Student Impact

What Student Impact does

Student Impact is a student-led consultancy founded in 2012 and headquartered at the University of St.Gallen (HSG) in Switzerland, operating as a non-profit Swiss Verein under Art. 60 ff. ZGB. The organization delivers sustainability-focused strategy and business consulting to startups, scaleups, SMEs, and corporates, with a stated service portfolio of eight offerings: Business Model Innovation, Financial Planning, Marketing Strategy, Market Entry Planning, Sustainability Strategy, Sales Growth Strategy, Stakeholder Analysis, and Product/Service Portfolio Strategy. Engagements are run through a structured 12-week Project Blueprint with kick-off meetings, analysis phases, interim workshops, ideation/planning, and final presentations, delivered by project teams of one Project Leader and roughly six consultants recruited from the HSG student body. The organization has built a community of 50+ active members and 500+ alumni, and runs an SI Mentoring Program alongside a Community Events Program and an Internal SharePoint knowledge platform accessible via HSG accounts.

The underlying delivery model is human expertise rather than technology; the input data explicitly notes "No proprietary technology platform is described." There is no AI/ML capability, no API, no SDK, and no disclosed patents or proprietary technology. Quality uplift comes from external training partnerships: Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Valantic deliver hands-on workshops in agile working, negotiation, and design thinking. The organization also owns and runs the Be-the-Change Bachelor's course at HSG, which anchors its sustainability positioning and feeds the talent pipeline.

Commercially, Student Impact operates as a non-profit and earns revenue through professional-services fees for semester-long consulting projects, with pricing that is quote-based and undisclosed but explicitly reduced for startups and small companies. Go-to-market is a hybrid of sales-led direct outreach with a 3-month lead time aligned to HSG semester calendars (October-December for spring, May-July for fall), combined with community-led acquisition through HSG network referrals, alumni word-of-mouth, and an organic digital presence on LinkedIn and Instagram. The organization has no parent company, no external investors, no funding rounds, and no disclosed revenue; it is governed by a six-person board led by President Emily Langjahr and Vice President Jason Richter. Geographic footprint is limited to Switzerland.

Name

Student Impact

Legal name

Student Impact

Website

https://studentimpact.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Student Impact is a student-led, non-profit sustainability consultancy founded in 2012 at the University of St.Gallen, delivering semester-long strategy and business-model consulting projects to startups, SMEs, and corporates in Switzerland using HSG student teams trained by BCG and Valantic.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Campus Events, Programming & Student Engagement (EDALAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Engagement & Belonging Initiatives (EDALABAJ), Alumni Benefits, Membership & Affinity Programs (EDALAOAM), University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA)

Keywords

• Sustainability consulting
• Student consultancy services
• Business model innovation
• Market entry strategy
• Strategy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Gallen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Project Fees: Student Impact generates revenue through fees for semester-long consulting projects delivered to businesses. As a non-profit organization, they offer reduced prices for startups and small companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Student Impact is a student-led sustainability consultancy at the University of St.Gallen that delivers semester-long consulting projects to businesses, startups, SMEs, and corporates. Projects cover eight service areas — Business Model Innovation, Financial Planning, Marketing Strategy, Market Entry Planning, Sustainability Strategy, Sales Growth Strategy, Stakeholder Analysis, and Product/Service Portfolio Strategy — and are executed by teams of trained student consultants following a structured 12-week Project Blueprint methodology.

Product overview

Student Impact is a student-led consultancy at the University of St.Gallen offering sustainability-focused consulting services. The core offering consists of eight consulting service areas (Business Model Innovation, Financial Planning, Marketing Strategy, Market Entry Planning, Sustainability Strategy, Sales Growth Strategy, Stakeholder Analysis, and Product/Service Portfolio Strategy) delivered through a structured semester-long Project Blueprint framework. Supporting offerings include the Internal SharePoint knowledge platform, Community Events Program, Partner Workshops with BCG and Valantic, and the SI Mentoring Program. The organization recruits consultants and project leaders from the University of St.Gallen student body and serves startups, scaleups, SMEs, and corporates seeking sustainable business transformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Model Innovation Consulting service focused on redesigning business models to adapt to market shifts, implementing new revenue streams including digital transformation and strategic partnerships, and guiding implementation of business model changes. Targeted at companies seeking sustainable business model transformation.
• Financial Planning Consulting service providing detailed financial forecasts and budgeting strategies for sustainable growth, cash flow analysis, and long-term financial plans including investment strategies and risk management.
• Marketing Strategy Consulting service developing targeted marketing strategies based on customer insights and market trends, optimizing digital marketing channels, and monitoring and adjusting campaigns for business goal alignment.
• Market Entry Planning Consulting service analyzing target markets and competitive landscapes, developing market entry strategies including positioning, partnerships and pricing models, and supporting local adaptation and compliance.
• Sustainability Strategy Consulting service assessing current sustainability practices, developing roadmaps to integrate sustainability into core business operations, and setting measurable sustainability goals with progress tracking.
• Sales Growth Strategy Consulting service developing tailored sales growth strategies to bring products or services to market, identifying target markets and customer segments, and creating sales and distribution plans.
• Stakeholder Analysis Consulting service identifying key stakeholders and assessing their influence on business goals, analyzing stakeholder needs and expectations, and developing engagement strategies for long-term relationships.
• Product/Service Portfolio Strategy Consulting service analyzing current product and service portfolios to identify gaps, optimizing portfolios by prioritizing high-value offerings, and developing expansion strategies based on market demand.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Boston Consulting Group (BCG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCG provides hands-on training workshops to Student Impact members on topics such as agile working, negotiation, and design thinking. This partnership enhances the professional development of consultants and ensures high-quality deliverables for clients.
• ValanticcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerValantic provides workshops to Student Impact members alongside BCG, covering professional skills and methodologies that enhance consulting capabilities. The partnership supports the organization's training and development initiatives.
• University of St.Gallen (HSG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent Impact is an accredited student organization at the University of St.Gallen. The university provides institutional support and recognition, while Student Impact contributes to HSG's sustainability education through the Be-the-Change course and promotes student development towards becoming agents of change.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Net Impact: Global student and professional network driving sustainable business practices through chapters at business schools worldwide. Comparable as a student-led sustainability community with strong university ties, mission-driven focus, and alumni network model.
• South Pole Group: Zurich-headquartered sustainability solutions provider offering climate strategy consulting, carbon credit advisory, and ESG services globally. Comparable as a Switzerland-rooted, sustainability-focused consultancy with overlapping client segments in DACH corporate and SME markets.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey Sustainability Practice: Global management consultancy with a dedicated sustainability practice serving enterprises on ESG strategy and transformation. Represents the upper-tier competitive benchmark Student Impact clients might compare against for larger sustainability engagements.
• Roland Berger: European-origin strategy consultancy with strong sustainability and ESG practices serving corporates across DACH and globally. Comparable as an established strategic advisor operating in the same DACH market addressing corporate sustainability strategy needs.
• JADE (European Confederation of Junior Enterprises): European federation of Junior Enterprises (student-led businesses) providing consulting, IT, and engineering services across universities. Comparable as an umbrella network of student-run consulting organizations with similar academic affiliations and project-based delivery models.

Regional players

• Akina: Swiss foundation supporting social enterprises and impact-oriented SMEs through consulting, advisory, and capacity building. Comparable as a fellow Swiss-rooted, sustainability-focused advisory organization serving similar startup and SME segments in the DACH region.

Direct peers

• 180 Degrees Consulting: Global student-led consultancy network operating across 80+ universities, providing pro-bono and low-cost consulting to social enterprises and nonprofits. Directly comparable as a university-based, student-delivered consulting organization with similar non-profit structure and impact-focused mission.
• Studentische Unternehmensberatung (SUB): Federation of student consultancies at German-speaking universities providing semester-long consulting projects to companies. Highly comparable operating model, project structure, and DACH regional context as Student Impact, including similar university accreditation model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/studentimpactconsulting
• Instagraminstagram.com/studentimpactconsulting
• Xx.com/si_unisg
• Facebookfacebook.com/studentimpactconsulting

Compliance1 record

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

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Student Impact