The DO School

What The DO School does

The DO School Fellowships gGmbH is a German non-profit organization headquartered in Hamburg (registered as Straßenbahnring 18, 20251 Hamburg; HRB 138355, Amtsgericht Hamburg), although it is also commonly described as operating from Berlin. Founded around 2012–2013, it designs and delivers fellowship and training programs aimed at young people aged roughly 16–35, focused on entrepreneurship, sustainability, and social impact. Over a 10-year operating history, the organization has reached more than 50,000 people from over 100 countries.

Its product portfolio comprises four flagship programs: beVisioneers — The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship, a one-year hybrid learning program funded by Mercedes-Benz targeting a community of 10,000+ innovators and mentors and a throughput of 1,000 young people per year by 2025; 24YOU, a 12-month gap-year program in Berlin delivered in partnership with the H&M Foundation; Climate Action: Race to Zero, a global climate innovation grant initiative operated with Count Us In and the UK High Level Champions for COP26 (issuing €2,000 innovation grants); and the Siemens Stiftung Education Challenge Africa, a STEM-focused fellowship for African participants that includes multi-week in-person co-creation in Berlin. Program delivery is hybrid, pairing in-person immersive experiences (e.g., 12-month Berlin-based living for 24YOU, multi-week Berlin workshops for Siemens) with year-round virtual community engagement and mentorship.

The DO School is funded primarily through corporate-sponsored fellowship design engagements and foundation grants — a professional services / grant-funded model rather than participant tuition. Named enterprise funders include Mercedes-Benz, Siemens Stiftung, H&M Foundation, IKEA, Deutsche Bahn, Unilever, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and Newman's Own, alongside UN organizations and Count Us In. The customer base is therefore effectively a small set of large corporate and foundation sponsors who purchase bespoke, co-branded fellowship programs (the firm's "customers"), with young global fellows serving as the program's end-beneficiaries. The organization operates with a small team in the 11–50 employee range and has no parent company, subsidiaries, or disclosed equity investors.

Name

The DO School

Legal name

The DO School Fellowships gGmbH

Website

https://thedoschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The DO School Fellowships gGmbH is a Hamburg-headquartered German non-profit that designs and delivers bespoke, corporate-funded fellowship programs — including the Mercedes-Benz-backed beVisioneers and the H&M Foundation's 24YOU — to train young people aged 16–35 in entrepreneurship and sustainability.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact Education & Fellowship Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), STEM, Digital Skills & Innovation Partnerships (EDADALAJ), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Fellowship program design
• Youth entrepreneurship training
• Sustainability education programs
• Social impact fellowships
• Corporate fellowship partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Fellowship Programs: The organization designs and implements fellowship programs funded by corporations such as Mercedes-Benz (beVisioneers), Siemens Stiftung (Education Challenge Africa), and H&M Foundation (24YOU). Corporations pay to have bespoke fellowship programs created for their sustainability and youth empowerment goals.
2. Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations (e.g., Siemens Stiftung, H&M Foundation, Newman's Own, and others) to support specific fellowship programs addressing environmental and social challenges.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The DO School Fellowships gGmbH is a non-profit organization that designs and implements bespoke, partner-funded fellowship programs for young innovators aged 16–35. It delivers these via a hybrid model combining in-person immersive experiences (e.g., Berlin-based gap year, multi-week workshops) with year-long virtual community engagement, mentorship, and innovation grants (e.g., €2,000 per fellow) focused on environmental and social impact entrepreneurship. Core funded programs include beVisioneers (Mercedes-Benz), 24YOU (H&M Foundation), Climate Action: Race to Zero, and The Siemens Stiftung Education Challenge Africa.

Product overview

The DO School Fellowships gGmbH is a non-profit organization offering a portfolio of fellowship programs focused on empowering young people globally to launch projects addressing environmental and social challenges. The core programs include beVisioneers (Mercedes-Benz-funded environmental fellowship), Climate Action: Race to Zero (climate innovation initiative), The Siemens Stiftung Education Challenge Africa (MINT education fellowship), and 24YOU (H&M-partnered gap year program). These programs provide training, funding, mentorship, and expert support to develop the next generation of impact entrepreneurs through innovative educational experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship - a one-year hybrid learning program designed to train young people to solve pressing environmental challenges.
• 24YOU
• Climate Action: Race to Zero
• Siemens Stiftung Education Challenge Africa

Products and services

• beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship A one-year hybrid learning fellowship funded by Mercedes-Benz that provides young innovators with training, funding, and expert support to solve the most pressing environmental challenges of our time; selected fellows join a lifelong beVisioneers community.
• Climate Action: Race to Zero A global innovation program that harnesses young people's creativity and energy to tackle climate change; awards €2,000 innovation grants and provides expert support and peer connection through a global DO Community.
• The Siemens Stiftung Education Challenge Africa A fellowship program designed and implemented for participants from across Africa, funded by Siemens Foundation, featuring a multi-week learning and co-creation program in Berlin focused on advancing MINT (STEM) education in Africa.
• 24YOU A 12-month gap year program for under-21-year-olds, in partnership with H&M, where participants live together in Berlin, develop strengths, access mentoring, and co-create innovative solutions with world-leading fashion brands on sustainability challenges.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000+ young people empowered from 100+ countries
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Count Us IncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe DO School collaborated with Count Us In on the Climate Action: Race to Zero program, awarding innovation grants to young people aged 16-35 to develop climate projects with €2,000 funding and expert support.
• UK High Level Champions for COP26minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UK High Level Champions for COP26 on the Climate Action: Race to Zero initiative, engaging young innovators between 16-35 years to take action on the climate crisis.
• UN OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe DO School has partnered with various UN organizations on innovation and fellowship programs led by Katherin Kirschenmann.
• Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow (MEE-T) in partnership with MITminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEva Vander Giessen, Director of Entrepreneurship, previously worked with Israeli and Palestinian entrepreneurs at this program in partnership with MIT.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Unreasonable Institute: Fellowship programs for impact entrepreneurs supported by corporate partners; comparable cohort-based delivery, mentorship emphasis, and corporate-funded design model.
• Ashoka: Global non-profit fellowship network for social entrepreneurs; directly comparable to The DO School in funding model (corporate/foundation grants), youth-focused fellowship delivery, and alumni ecosystem building across multiple countries.
• One Young World: Global youth leadership fellowship and summit platform with corporate sponsors (similar partner profile to Mercedes-Benz/H&M) serving the same 18–35 demographic; comparable in scale, corporate ESG alignment, and global ambassador alumni network.
• Echoing Green: Fellowship provider for early-career social entrepreneurs; comparable in offering paid fellowships, leadership development, and lifelong community membership for impact founders funded by philanthropic partners.
• Global Citizen Year: Gap year fellowship for youth focused on leadership and social impact; directly comparable to 24YOU in target audience, immersive in-person delivery, and foundation/corporate sponsorship.
• Acumen Academy: Provides online and in-person leadership courses plus fellowships for social entrepreneurs; overlaps with The DO School's hybrid learning model and ESG-aligned funder base.
• Year Here: London-based gap year/fellowship program for young people tackling social challenges; closely comparable to The DO School's 24YOU program in structure, age demographic, and experiential learning format.

Broad incumbents

• Clinton Global Initiative: Larger and more established multi-program platform running youth fellowships and commitment-driven convenings; overlaps with The DO School in funder base (foundations, multinationals) and youth impact mission, but operates at significantly greater scale.
• Skoll Foundation: Major social-entrepreneurship foundation backing impact ventures and fellows; comparable funder/grantee ecosystem to The DO School's Mercedes-Benz and H&M partnerships, though operating more as a funder than a direct program operator.

Emerging players

• ScholarMatch: Non-profit supporting first-generation college students with scholarships and mentorship; partial overlap with The DO School in youth empowerment and foundation-funded program design, though focused on college access rather than sustainability entrepreneurship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thedoschool_org
• Facebookfacebook.com/tdoschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/do-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 The DO School