Helena
Helena is a non-profit organization of approximately thirty global influencers, founded in 2016 in Los Angeles, that convenes leaders across disciplines to implement solutions to critical societal problems through collaborative projects.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Helena does
Helena is a Los Angeles-headquartered non-profit organization founded in 2016 that operates as a global problem-solving institution. It convenes approximately thirty high-profile individuals — referred to as "Helena Members" and spanning disciplines, generations, and beliefs — including Ilwad Elman, Evan Spiegel (CEO of Snap Inc.), Ariadne Getty, Fabien Cousteau, and Hafsat Abiola-Costello. The organization seeks to implement solutions to critical societal problems through initiatives called "Helena Projects" and frames itself as building an institution suited to the radically shifting dynamics of the 21st century.
Helena runs with a small team (1–10 employees) across offices in Los Angeles and New York City and is not a commercial technology product company; its core operating capability is its convening model and member network rather than proprietary software or hardware. Public outreach is conducted through a branded publication ("The Magazine") and organic social channels on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. There is no disclosed pricing model, paying customer base, or sales motion, consistent with its non-profit designation.
While Helena generates no commercial revenue from its core mission, firmographic data and partnership records show it has participated as a minority investor in two recent external venture funding rounds: a $230 million Series B for Positron AI (an energy-efficient AI inference hardware company) in February 2026 alongside QIA and Arm Holdings, and a $65 million Series A for Star Catcher Industries (a space-based orbital energy grid company developing optical power beaming) in May 2026. These investment participations indicate Helena also functions as a vehicle for deploying member-derived capital into frontier technology categories, even though it has no first-party technology product.
Helena firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Helena
- Legal name
- Helena
- Website
- https://helena.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Helena is a non-profit organization of approximately thirty global influencers, founded in 2016 in Los Angeles, that convenes leaders across disciplines to implement solutions to critical societal problems through collaborative projects.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Helena industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Impact and Philanthropic Services
- NAICS
- Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ), Infrastructure, Housing & Community Development (BPAGABAL)
Keywords
Where Helena is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Helena business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Marketing channels4 records
Helena product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Helena is a global problem-solving non-profit organization that convenes approximately thirty distinguished global influencers called Helena Members to implement solutions to critical societal problems through Helena Projects. Its work is supported by an editorial publication, The Magazine, which documents how ideas turn into action, and by venture investment activity in high-impact technology companies.
Product overview
Helena is a global problem-solving organization that operates alongside exceptional individuals called Helena Members. The organization focuses on implementing solutions to critical societal problems through Helena Projects. Helena is not a technology product company; it functions as an impact-driven institution that unites leaders across disciplines, generations, and beliefs to address vital issues of our time.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Helena
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Helena technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Helena partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves3 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Helena competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Skoll Foundation: A foundation focused on driving large-scale social impact by investing in social entrepreneurs and convening leaders. Directly comparable to Helena as a private, member- and project-driven institution tackling systemic global problems.
- Ashoka: A global network supporting leading social entrepreneurs across disciplines and geographies. Comparable to Helena in its emphasis on cross-sector changemaker communities and long-horizon social problem solving.
- Solve (MIT): An MIT-affiliated initiative that convenes cross-sector leaders to address grand challenges through innovation and partnerships. Closely mirrors Helena's 'global problem solving' positioning and convening-based model.
- XPRIZE Foundation: A foundation that mobilizes global talent and capital through incentive competitions aimed at 'grand challenges' for humanity. Comparable to Helena as a high-profile, mission-driven nonprofit using novel mechanisms to attack major global problems.
Broad incumbents
- Clinton Foundation: A large, established global philanthropic institution that convenes leaders, partners with governments, and implements multi-issue programs. Comparable in convening scale and cross-sector reach, though substantially broader and better resourced than Helena.
- Obama Foundation: A major civic foundation centered on leadership development, civic participation, and convening. Comparable to Helena as a convening-first nonprofit with a global ambitions framing and a strong editorial/storytelling layer.
Emerging players
- Schmidt Futures: A philanthropic initiative founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt that backs talented individuals and cross-sector collaborations on hard problems. Similar in its focus on outstanding individuals and networked problem solving, though operating at a larger capital scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Helena social profiles
Digital presenceHelena financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Helena leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Helena funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Helena M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments22 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Helena
What does Helena do?
Helena is a global problem-solving non-profit organization that convenes approximately thirty distinguished global influencers called Helena Members to implement solutions to critical societal problems through Helena Projects. Its work is supported by an editorial publication, The Magazine, which documents how ideas turn into action, and by venture investment activity in high-impact technology companies.
Is Helena a public or private company?
Helena is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Helena founded?
Helena was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Helena based?
Helena is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Helena's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Skoll Foundation, Ashoka, Solve (MIT) and XPRIZE Foundation. Broad incumbents are Clinton Foundation and Obama Foundation. Schmidt Futures is listed as an emerging player.
Does Helena have an API?
No public API is recorded for Helena.
What industry is Helena in?
Helena's product category is Social Impact and Philanthropic Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAB, Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations, with a secondary code of BPAGAFAJ, Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy. Its NAICS code is 813311 and its SIC code is 8300.