happy smala

What happy smala does

Happy Smala is a Rabat, Morocco-headquartered innovation lab founded in 2014 that designs, deploys, and evaluates impact-driven programs for public organizations, private enterprises, and civil-society actors. Its core offerings span consulting and program management, research publications (notably the annual Crowdfunding Barometer of Morocco, four editions since 2014), and the Happy Smala Impact Fund (HSIF), a non-profit blended-finance vehicle issuing €25k–€200k catalytic grants to early-stage revenue-generating social enterprises. The firm runs the EU-funded Impact Together! program (2023-2027) with Impact Europe, the EACEA-co-funded You SI Net Reload youth social innovation network across the Mediterranean, and the Blended Impact Finance Bootcamp. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery follows a branded "5D Approach" (Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver, Demonstrate) and is supported by thought-leadership publications on climate risk (Impact'DOW), blockchain, collective intelligence, and crowdfunding.

The company's business model is hybrid and grant-anchored. Revenue streams include EU/international donor grants (Impact Together!, You SI Net Reload, SwitchMed, Swiss Confederation), professional services (strategic studies, coaching, mentoring, training), and fund-management economics around HSIF's co-investment and blended-finance deployment. Pricing for consulting is not publicly disclosed; HSIF catalytic grants range from €25,000 to €200,000 on a multi-year, co-financed basis. Customer segments span public institutions and government bodies, social enterprises and impact entrepreneurs (primary), impact investors and ecosystem partners (primary), international development organizations, and organizations working on technology for social impact. Geographic reach spans Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Italy, Spain, and France.

Happy Smala operates with a small, specialized team of 1–10 employees (eight named, including Managing Partners Eric Asmar, Oumelghit Guelzim, and Pierre Champsavoir) from offices in Rabat and La Tronche, France. Its portfolio covers 35+ impact enterprises across agriculture, tourism, fintech, edtech, civic tech, and circular economy. The firm has no external equity investors, no disclosed parent entity, and is privately held by its founding partners, with HSIF structured as an adjacent non-profit subsidiary.

Name

happy smala

Legal name

Happy Smala

Website

https://happysmala.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Happy Smala is a Rabat-based innovation lab founded in 2014 that provides consulting, research, program implementation, and blended finance (via HSIF) to impact entrepreneurs, social enterprises, public institutions, and ecosystem partners across Morocco and the MENA region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Impact Entrepreneurship Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAMAE

SME & Entrepreneurship Development (Trade-Linked)

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Trade & Economic Development

SECONDARYFSABABAJ

SME Relationship Management & Advisory (Credit, Growth, Succession)

Financial & Insurance/Banking (Commerical, Retail & Consumer)/Commercial Banking (SME & Middle Market)

SECONDARYFSAKAGAJ

SME Lending Platforms & Embedded SME Credit

Financial & Insurance/Lending & Consumer Finance/Small Business & Microenterprise Lending

SECONDARYEDAMAHAI

Leadership, Management & Teamwork for Business

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Entrepreneurship & Business Enrichment

SECONDARYEDAAAFAK

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Community & Public Education Programs (Libraries, Community Centers)

Keywords

• Impact entrepreneurship consulting
• Blended finance advisory
• Social enterprise program design
• Impact measurement research
• Economic inclusion consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Rabat

HQ country

Morocco

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding & EU Programs: Happy Smala receives grant funding from the European Union and other international donors to implement programs like Impact Together! (2023-2027). These grants fund program activities, capacity building, and ecosystem development work.
2. Consulting & Advisory Services: The organization provides professional services including program design, deployment and evaluation support, strategic studies, coaching, mentoring, and training to enterprises, public institutions, and third-sector actors.
3. HSIF - Blended Finance Fund: Happy Smala Impact Fund (HSIF) provides catalytic grants (€25k–€200k) to revenue-generating social enterprises based on co-financing and impact targets. The fund combines public, private and philanthropic capital through blended finance practices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Happy Smala is an innovation lab founded in 2014 in Rabat, Morocco that delivers consulting, research, program design, digital platform development, training, and blended finance services to support impact entrepreneurs and advance economic inclusion. The firm combines advisory work with proprietary methodologies (notably its 5D Approach) and operates an impact investment fund (HSIF) to channel capital into social enterprises.

Product overview

Happy Smala is an innovation lab for economic inclusion based in Rabat, Morocco, offering a multi-faceted portfolio of products and services. The core offering comprises the HSIF (Happy Smala Impact Fund) — a blended finance investment vehicle providing €25k–€200k catalytic capital to social enterprises — complemented by the EU-funded Impact Together! regional program (2023-2027) for ecosystem development. The You SI Net Reload program supports youth social innovation across the Mediterranean. Happy Smala also produces authoritative research publications including the annual Crowdfunding Barometer (since 2014, now 4th edition), Impact'DOW position papers on climate risks, and specialized guides on green tech, crowdfunding, blockchain, and collective intelligence. These offerings are delivered through the 5D Approach consulting methodology (Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver, Demonstrate) and supported by a portfolio of 35+ funded and accompanied impact enterprises spanning agriculture, tourism, fintech, edtech, civic tech, and circular economy sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Happy Smala Impact Fund (HSIF) Blended impact finance investment vehicle that channels capital and grants to social enterprises and impact entrepreneurs in Morocco and the MENA region.
• Impact Together! Program A flagship program that brings together impact entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem actors to accelerate impact-driven business models.
• Blended Impact Finance Bootcamp Training program that equips entrepreneurs, investors, and development practitioners with practical knowledge of blended impact finance instruments.
• Crowdfunding Barometer Periodic research publication that tracks and benchmarks crowdfunding activity supporting impact-driven projects in Morocco and similar markets.
• Crowdfunding Guide for Eco-Entrepreneurs Guidebook that instructs eco-entrepreneurs on how to design and execute crowdfunding campaigns for environmental ventures.
• 5D Approach Consulting Services Advisory engagements using Happy Smala's proprietary 5D methodology to design, pilot, and scale impact entrepreneurship and inclusion programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5000+ impact-oriented organizations supported
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Impact Europe (formerly EVPA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2023Impact Europe (formerly European Venture Philanthropy Association) launched the Impact Together! program funded by the European Union. Happy Smala serves as local partner implementing activities in Morocco to develop social entrepreneurship and high-impact finance, building bridges to the regional MENA ecosystem.
• ESSEC Afrique & École Centrale de CasablancasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Crowdfunding Barometer 2019-2021 involving student research missions. Students from ESSEC Afrique and École Centrale de Casablanca participated in methodological research and data collection for the barometer study.
• COREUMsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOREUM is the sister company of Happy Smala in France. They initiated the blockchain white paper study 'Blockchains & développement durable' examining how blockchain technologies serve sustainable development goals.
• Institut Louis BachelierminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided scientific support for the blockchain white paper study examining how blockchain technologies support UN sustainable development goals.
• Sim Sim-Participation CitoyenneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on UX assessment study for the Chamber of Representatives website in Morocco, conducted with funding from the Swiss Confederation.
• SwitchMedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the crowdfunding guide for eco-entrepreneurs and ecological innovation initiatives in the Mediterranean region.
• Associazione Promozione Giovani (Italy)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean partner in You SI Net Reload network, contributing to skills and cross-border cooperation among youth organizations in Europe and Southern Mediterranean.
• Fundacion Transparencia Desarollo Social Responsible (Spain)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean partner in You SI Net Reload network strengthening skills and cross-border cooperation of youth organizations across Europe and Southern Mediterranean.
• Parachute 16 (Jordan)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Mediterranean partner in You SI Net Reload network for youth innovation and entrepreneurship exchange.
• Future Islands (Tunisia)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Mediterranean partner in You SI Net Reload network for cross-border youth cooperation.
• Icealex (Egypt)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Mediterranean partner in You SI Net Reload network supporting youth organizations in the MENA region.
• TechnoparkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMemorandum of Understanding signed between Technopark and Happy Smala at the Moroccan Impact Finance Forum (Oct 2024), formalizing a strategic partnership to strengthen the Moroccan entrepreneurial ecosystem, particularly around financing, impact measurement, and capacity building.
• Global Steering Group on Impact Investment (GSG)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHappy Smala is establishing a national advisory board for Morocco within GSG as part of the Impact Together! program activities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Tamwilcom (formerly CCG): Moroccan state-backed finance company providing credit guarantees and financing for SMEs. Directly comparable as a Moroccan SME-finance intermediary and HSIF co-investment partner.
• Maroc PME: Moroccan public agency supporting SME creation, growth, and access to financing. Comparable as a Morocco-based SME/entrepreneurship development operator, though structured as a public agency rather than a private innovation lab.
• Technopark Morocco: Morocco's flagship startup/tech incubator network. Directly comparable in Moroccan startup ecosystem development and a 2024 MoU partner of Happy Smala, signaling overlapping remit.

Direct peers

• Yunus Social Business: Berlin-based organization funding and incubating social businesses in emerging markets. Comparable in providing both catalytic capital and advisory/incubation support to impact entrepreneurs in MENA-aligned geographies.
• Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (GSG): Global multi-stakeholder body promoting impact investment. Happy Smala is establishing Morocco's national advisory board within GSG, indicating GSG operates in the same advisory/ecosystem-building lane.
• SwitchMed: UN-led Mediterranean initiative supporting eco-entrepreneurs and circular economy. Co-authored Happy Smala's crowdfunding guide and shares the Mediterranean entrepreneurship-development mandate.
• Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P): Pan-African impact investor supporting early-stage African SMEs with technical assistance and patient capital. Directly comparable to HSIF in deploying catalytic capital to African social enterprises and providing accompanying non-financial support.
• Impact Europe (formerly EVPA): European industry body for venture philanthropy and impact investing that is also a direct partner on Impact Together!. Directly comparable to Happy Smala in mission (growing impact-investing ecosystem), target audience (social investors and enterprises), and service mix (research, program design, capacity building).
• Acumen: Global impact investor focused on entrepreneurs serving low-income communities with blended capital and leadership programs. Comparable to Happy Smala's blended-finance thesis, capacity-building, and emerging-market social-enterprise focus.

Broad incumbents

• Ashoka: Global pioneer in supporting leading social entrepreneurs (Ashoka Fellows). Operates in a closely adjacent space (social entrepreneurship support, network building, ecosystem development) at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4I-TRQbiWfEdDvldAXg5ew
• Facebookfacebook.com/happysmala
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/happy-smala
• Instagraminstagram.com/happysmala
• Xx.com/happysmala

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 happy smala