AXES Toolkit: Access to market in the sustainable food sector
AXES Toolkit: Access to market in the sustainable food sector
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The time is now. The way is together.
This report is dedicated to all the Impact Makers who show us that a better future is not only possible but already in progress.
This year we celebrate 20 years of the Impact Hub Network: from one community in 2005 to a global movement of 120+ locations and 500,000 Impact Makers today.
Our anniversary comes at a crucial moment. From climate breakdown to deepening inequalities, global challenges are intensifying and the need for innovation has never been greater. Impact entrepreneurship offers pathways forward- creating solutions where others see barriers.
By working with companies on ESG, with public institutions on social innovation, and with entrepreneurs on locally rooted solutions, we demonstrate how co-creation delivers lasting change.
This report looks back on 2024–2025: our global, local, and translocal programmes, our collective impact, and the steps we are taking toward regenerative futures. It is a record of progress, and an invitation to join us in shaping what comes next.
500k+ Impact Makers driving positive change
Collaboration paths for impact
Our paths to impact show how we respond to a world of rising challenges with concrete change. They highlight where we focus our energy: working with companies, public institutions, entrepreneurs, and our global Network.
Each path is proof that collaboration is the only way to move forward- embedding innovation into the way we work and govern. In the following pages, you’ll find how these routes come to life, driving impact locally, globally, and across our communities.
Empowering companies to turn global challenges into business value through impact-focused innovation
Companies today face rising pressure to meet ESG, equity, and resilience goals while staying competitive. Impact Hub partners with corporations to turn these challenges into growth opportunities. Through open innovation, sustainable procurement, and value chain transformation, we help businesses build resilience, compliance, and long-term value.
By empowering local communities, we also connect corporate purpose with authentic social impact. The result: measurable outcomes for people, planet, and business performance.
Explore our work.
Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award
The Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award is a celebration of women entrepreneurs leading innovative change in their cities. This initiative provides resource, knowledge, and network support to women entrepreneurs in scaling their ventures in health and food security.
M
people reached with improved healthcare.
k
tonnes of organic material diverted from waste streams.
Tencent: CarbonX Programme 2.0
CarbonX Program 2.0 initiated by Tencent and its global partners supports emerging low-carbon technologies to build first-of-its-kind pilot projects in real industrial settings, incubate high-potential startups, and support capacity-building projects.
$
M+
catalytic funding to scale carbon innovation solutions across the globe
+
applicants from over 50 countries
Women-led innovation
In 2024, Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award winners delivered healthcare to 3.68M people, supported 69,000 farmers, and boosted rural incomes by $3.93M. Now, meet the 2025 innovators ready to grow this impact.
Bank of America: Driving circular innovation
The SUPR Lab, supported by Bank of America, accelerates circular economy solutions across Asia. In partnership with the Impact Hub Network, it connects entrepreneurs and corporates, brokers collaborations, and develops sustainable procurement models — reducing waste, strengthening supply chains, and proving how co-creation delivers systemic impact for a regenerative economy.
Equip public institutions to solve complex challenges collaboratively
The Public Sector is facing interconnected crises that demand a collaborative multistakeholder approach. Impact Hub works with public institutions at various levels – local, regional, national and multilateral – to help formulate policies, build institutional capacity, and pilot impact‑driven solutions.
Through ecosystem building, open innovation, and real‑world validation, we turn public ambition into systemic change, ensuring institutions can lead with inclusivity and resilience.
Explore our work.
Roots of Circularity Nepal
Roots of Circularity Nepal is a four-year initiative to ignite a systemic shift in Nepali citizens, enterprises, and policies toward the adoption and integration of circular economy principles. The programme is being implemented across Bagmati and Lumbini Provinces, working with local stakeholders to catalyse change across education, enterprise, civil society, and government.
+
people engaged at Nepal’s first Circularity Conclave.
+
green jobs supported.
SoTecIn Factory
Funded by Horizon Europe, SoTecIn Factory is a collaborative consortium working to enhance the sustainability and resilience of European industrial value chains of food, water & nutrients, textiles, plastics, and packaging. By supporting mission-oriented social innovators and connecting them with technology providers and industrial companies, SoTecIn Factory accelerates the transition toward more sustainable practices across these sectors.
€
M
funds granted to 50 social ventures.
€
M
raised by participating ventures during the project period.
Driving circular innovation in industrial value chains
Discover how SoTecIn Factory is supporting 30 breakthrough solutions in low-carbon food, water & nutrients, textiles, plastics, & packaging value chains.
SUBLIME Toolkit: Empowering Youth for Climate & Gender Justice
Imagine a generation of leaders rising with courage, compassion, and conviction. This free, EU-funded guide helps young Impact Makers and mentors unlock the inner strength, values, and vision to lead community-based climate initiatives.
Created by Impact Hub Network & Impact Hub Athens to inspire young leaders everywhere.
Equip local changemakers to turn context‑driven ideas into impact
Entrepreneurs everywhere hold solutions to the world’s toughest challenges, yet many lack the tools, networks, and capital to scale. Impact Hub builds thriving local ecosystems through co‑working spaces, startup programmes, and investment readiness support.
By combining local context with global connections, we enable place‑based entrepreneurs to grow ventures that address urgent issues, from climate resilience to inclusive economies.
Explore our work.
AXES
AXES enables agrifood enterprises in rural Colombia and Costa Rica to expand their market reach and improve sustainable practices in their supply chains – driving economic growth and resilient agricultural ecosystems.
+
agrifood SMEs supported in Colombia and Costa Rica.
+
%
participants adopting sustainable practices or certifications.
adidas Community Lab
adidas Community Lab supports Black and Latino/a/e social entrepreneurs to make sports more inclusive and accessible in the US and Canada. Through funding, mentorship, and community collaboration, we’re developing inclusive solutions that foster well-being and create lasting impact in underserved communities.
$
0
M
revenue circulated through communities.
50
+
hours of expert support delivered.
Making sports more inclusive and accessible
Since 2022, Impact Hub Network has partnered with adidas Community Lab to demonstrate how brands can drive systemic economic and social change by investing in inclusive entrepreneurship.
The future of co-working and entrepreneurship
The Impact Hub Network is redefining coworking as place-based innovation, transforming shared spaces into ecosystems of belonging where purpose-driven communities come together to tackle the greatest challenges of our time.
Leverage global networks to act locally and transform systems globally
Global problems require solutions rooted in local realities. Impact Hub’s 120+ Hubs in 65+ countries operate through a unique governance model that balances local autonomy with global coordination. Through translocal programmes, shared platforms, and equitable decision‑making, we turn network collaboration into a driver of just and sustainable futures- scaling what works, faster and more inclusively than ever before.
The EU Cluster: collaboration as a competitive advantage
Amidst political turbulence across the EU, the Impact Hub Network’s EU Cluster stands as a beacon of collaboration, proving that a coordinated Network can be both a driver of social innovation and a lifeline for mission-driven organisations.
Expanding impact: the multi-hub model in Armenia
Beyond the capital, Impact Hub Armenia’s multi-hub model decentralises opportunity and connects diverse regional communities, demonstrating how a network can adapt a global vision to create profound local impact.
Issue-based Ecosystem Building Methodology
We bring together diverse stakeholders to build ecosystems that drive coordinated action and lasting systems change through our unique approach and own methodology.
BEAM
Our unique translocal programme delivery is only possible through the power of our global Impact Hub Network. We uniquely connect local action with global collaboration. The BEAM programme is one example: uniting three Hubs across Asia-Pacific to unlock entrepreneurship for women and entrepreneurs with disabilities, paving the way for a more inclusive future.
Scaling impact ideas that matter
From climate action to social justice, today’s challenges demand innovation and collective action. Across 68 countries, we connect entrepreneurs with corporate and public partners to build ecosystems where solutions grow and scale. Together, we unlock investment, generate employment, and prove how bold local ideas drive global change.
55%
of entrepreneurs
reached double-digit growth
15,554
impact
enterprises
supported in 2025
300+
support programmes
delivered across our Network
11,186
new jobs
created per year for an inclusive economy
€300M
investment
raised by our impact enterprises
54%
women co-founders
leading the companies of tomorrow
Corporate Sustainable Innovation Trends
A new wave of sustainable business innovation is here. Discover how leaders like IKEA, adidas, Bayer Foundation, and Tencent are using impact partnerships to fuel growth, unlock new markets, and build resilient supply chains.
What’s inside?
Five key trends driving the shift from CSR to strategy- Real-world examples from Early Movers
- Replicable strategies your team can apply today
- A quick checklist to assess your partnership readiness
Start an Impact Hub in your city
Impact Hubs are place-based innovation spaces for Impact Makers to cultivate ideas that drive systemic change. We foster meaningful collaboration between key players in corporate and institutional sectors, support impact enterprises, and build the necessary capabilities to promote sustainable development.
Starting an Impact Hub means joining a community of visionary people committed to extraordinary change. It is a commitment to build ecosystems of impact that are locally rooted, globally connected, and dedicated to shaping a just and sustainable future.
Impact stories on the ground
Across the Impact Hub Network, impact is unfolding in countless ways: entrepreneurs are pioneering new paths, communities are building resilience, and Impact Hubs are sparking systemic change.
Together, these stories capture how local action, rooted in collaboration and innovation, is shaping a future where business serves both people and planet.
Top SDGs in action
The UN Sustainable Development Goals guide our work and connect action on the ground to global priorities.
Across 131 Impact Hubs in 69 countries, we advance the SDGs by turning ambition into measurable progress for people and planet. Below, you’ll see the top three goals advanced in each region, as reported by Impact Hubs worldwide.
Africa & Middle East
SDG8: Decent work
SDG4: Quality education
SDG11: Sustainable cities
Asia Pacific
SDG9: Industry & innovation
SDG3: Health & well-being
SDG5: Gender equality
Europe
SDG8: Decent work
SDG10: Reduced inequalities
SDG5: Gender equality
Latin America
SDG8: Decent work
SDG5: Gender equality
SDG17: Partnership goals
North America
SDG4: Education
SDG10: Reduced inequalities
SDG17: Partnership goals
Globally
SDG8: Decent work
SDG5: Gender equality
SDG10: Reduced inequalities
Resources to amplify impact
Our global network is a living source of tools and knowledge to equip social innovators, entrepreneurs, and ecosystem enablers with practical guidance, research insights, and proven methodologies.
Co-developed with leading universities, corporate partners, public institutions, and practitioners worldwide, this collection provides actionable frameworks and inspiring examples that strengthen the capacity of Impact Makers to drive meaningful change.
Who we are
Ready to partner for impact?
Become an Impact Maker
Gain access to valuable resources, collaborative spaces, and a supportive network passionate about making a difference.
Open an Impact Hub in your city
Start an Impact Hub and be part of a global network committed to driving positive social and environmental impact in your community.
Partner for impact
Combine strengths, expertise, and resources to drive meaningful change and create a lasting positive impact on society and the planet.
Community Partnerships
Leverage resources, networks, and expertise to foster social innovation and create sustainable solutions for your local ecosystem.
Thank you to all the Impact Makers who have made this journey possible.
Let’s keep building the future. The time is now, the way together!
Inclusive and sustainable innovation - at scale.
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