Impact startup ecosystem
We track 39 organisations in this sector across 6+ countries.
Showing 1–20 of 39 Impact
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50 Partners
Founded 2012 by 50 entrepreneurs. Accelerator offering hands-on mentorship and seed investment for tech, impact, and healthtech ventures; the mentor network includes founders behind BlaBlaCar, Le Bon Coin, and Showroomprivé. Support: equity investment, mentorship, Paris workspace. Scope: National.
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Ars Electronica Festival 2026
Five-day festival on art, technology and society in downtown Linz under the theme 'Future Begins — Negotiating Humanity'. Combines exhibitions, conferences, performances, workshops and tours across three venue clusters: OK Quarter, Med Campus and Danube Triangle.
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Boost Heroes
Boost Heroes is a Milan-based early-stage micro-VC and syndicate founded on 17 July 2015, focusing on seed and early-stage investments across consumer internet, marketplace, impact, and fintech sectors. The firm has made over 57 investments across Europe, North America, and Asia, with portfolio companies including Satispay, Homepal, and GoodBuyAuto. Typical startup valuations at entry range from $1–5 million.
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BpiFrance Inno Génération 2026
BIG (Bpifrance Inno Génération) 2026, billed as Europe's largest business gathering, takes place on Thursday 8 October 2026 at the Accor Arena in Paris under the theme 'place au culot' (audacity). Organized by Bpifrance, France's public investment bank, it brings tens of thousands of entrepreneurs, SME and corporate leaders, researchers and investors together for hundreds of conferences, masterclasses, expert clinics and networking, free to attend.
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César Rodríguez-Garavito
Colombian legal scholar and professor at NYU School of Law, chair of the Earth Rights Research and Action program, working on human rights, environmental law and the rights of nature. He is an announced speaker at the 2026 TEDAI Vienna conference on AI and environmental law.
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ChangeNOW
Organizer of ChangeNOW, a global summit focused on climate and impact innovation. ChangeNOW is an event organiser based in Paris, France. Organising events in the Events, Climate Tech, Impact, Sustainability space.
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ChangeNOW 2026
Global climate and impact summit under the Grand Palais roof connecting founders with investors, corporates, and public-sector decision-makers. High-value platform for climate startups seeking B2B/B2G pilots, procurement pathways, and scale partnerships in sustainability and transition infrastructure.
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ChangeNOW 2027
ChangeNOW 2027 returns to the iconic Grand Palais in Paris for three days dedicated to accelerating solutions for the planet. The summit convenes impact-driven startups, investors, policymakers, and corporations around climate, biodiversity, social innovation, and the energy transition. The 2027 edition dates are officially announced on the event website with pre-registration open.
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Cortilia
Cortilia is Italy's leading farm-to-home e-grocery platform, connecting consumers directly with small and medium Italian producers — sourcing fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, and artisan products from vetted farms and delivering across Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, and six other regions covering 800+ municipalities. Founded in Milan in 2011 by Marco Porcaro, Cortilia has raised €53 million and became a certified B-Corp in 2022 following construction of a LEED Gold-certified green headquarters. Targeting EBITDA breakeven in 2026 and full-year profitability by 2027, the company carries a 2,500-product catalog with a strong focus on sustainability and local supply-chain traceability.
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Cross-Border Impact (Poland-Ukraine)
The Cross-Border Impact Venture Accelerator (also known as Unsung Tech’s Poland-Ukraine program) is a fully online accelerator launched in 2022 to support young Ukrainian entrepreneurs in building humanitarian and impact-focused startups amid the ongoing crisis. This unique six-month program was co-founded by Polish and international tech non-profits in response to the war in Ukraine, aiming to empower Ukrainian youth (often refugees or internally displaced) to address challenges faced by their communities. The program provides equity-free stipends to participants (to cover living and working costs), mentorship in business fundamentals and pitching, and connections to NGOs and international partners. Topics emphasized include leadership under adversity, social entrepreneurship, and financial planning in volatile environments. Notably, the accelerator connects startups with NGOs across seven countries to pilot their solutions in real humanitarian contexts. For example, a cohort team developing a mobile app for reconnecting separated families was paired with relief organizations working in Poland and Ukraine to test and deploy the app. Other startup ideas have included portable water purification units, mental health support platforms, and low-cost prosthetics – all direly needed due to war impacts. The accelerator is run online with occasional in-person meetups in safe locations (e.g., at Google for Startups Warsaw), enabling participants dispersed across Ukraine, Poland, and beyond to collaborate. By late 2023, the Cross-Border Impact Accelerator had supported two cohorts (around 20 startups). Successes included one venture securing grant funding from UNICEF to expand a digital education tool for Ukrainian children, and another joining a global humanitarian tech competition. The program is backed by international donors and tech companies’ CSR arms. Its broader significance lies in showing how entrepreneurship can be a tool for resilience: instead of seeing war-affected youth solely as victims, it empowers them as innovators solving problems like displacement, infrastructure damage, and trauma. The name “Unsung Tech” reflects the mission to uplift underrepresented voices and create solutions that might otherwise go unsung. In sum, the Cross-Border Impact Accelerator stands out as a bold initiative turning tragedy into an impetus for social innovation, forging a new generation of Ukrainian impact-driven founders even in the face of adversity.
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Estoril Conferences 2026
10th edition at Nova SBE Carcavelos, theme 'Reignite Democracy'. Free convening of Nobel laureates, heads of state, activists and young leaders across five pillars including AI & Tech, Health & Preparedness and Global Peace. Limited seats.
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European Forum of Young Leaders 2026
Policy and leadership forum for youth innovators across the EU and Eastern Partnership countries. Strong fit for civic, edtech, and impact-oriented founders seeking public-sector partnerships.
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European Investment Fund
European Union body headquartered in Luxembourg and part of the EIB Group, acting since 1994 as the Union s financing arm for SMEs and mid-caps. Rather than lending directly it shares risk with a network of close to 1,900 partners, backing them with guarantees to lend to smaller companies and with equity funding to invest in startups and scale-ups, which makes it a cornerstone limited partner behind many European venture funds.
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European Sustainable Energy Week 2026
The 20th edition of the EU's largest sustainable-energy conference. Cleantech and energy founders use it to engage policymakers, EU funding bodies, and corporates shaping the regulatory environment.
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Feelsgood Capital
Feelsgood Capital was founded in 2019 and officially licensed by the Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency on June 10, 2020, making it the first social impact investment fund in Croatia and the third VC to launch in the country with an entirely Croatian team. Led by Managing Partners Renata Brkić, Domagoj Oreb, Vedran Blagus, and Dinko Novoselec, the fund manages approximately €30 million targeting Croatian and Slovenian ventures. It backs pre-seed through Series A companies delivering measurable social impact in financial inclusion, agriculture, circular economy, education, and healthcare. Portfolio companies include GameBoost and VIDI X, with roughly 12 investments to date.
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Geneva Health Forum 2026
A biennial gathering at Campus Biotech, one of the largest global health conferences, bringing political, private, academic, and civil-society actors together on global health innovation and policy. For a healthtech founder in the Romandie it is the marquee venue to reach NGOs, multilateral health bodies, and impact funders.
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Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipation Summit 2026
GESDA Summit convenes 1,000+ scientists, diplomats, policymakers and innovators at Palexpo Geneva to translate anticipated scientific breakthroughs across quantum, neurotech, AI, climate and global health into actionable coalitions and governance.
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GreenTech Forum 2026
The leading French event on responsible and sustainable digital technology, held at Station F with around 2,500 participants. For climate and greentech founders it offers conferences, workshops, and an exhibition focused on concrete tools for sustainable digital transition.
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IE Venture Day Poland 2026
University-led startup competition connecting Polish founders with IE University’s global alumni, VCs, and corporate partners. The 2026 edition focuses on impact entrepreneurship and includes a multi-round pitch format with jury feedback and finalist presentations.
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Innovation Village Naples 2026
Eleventh edition of southern Italy's flagship innovation fair at Villa Doria d'Angri. Connects startups, universities, research centres and corporates via B2B and R2B speed-dating, with the Innovation Village Award honouring projects aligned to the UN SDGs.
