How we activated a Climate Innovation Ecosystem with 1900+ stakeholders
As part of the Nachhaltig Wirken initiative (2024–2027), Impact Hub Berlin set out to strengthen the climate innovation ecosystem in Germany.
The programme focuses on three core pillars: Connect, Enable and Inspire – combining ecosystem building, capacity development and strategic foresight.
The goal
To move from fragmented initiatives to a structured, scalable climate innovation ecosystem.
The challenge
Climate innovation ecosystems often face:
- Fragmented stakeholder networks
- Limited access to structured learning and resources
- Lack of shared insights and future-oriented guidance
At the same time, there was a need to:
- Engage a diverse set of actors (startups, corporates, investors, public sector)
- Ensure inclusivity in climate solutions
- Scale impact beyond one-off events
Our approach
Using our Internal Innovation framework, we designed a multi-layered ecosystem approach built on three pillars.
Pillars of impact
Connect – Curated networking formats and flagship events to activate the ecosystem:
- Impact Entrepreneurship Forum
- Pitch & Pizza / Need for Speed networking formats
Enable – Capacity-building through the RISE Academy, offering:
- Online courses (e.g. Impact Business Modelling)
- Webinars and knowledge resources
- Workshops and expert sessions
Inspire – Strategic foresight through:
- Annual Trend Reports (e.g. AI for Inclusive Climate Action)
- AI Stewardship Programme connecting global experts
This approach combined community building, learning and thought leadership into one scalable system.
Our strategic impact in the ecosystem
- Strong growth of a structured climate innovation ecosystem
- Increased accessibility to knowledge and networks for impact founders
- Positioning of Impact Hub Berlin as a thought leader in climate innovation
- Integration of AI as a tool for scaling climate impact
Our impact in numbers
- 1,970 total participants across formats
- 452 workshop participants
- 150 participants at the Impact Entrepreneurship Forum (above target)
- 247 RISE Academy users (179 based in Germany)
- 4,756 stakeholders in the ecosystem database
- 47.3 million media reach
- 919 Trend Report downloads
- 4.9/5 participant satisfaction
- 80% mission-driven organisations among participants
- 30+ cross-sector speakers involved
