Yunus Social Business

What Yunus Social Business does

Yunus Social Business is a Berlin-headquartered non-profit organization founded in 2012 that operates a dual-entity structure — Yunus Social Business Funds gGmbH (non-profit) and Yunus Social Business GmbH (for-profit consulting arm) — to finance and support social businesses in the 'missing middle' across emerging markets. The organization targets enterprises that are too large for microfinance but too small or risky for traditional venture capital, providing flexible loans, accelerator programming, and growth support across sectors including agriculture, energy, environment, education, health, and sanitation. Operational presence spans four countries on three continents: Brazil, Colombia, East Africa (Kenya and Uganda), and India, with regional offices in Bogotá and additional German operations in Frankfurt.

The organization runs two core product lines. Yunus Funds deploys flexible capital and provides accelerator and investment readiness support to social entrepreneurs, evidenced by programs like the Uganda Accelerator (since 2015), the Reckitt Fight for Access Accelerator in WASH (2022), and the joint YSB-Upaya 2022 Accelerator. Yunus Corporate Innovation helps large organizations become 'forces for good' through programs including Unusual Partners (corporate-social business supply chain matchmaking), Unusual Pioneers (social intrapreneurship with the Schwab Foundation), social procurement consulting, and the Yunus Corporate Action Tank in Brazil. IP products include the Social Procurement Manual and the Enterprise Support Landscape Study series, alongside Coursera educational courses on the 'Three Zeros' framework.

The business model combines three revenue-like streams: fund management of donor and impact capital, corporate innovation services (consulting, program design, and implementation), and grants and donations from foundations (IKEA Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Dutch Postcode Lottery) and corporate partners (BCG, Freshfields, Bank of America, Reckitt). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is structured through custom funding applications and bespoke corporate engagements. The organization is governed by co-founder and CEO Saskia Bruysten and authorized representatives Jan-Christoph Walter, Lakshmi Viswanathan, and Daniel Nowack, with Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus as the founding patron.

Name

Yunus Social Business

Legal name

Yunus Social Business Funds gGmbH

Website

https://yunussb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Berlin-based non-profit that provides flexible loans, accelerator programs, and growth support to social businesses in the 'missing middle' across emerging markets, while running corporate innovation programs that help large organizations drive measurable social and environmental impact.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Impact Investing and Social Business Financing Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Sales Financing (52222), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Microfinance, Financial Inclusion & Inclusive Markets (BPAGABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Economic Growth, Livelihoods & Private Sector Development (BPADAEAE), Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA), Financial Inclusion & Consumer Empowerment (Banking Access, Credit Building) (BPAGALAJ), Institutional Capacity Building & Training (Workforce/Systems Strengthening) (BPADAEAC)

Keywords

• Social business financing
• Impact investing services
• Corporate innovation programs
• Non-profit consulting
• Accelerator programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fund Management: YSB manages and deploys funds to finance and support social businesses. Revenue comes from managing donor funds and impact investments from foundations and corporate partners.
2. Corporate Innovation Services: YSB helps large organizations become a force for good through corporate innovation programs, social procurement, and intrapreneurship initiatives. Services include consulting, program design, and implementation support for corporate clients.
3. Grants and Donations: Significant funding from foundations (IKEA Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Dutch Postcode Lottery) and corporate partners (BCG, Freshfields, Bank of America) as grants and donations to support operations and program delivery.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Yunus Social Business provides flexible loans and growth support to social businesses in the "missing middle" of impact financing through its Yunus Funds vehicle, operating across agriculture, livelihoods, energy, environment, education, health, and sanitation in emerging markets. Its Corporate Innovation arm helps large organizations integrate social and environmental impact through programs such as Unusual Partners and Unusual Pioneers, social procurement initiatives, and corporate intrapreneurship support. The organization also runs social business accelerator programs, publishes impact research and procurement manuals, and offers educational courses on its Three Zeros philosophy.

Product overview

Yunus Social Business operates as a dual-component organization: Yunus Funds provides flexible loans and growth support to social businesses in the missing middle across sectors including agriculture, energy, environment, education, health, and sanitation; while Corporate Innovation helps large organizations become a force for good through social innovation programs. The company also runs accelerator programs for social entrepreneurs (in Uganda, Kenya, Haiti), the Unusual Partners supply chain partnership program matching corporations with social businesses, and the Unusual Pioneers intrapreneurship program. Educational offerings include Coursera courses on three zeroes, and publications include the Social Procurement Manual and Enterprise Support Landscape Study series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Yunus Funds: Finance and support social businesses to end poverty and the climate crisis
• Yunus Corporate Innovation
• Yunus Corporate Action Tank
• Unusual Partners
• Unusual Pioneers

Products and services

• Yunus Funds Flexible loans and growth support provided to social businesses in the "missing middle" — enterprises too large for microfinance but too small or risky for traditional venture capital — across agriculture, livelihoods, energy, environment, education, training, health, and sanitation. Funds and support are deployed through Yunus Social Business's regional operations in East Africa, India, Colombia, and Brazil.
• Yunus Corporate Innovation Advisory and program delivery service that helps large organizations and corporations become a "force for good" through social innovation programs, corporate venture building, social procurement, and intrapreneurship initiatives designed around the Yunus social business methodology.
• Unusual Partners A 12-month program for sourcing managers and social businesses that establishes commercial partnerships between corporations and hand-selected social businesses based on identified corporate needs, integrating social businesses into corporate supply chains.
• Unusual Pioneers A program supporting social intrapreneurs who are at the forefront of corporate transformation toward purpose and impact, run in partnership with leading sector organizations such as the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.
• Social Business Accelerator Accelerator program providing training, mentorship, and investment-readiness support to social business entrepreneurs, with cohorts delivered across Uganda, Kenya, Haiti, and India and tailored to local needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75,000+ individuals achieved higher incomes
• +3 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

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Grameen FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2025Partnership announced in November 2025 aimed at advancing locally led development. Combines Grameen Foundation's expertise in microfinance and community development with YSB's social business methodology and corporate innovation capabilities.
• IKEA Social EntrepreneurshipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2022Joined the Take A Stake Consortium in 2022, working with YSB on corporate social entrepreneurship and impact investment initiatives.
• Upaya Social VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 January 2022Joint 2022 Accelerator program selecting nine social businesses for investment readiness support. Partnership combines YSB's financing capabilities with Upaya's accelerator expertise.
• UNDP Business Call to ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 October 2021Partnership with United Nations Development Programme's Business Call to Action to help reach the Sustainable Development Goals through social business acceleration and support.
• BCG (Boston Consulting Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for advancing social business. Co-authored 'The Power of Social Business' report and collaborate on venture philanthropy initiatives. BCG provides pro-bono consulting support.
• Freshfields Bruckhaus DeringercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational law firm providing pro-bono legal support and expertise for YSB's social business programs and corporate innovation initiatives.
• Singularity UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to impact global development in vulnerable areas by combining exponential technologies with social business approaches.
• Schwab Foundation for Social EntrepreneurshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to support social intrapreneurs through the Unusual Pioneers program, helping employees of large organizations create social business solutions.
• Virgin UniteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Virgin Group's non-profit arm for Haiti Forest Initiative, combining environmental conservation with social business development.
• Clinton FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Haiti Forest Initiative alongside Virgin Unite and YSB to address environmental and social challenges in Haiti.
• ALNminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican legal network supporting YSB's East Africa operations with legal expertise for social business structuring.
• Via VarejominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian retail company supporting social business initiatives and corporate social innovation in Latin America.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Acumen: Global impact investor and accelerator for social enterprises in the missing middle across Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. Most direct comparable given overlapping mandate, geographies, and patient-capital model.
• Root Capital: Non-profit impact lender providing financing and capacity building to agricultural SMEs in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Directly comparable as a missing-middle lender with growth-support services.
• Village Capital: Non-profit venture firm running peer-selected accelerator programs for impact-oriented startups globally. Comparable as a social enterprise accelerator with similar methodology and target segments.
• Grameen Foundation: Non-profit extending Muhammad Yunus's microfinance legacy to poverty alleviation through digital solutions and social enterprise support. Recent YSB partner; highly comparable mission and methodology.
• Kiva: Crowdfunded microfinance platform enabling individual lenders to support entrepreneurs globally. Referenced in YSB's portfolio data (Rozafa case); comparable as a social business financing platform.
• Echoing Green: Global non-profit identifying and investing in emerging social entrepreneurs through fellowships and seed funding. Comparable as a social enterprise talent and capital backer.
• Omidyar Network: Philanthropic impact investment firm funding for-profit and non-profit social enterprises globally. Comparable as a flexible-capital impact funder with portfolio support across emerging markets.
• B Lab: Non-profit network certifying B Corporations and supporting purpose-driven businesses globally. Comparable as an enabler of mission-driven business models in YSB's ecosystem.
• Upaya Social Ventures: Impact investor and accelerator supporting early-stage social enterprises in India. Co-partnered on the 2022 YSB-Upaya Accelerator, making it a tight comparable on accelerator model and geography.

Broad incumbents

• DEG (Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft): German development finance institution providing debt and equity to private enterprises in emerging markets. Comparable as a German-headquartered impact financier serving developing economies, though larger and more commercial.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Yunus_SB
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCY0TIxSP9UjaigQJTovC6fw
• Facebookfacebook.com/YunusSocialBusiness
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yunus-social-business
• Instagraminstagram.com/yunussocialbusiness

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments12 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Yunus Social Business