RIPESS

What RIPESS does

RIPESS (legal name AS. RIPESS INTERCONTINENTAL) is a non-profit international association registered in Barcelona, Spain (CIF G-16681892), founded in 1997. It functions as a global network-of-networks dedicated to promoting the Social Solidarity Economy (SSE), aggregating six continental networks (RAESS for Africa/Middle East, RIPESS LAC for Latin America and Caribbean, RIPESS EU for Europe, RIPESS North America, ASEC for Asia, and RIPESS Oceania), which in turn coordinate national and sectoral member organizations.

The organization's core products are its multilingual website (ripess.org, available in French, English, and Spanish) and the affiliated socioeco.org online resource library — a five-plus-language bibliographic and initiative database on SSE co-developed with the Charles L\u00e9opold Meyer Foundation and launched in 2011. Technology stack is conventional web infrastructure (MailChimp, Zoom, GoogleForms, WordPress-style CMS); RIPESS is not a software company and its technology serves coordination rather than product delivery. It participates in international policy forums including UNTFSSE, ILO, FAO, ECOSOC, and UCLG, and has been engaged in advocacy around UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/77/281 (2024) on Promoting Social Solidarity Economy for Sustainable Development.

RIPESS operates on a non-commercial revenue model. Its funding derives from membership contributions from continental networks and grants from institutional funders, including the ACCD (Catalan Cooperation Agency), the Charles L\u00e9opold Meyer Foundation, and partnerships with national governments (notably the Government of Colombia under a February 2026 international cooperation agreement). Services (news, webinars, advocacy coordination, socioeco.org access) are provided free of charge to members and the public. The organization is governed collectively by its member continental networks rather than through traditional corporate ownership, with Sandra Moreno Cadena serving as Secretary Executive of RIPESS Intercontinental.

Name

RIPESS

Legal name

AS. RIPESS INTERCONTINENTAL

Website

https://ripess.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

RIPESS is a non-profit global network-of-networks (founded 1997, headquartered in Barcelona) that coordinates six continental Social Solidarity Economy networks to advocate for SSE at international forums and provide multilingual resources via socioeco.org.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Solidarity Economy Network

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA)

Keywords

• Social solidarity economy
• Solidarity economy network
• Social economy advocacy
• Cooperative movement
• SSE policy advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

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. Membership and Network Contributions: As a non-profit international association (AS. RIPESS INTERCONTINENTAL), RIPESS operates through membership contributions from its continental networks and partnerships with institutional funders including governments and international organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RIPESS is a global intercontinental network-of-networks that promotes the Social Solidarity Economy (SSE/ESS) by connecting six continental networks (Latin America/Caribbean, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania), which in turn aggregate national and sectoral SSE organizations. It delivers advocacy at international policy forums (UN, ILO, FAO, ECOSOC), knowledge management via the multilingual socioeco.org resource library, and coordination of webinars, conferences, and intercontinental cooperation initiatives.

Product overview

RIPESS operates as a worldwide network organization (not a traditional software company) focused on promoting the Social Solidarity Economy globally. Its primary digital presence consists of the RIPESS website platform, which serves as an information hub for its continental network members and stakeholders, providing news, events, regional network updates, and advocacy resources. Additionally, RIPESS is affiliated with Socioeco.org, a multilingual online resource library that aggregates and disseminates knowledge about Social Solidarity Economy initiatives worldwide. These offerings work together to advance RIPESS's mission of fostering international cooperation and advocacy for economic models centered on people and the planet.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• socioeco.org: Online resource library on social and solidarity economy, available in French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and other languages

Products and services

• RIPESS Website Platform The primary digital platform of RIPESS, a worldwide network of continental networks promoting Social Solidarity Economy. The website serves as the main hub for organizational information, news, events, regional network updates, and resources about the Social Solidarity Economy movement.
• Socioeco.org An international multilingual online resource library and bibliographic database on Social Solidarity Economy, available in French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, plus Greek and Romanian. It aggregates content on SSE, identifies solidarity economy initiatives, showcases research, and provides educational materials for students, researchers, journalists, and local officials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Participation of 700+ delegates from global movements in the 3rd Global Nyéléni Forum (2025)
• +1 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Government of Colombia (Departamento Administrativo de Prosperidad Social)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 February 2026Signed international cooperation agreement to strengthen popular, social and solidarity economy. Jointly launched the International Chair on EPSS and Social Rights, demonstrating deep governmental partnership for SSE development.
• URGENCI (Community Supported Agriculture around the world)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerURGENCI is listed as an international organization partner within RIPESS's network ecosystem. URGENCI focuses on community-supported agriculture and is part of the thematic coordination within RIPESS's intercontinental council. The partnership involves joint webinars and advocacy on food sovereignty.
• GSEF (Global Social Economy Forum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGSEF is an international organization partner collaborating with RIPESS on social economy advocacy. RIPESS celebrated the new GSEF governance 2026-2028 and has strengthened presence of its members in the committee.
• INAISE (International Association of Investors in the Social Economy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINAISE is listed as an international organization partner of RIPESS, focused on social finance and investment in the social economy sector.
• UNTFSSE (UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social Solidarity Economy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRIPESS actively participates in UNTFSSE activities including technical symposia and policy development. The partnership involves advocacy for UN resolution on SSE and engagement in international policy processes.
• RIFESS (Ibero-American Network for the Promotion of SSE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRIFESS brings together governments and organizations from Latin America and Iberian Europe. RIPESS collaborates on joint declarations and policy advocacy, including participation in international forums.
• RIPESS Continental Networks (RAESS, RIPESS LAC, RIPESS EU, ASEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore member networks representing SSE organizations across Africa (RAESS), Latin America/Caribbean (RIPESS LAC), Europe (RIPESS EU), and Asia (ASEC). Each network aggregates national and sectoral organizations.
• ASSEFA (India)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASSEFA is RIPESS's member organization in Asia, led by the late Thiru S. Loganathan Annachi. ASSEFA organizes community-led development initiatives and was commemorated through a joint event in June 2026.
• WIEGO (Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWIEGO collaborates with RIPESS and WSM on gender equality in SSE, including joint participation in the International Women's Day campaigns and GSEF 2025.
• WSM / INSP!R (We World - Interculturalists for Sustainable Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSM/INSP!R works with RIPESS and WIEGO on SSE advocacy, particularly regarding women's empowerment and social justice issues.
• ECOOVIDA (Plataformas de Economía Solidaria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECOOVIDA is a Latin American platform of solidarity economy organizations that partnered with RIPESS for the 2026 ECOOVIDA international encounter and the launch of the International Chair on EPSS.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• EMES International Research Network: EMES is a research network focused on social enterprise and the social economy across Europe and beyond. While more academic and research-oriented than RIPESS, EMES serves as a knowledge partner feeding evidence into RIPESS's advocacy work and shares overlapping policy engagement at EU institutions and UN bodies.

Direct peers

• WIEGO (Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing): WIEGO is a documented partner of RIPESS (per company partnership list) and operates as a global network focused on informal workers and the solidarity economy. Both networks coordinate on gender equality in SSE, engage UN agencies like ILO, and represent overlapping grassroots constituencies internationally.
• International Co-operative Alliance (ICA): ICA is the global federation representing cooperatives worldwide, with a structure highly similar to RIPESS as an apex network of national cooperative bodies. Both ICA and RIPESS advocate for cooperative and SSE values within UN systems, serving overlapping constituencies of cooperative and solidarity-economy organizations.
• Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF): GSEF is the leading global forum for the social economy, with local-government membership, and is a direct strategic partner of RIPESS. Both networks advocate for SSE in international forums and coordinate on policy declarations, making them the closest functional peer to RIPESS in the global SSE advocacy space.

Others

• URGENCI (Community-Supported Agriculture Network): URGENCI is a documented international partner of RIPESS focused specifically on community-supported agriculture globally. It is a thematic sub-network within the broader SSE ecosystem that RIPESS connects through joint webinars and food sovereignty advocacy, representing the kind of sectoral node RIPESS's network-of-networks model aggregates.

Broad incumbents

• Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship: Operating within the World Economic Forum, the Schwab Foundation maintains a global network of social entrepreneurs and engages UN bodies on social economy issues. While broader (covering any social innovation), it competes with RIPESS for institutional partnerships and policy mindshare among large donors.
• Ashoka: Ashoka is the largest global network identifying and supporting leading social entrepreneurs, with operations in 90+ countries. While broader in scope (encompassing any social innovation), Ashoka operates as a network-of-networks in the social economy space and competes with RIPESS for partnerships with governments and international institutions.

Regional players

• REVES (European Network of Cities and Regions for the Social Economy): REVES is a European network of regional and local governments promoting the social economy at sub-national level, structurally similar to RIPESS EU. It is a regional peer with comparable mission, focused on territorial implementation of SSE policies through public authorities.
• Euclid Network: Euclid Network is a European social enterprise and SSE network that operates with policy advocacy, peer-learning, and international cooperation functions very similar to RIPESS. It is geographically limited to Europe but directly comparable in mission and operating model, often partnering with RIPESS EU.
• Social Enterprise UK: Social Enterprise UK is the national membership body for social enterprises in the United Kingdom, performing advocacy and policy representation functions comparable to RIPESS at the national level. While UK-focused, it is a structural peer demonstrating the model RIPESS operates at the continental and global levels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RIPESStwit
• Facebookfacebook.com/ripessintercontinental
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ripess

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about RIPESS