MakeSense

What MakeSense does

MakeSense is a Paris-headquartered nonprofit association (loi 1901), founded in 2010 by Christian and Leila, that operates a multi-sided platform for collective action on social and environmental issues. The organization serves three primary constituencies — individual citizens, social entrepreneurs, and organizations (companies, NGOs, public authorities) — through a portfolio of open-source program formats including holdup workshops, sprints, a social-entrepreneurship incubator, the educational branch senseschool, the organizational transformation practice commonssense, and the COVID-era citizen mobilization program ré_action. Its underlying technology is a set of open-source methodologies, digital tools, and program architectures (rather than a software product) that are deployed across salaried teams in five countries (France/Mexico/Senegal/Philippines/Lebanon/Peru) and a volunteer network spanning roughly 100 cities. Over 15 years the organization reports mobilizing 300,000+ citizens, supporting 8,000 entrepreneurial projects, and engaging 15,000 employees of partner organizations, with measurable behavior-change outcomes (e.g., 75% of participants convinced action is possible, 20% creating impact projects).

MakeSense's business model combines nonprofit grant and donation funding for free citizen programs with three monetized revenue streams: (1) strategic and operational consulting/advisory for organizations seeking sustainability transformation (professional services); (2) paid incubation, sprint, and training programs for entrepreneurs and organizations; and (3) investment fund management economics from makesense Seed I (launched 2019) and the newly launched Seed II (€15M first close, December 2025, backed by the European Investment Fund and Mirova), which deploys €200k–€500k tickets into circular and socially inclusive ventures. The investment fund arm — including portfolio companies such as United Repair Center and Jay & Joy — represents a strategic shift from program operator to impact fund manager. No public pricing exists; most citizen-facing programs are free, while enterprise consulting terms are not disclosed. Distribution is community-led, combining events, regional websites, social media (the organization originated as a Facebook group in 2010), and a volunteer-led extension model, with no traditional sales motion.

Name

MakeSense

Legal name

makesense (association loi 1901)

Website

https://makesense.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact and Community Mobilization Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Creator-Led Course Hosting & Monetization Platforms (EDAFAIAC)

Keywords

• Social entrepreneurship support
• Citizen mobilization programs
• Social impact incubation
• Nonprofit consulting services
• Community engagement workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Fund Management: Makesense manages investment funds (Seed I, Seed II) that deploy capital in social entrepreneurs. Seed II is a €15M pre-Seed fund targeting circular and socially inclusive ventures across France and Europe.
2. Advisory and Consulting Services: Strategic and operational consulting for organizations, companies, NGOs and public authorities seeking to transform for sustainability and social impact.
3. Incubation and Training Programs: Programs for entrepreneurs including incubation, sprints, and formations. Also includes seminars, community building, and networking with the makesense ecosystem.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MakeSense is a nonprofit association that designs and runs collective-mobilisation programs — including Holdup workshops, multi-week Sprints, an Incubator, and education tracks (Senseschool, Campus) — while also deploying two seed-investment funds (MakeSense Seed I and II) for social enterprises and a dedicated commonssense practice that helps corporations, NGOs and public authorities embed social and environmental transformation. It bundles grassroots citizen engagement, entrepreneur support, and organisational consulting into a single open-source methodology stack.

Product overview

MakeSense is a nonprofit organization operating a multi-product portfolio focused on social and environmental transitions. The offering combines citizen mobilization programs (including engagement workshops called 'holdups' and action programs like Ré_action), entrepreneurial support (incubator, sprints, and investment funds—Seed I launched 2019, Seed II launched 2025), organizational transformation services (commonssense), and educational initiatives (Senseschool, Campus). The products work together to move individuals from awareness to collective action: citizens engage through workshops, entrepreneurs receive incubation and funding, organizations get consulting and training, and all stakeholders benefit from the shared ecosystem and makesense's strategic Power of 10 initiative targeting 10% of global youth by 2030.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• makesense seed II: €15 million pre-Seed investment fund targeting circular and socially inclusive ventures across France and Europe
• Seed I
• sensespace
• hold-ups / holdups
• sprints
• Puissance 10 / Power of 10

Products and services

• Holdups

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% of participants convinced it is possible to take action
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Jay & JoycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026French plant-based cheese company. Newcomer investor in Jay & Joy's €2 million fundraising round alongside Demeter, Beyond Impact, Mindstone, and Vivegan. Supports commercial and operational deployment.
• United Repair CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2025Dutch social enterprise providing industrial-scale apparel repair solutions for fashion brands. First investment of makesense seed II fund. Creates employment for people excluded from the labour market.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ashoka: Global nonprofit supporting social entrepreneurs via fellowships, incubation, and ecosystem building. Most directly comparable to makesense's social entrepreneur incubation and ecosystem orchestration role, with similar multi-country presence.
• Acumen: Nonprofit impact investor that combines patient capital with entrepreneur support for early-stage social enterprises. Closely mirrors makesense's hybrid model of incubation plus investment, especially the recently launched Seed II fund.
• Yunus Social Business: Organization funding social businesses in developing countries, with operations across Latin America, Africa, and Asia — markets that overlap meaningfully with makesense's salaried-team geographies.
• Echoing Green: Global nonprofit identifying and funding emerging social entrepreneurs through fellowships and leadership programs. Directly comparable in mission and beneficiary base to makesense's social entrepreneur focus.
• Impact Hub: Global network of impact-focused co-working spaces, incubators, and innovation programs for social entrepreneurs. Comparable to makesense's physical spaces (sensespace) and global community mobilization across multiple cities.

Emerging players

• Enactus: Global nonprofit mobilizing student-led social entrepreneurship through university programs in 30+ countries. Directly comparable to makesense's senseschool and youth-focused Puissance 10 mobilization strategy.
• Singularity University: Global impact and technology education platform running programs, incubators, and summits targeting mission-driven entrepreneurs. Overlaps with makesense's campus/educational branch and enterprise transformation services.

Broad incumbents

• Skoll Foundation: Large-scale foundation supporting social entrepreneurs through grants, investment, and storytelling. Comparable in mission and ecosystem approach but operates at significantly greater scale and capital base.
• Nesta: UK-based innovation foundation running programs on social innovation, citizen engagement, and experimental funding mechanisms. Comparable methodology and citizen-engagement focus, though focused on UK policy.
• Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship: World Economic Forum-affiliated foundation recognizing and supporting social entrepreneurs globally. Similar mission and global reach but operates with corporate/forum backing and a wider programmatic scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MakeSenseorg
• Xx.com/makesense
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/makesense

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments8 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MakeSense