Welcome to our yearly Impact Report! This report marks 10 years of Impact Hub Berlin, and 2023 saw so many new projects and beginnings that it felt like a decade itself.
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Our world desperately needs solutions that can scale
Nature and communities worldwide suffer from the accelerating effects of climate change and rapidly growing inequalities. Simultaneously an increasing number of entrepreneurs are striving to make a positive impact on people and the planet. Our business is to support their journey to success and make sure their solutions scale at least as fast as our collective challenges.
In this report, you will read about Impact Hub Berlin events and the uplifting mutual support of our community, the growing impact of our programmes, and the circular story of our award-winning space. There is a clear red thread running through the chapters of this report and our story of the last 10 years — a thread of continuous growth in size and professionalism.
Planting seeds for a forest to grow
Our impact ecosystem is an inspiring centre for the impact economy grounded in the values of courage, trust, and collaboration. Through strategic alliances, innovation thrives.
Every connection we foster and every space for collaboration that we create is a planted seed. And while we care for our seeds, and for maintaining the ecosystem, their growth and the partnerships that sprout from them are the result of collective action. Let’s dive into what growth looked like for our community in 2023.
Impact Ecosystem
10 years of building and curating a community of impact practitioners, resulting in today’s active ecosystem geared at radical collaboration. Two pathways to impact are the basis of this approach: Entrepreneurial pathway and Collaboration Pathway
“In order to keep improving in terms of sustainability, we also need strong partnerships and exchanges with innovative minds outside the company, and that's exactly what the collaboration with Impact Hub Berlin offers."
Christoph Wendker, Vice President Corporate Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs at Miele
FUNDED BY:
Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action as part of the REACT-EU initiative
/ IMPACT TOPIC:
Track 1: Sustainable Packaging
Track 2: Food Waste
6 WEEKS
per track
11 STARTUPS
20 FOUNDERS
9 FINTA* FOUNDERS
Programme highlight: Impact Accelerator
A thematically focused accelerator aimed to improve impact startups' growth trajectory through a focus on industry partnerships in two tracks.
The Impact Accelerator was made possible thanks to funding provided by the European Union and the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action as part of the REACT-EU initiative.
Impact Accelerator Success story: Skonelabs
Meet Skonelabs, the startup which developed a smart IoT device monitoring the quality of unpacked fresh foods and predicting spoilage, tackling one of the linear economy’s most urgent problems - food waste.
2023 was a thriving year for Skonelabs. The startup participated in two Impact Hub Berlin programmes in 2023: an incubator and an accelerator. After graduating in Circular Together in May, the Skonelabs team was accepted to the Impact Accelerator food waste track. Later in the year, Skonelab founders Nishit Agarwal and Siddardha Koneti became part of the nawi.Berlin, a project funded by the Berlin Senate which offers affordable office space and community membership at Impact Hub Berlin. Still in 2023, Skonelabs raised a seed round of €150k from Antler.
“SkoneLabs' journey began with acceptance into the Circular Together and the Impact Accelerator programme. This pivotal moment provided the initial boost we needed to get started. The Berliner Startup Stipendium and coaching from Impact Hub Berlin further fuelled our progress, boosting SkoneLabs from the ideation stage to a pilot phase. Beyond the financial and strategic support, the program's true value lies in its diverse community. These individuals constantly challenged us to refine our business model and product strategy, while also fostering a vibrant and supportive team culture.”
Nishit Agarwal, CEO, Skonelabs
