno Lacey, Impact Hub Global

Are you ready to bring Impact Hub to your community? Schedule a call with our team today!