ImpactBuilders

What ImpactBuilders does

ImpactBuilders is a public-benefit foundation (registered as ImpactBuilders Foundation MTÜ in Estonia, registration ID 80646816) that operates as a pan-European services organization rather than a software product company. Founded in 2018-2019 by Jan Lagast, Steven Storms, and Kristel Uibo, the organization delivers three core service divisions: ImpactBuilders Industry (transformation advisory, export advisory, M&A target scouting, and turnaround mandates for mid-size companies in classic industries such as agri-food, textile, building, machines/tools, and ICT/electronics), ImpactBuilders Studio (venture building that co-founds businesses from validated market needs, secures paid pilots, and spins out seed-ready ventures, with seven ventures currently in the funnel), and ImpactBuilders Services (backoffice operations covering marketing, team management, legal/finance, and digital/physical workspaces). The foundation operates through city chapters in Ghent, Tallinn, Milan, and Zürich, with a distributed community of 137 ImpactEnthusiasts, 5 Ambassadors, 23 Activators, 17 Builders, 7 Leaders, 5 Match makers, and 4 Partners serving as a network rather than a traditional workforce.

Name

ImpactBuilders

Legal name

ImpactBuilders Foundation MTÜ

Website

https://impactbuilders.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ImpactBuilders is a public-benefit foundation offering business transformation, venture building, and backoffice services to mid-size European companies through a pan-European network of city chapters in Ghent, Tallinn, Milan, and Zürich.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance) (BPAGALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Impact / ESG Venture Capital (FSANAAAG), Impact Investing (Intentional, Measurable Social/Environmental Outcomes) (FSAAALAC), Impact Investment & Development Investment Funds (BPADACAO)

Keywords

• Business transformation advisory
• European market entry
• Venture building services
• Backoffice operations outsourcing
• Turnaround management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallinn

HQ country

Estonia

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. ImpactBuilders Industry - Transformation Advisory: Consulting fees for transformation advisory, coaching, export advisory, realization services, and M&A target company scouting. Revenue generated through project-based engagements with companies seeking market expansion, turnaround, or restructuring support.
2. ImpactBuilders Studio - Venture Creation: Revenue generated through co-founding businesses, securing paid pilots with real buyers, and spinning out seed-ready ventures. The studio sets up an investment vehicle in Switzerland to fund new businesses, with ventures starting in Estonia and embedding in regions with best market access upon maturity.
3. ImpactBuilders Services - Backoffice Operations: Fees for organizing and running backoffice operations including marketing and communications, team management, legal and finance, and digital and physical workspaces. Services are priced for regional offices or business units seeking operational backbone without building internal capabilities.
4. Foundation Donations: The foundation's capital was formed via cash donations from founders, with plans to expand through a global philanthropy fundraising campaign. Land donations are also accepted to support goals of a greener, healthier Europe through forest expansion and food chain integration.
5. Tuesday Breakfast Events: Paid attendance for in-person breakfast events in Ghent (€95 excluding VAT) with free live streaming available across Europe. Revenue supports the knowledge-sharing and networking platform while maintaining accessibility for European-wide participation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ImpactBuilders is a public-benefit foundation operating three professional service divisions: ImpactBuilders Industry provides transformation advisory, export advisory, and M&A target scouting for European mid-size companies in classic industries; ImpactBuilders Studio co-founds and spins out seed-ready ventures that address European priority challenges, with a Swiss investment vehicle funding a European technology stack; ImpactBuilders Services delivers backoffice operations (marketing, HR, legal/finance, workspaces) to mid-size European companies. The offering is bundled with networking events, community access, and fractional executive talent.

Product overview

ImpactBuilders is a public-benefit foundation operating as a services organisation rather than a software product company. Its offering comprises three interconnected service divisions: ImpactBuilders Industry provides business transformation, export advisory, and M&A scouting for companies in traditional industries; ImpactBuilders Studio builds new ventures from validated market opportunities, currently developing a European Technology Capital investment vehicle targeting the European tech stack; and ImpactBuilders Services delivers operational backoffice support (marketing, HR, legal/finance, workspaces). Supporting services include fractional executive embedding (business development, regional lead, BU management), EU regulatory compliance (AI Act, NIS2, GDPR), Odoo ERP implementation, and a portfolio of networking events (Tuesday Breakfast, First Tuesday). The organisation is structured around city chapters in Ghent, Milan, Tallinn, and Zürich, with a community of over 130 ImpactEnthusiasts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ImpactBuilders Industry
• ImpactBuilders Studio
• ImpactBuilders Services
• European Technology Capital Investment vehicle being set up in Switzerland to fund startups, fallen angels, growing companies, and publicly listed companies across three investment stages in the European technology stack, from chips and embedded systems through operating systems and infrastructure to applications and AI.
• Tuesday Breakfast Monthly in-person and hybrid breakfast networking event in Ghent for executive and operational leaders of international manufacturing companies, combining keynote presentations with structured networking across European industrial sectors. In-person tickets priced at €95 per person; free online live broadcast available across Europe.
• First Tuesday International Match Making Hybrid international business networking event combining live keynote sessions with virtual 1-to-1 networking meetings across Europe, enabling companies to connect and expand across borders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Venture success through market-first approach starting from validated buyer needs and confirmed LOIs rather than technology prototypes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AskendcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 November 2025Estonia's leading e-government IT services provider expanding into the heart of the European Blue Banana region (Flanders). Askend partners with ImpactBuilders Industry to leverage the network and 30 years of experience of founder Jan Lagast for establishing presence in Belgium's most digital-minded region.
• Ukrainian Embassy in the Republic of EstoniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2025Ongoing partnership strengthening business collaboration between Ukrainian and European companies. The Embassy shares business partner deals with ImpactBuilders, and ImpactBuilders connects Ukrainian companies with European opportunities. Partnership continued under new Ambassador H.E. Volodymyr Boiechko following departure of H.E. Maksym Kononenko.
• Sparkmind CapitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerImpactBuilders founder Jan Lagast interviewed by Colin Brown, General Partner at Sparkmind Capital. Interview covered origins of ImpactBuilders, motivation for creation as public-benefit foundation, role of different entities within ecosystem, and long-term vision for activities across Europe.
• Tuesday EventscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTuesday Events organizes the Tuesday Breakfast meeting series in cooperation with business partners including ImpactBuilders Industry. Tuesday Events serves as the primary event organizer while ImpactBuilders Industry provides content, speakers, and network access for the series.
• BoardiocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBoardio co-organizes the Tuesday Breakfast series, bringing expertise in board-level networking and executive connections. One of the core partners enabling the international breakfast meeting format for industrial business leaders.
• Cronos GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCronos Group (Belgian IT services company) co-organizes Tuesday Breakfast events, contributing industrial expertise and network access. Supports the event series alongside other business partners for executive and operational leaders in international manufacturing companies.
• Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing research expertise and connections to engineering and architecture communities. Host venue for Tuesday Breakfast events at Campus Technologiepark Zwijnaarde. Dean Patrick De Baets actively involved in bridging research and industrial application through ImpactBuilders events.
• Wellness OrbitminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWellness-focused partner contributing to Tuesday Breakfast event series. Collaboration includes knowledge sharing on topics like mental wellness and sustainable performance for business leaders.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Startupbootcamp: European-headquartered accelerator and venture builder with industry-specific programs; comparable on the venture creation axis to ImpactBuilders Studio, though Startupbootcamp is structured around cohort programs rather than bespoke co-founding.
• LocalGlobe: European seed-stage VC with founder-support services; partial overlap with ImpactBuilders Studio's venture building and advisory mandate, though LocalGlobe is primarily a fund rather than a studio.

Direct peers

• Endeavor: Global network supporting high-impact entrepreneurs through mentorship, market access, and connections; comparable to ImpactBuilders' pan-European community and advisory services for scaling classic-industry companies.
• Ashoka: Global network supporting leading social entrepreneurs with fellowships, peer networks, and ecosystem support; comparable to ImpactBuilders' foundation structure and mission-driven support for impact entrepreneurs across Europe.
• Norrsken Foundation: Stockholm-based impact foundation operating Norrsken VC, Norrsken Houses, and impact entrepreneurial support — a near-perfect structural analog to ImpactBuilders' foundation-plus-venture-investment model in the European impact ecosystem.
• Impact Hub: Global network of impact-focused co-working spaces and entrepreneurship programs across Europe; comparable to ImpactBuilders' community-led GTM motion and city chapter structure for impact entrepreneurs and SMEs.
• Antler: Global venture studio and early-stage investor with strong European presence; directly comparable to ImpactBuilders Studio's model of co-founding businesses, securing initial traction, and spinning out seed-ready ventures. Both combine founder support with a structured venture creation pipeline.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company: Global management consulting firm with European operations and industry transformation, M&A, and growth advisory practices; comparable in function but vastly larger in scale and footprint than ImpactBuilders Industry.
• Roland Berger: European-headquartered global management consulting firm; overlaps with ImpactBuilders Industry's transformation advisory, M&A, and turnaround work for mid-size industrial companies, though Roland Berger serves far larger clients.

Others

• Strive by Strive Group (Reboard.io): Examples of European fractional executive and backoffice services firms. Reflects the broader emerging market of fractional talent and operational outsourcing in which ImpactBuilders Services competes for mid-size European clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/impactbuilders-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 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 ImpactBuilders