What Mareena does

Mareena is a Slovak civic association (občianske združenie, IČO 50760611) registered with the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic and headquartered in Bratislava. Founded in 2017, it supports the integration of foreigners — including refugees, asylum seekers, economic migrants, and migrant women — through four core programmes: Slovak language courses (CEFR A1-B2 plus a proprietary 'Slovak for Work Purposes' curriculum), workshops on migration and diversity, a volunteer / engagement programme with five local communities and 1,144 engaged volunteers, and awareness-raising campaigns. Layered on top are operational and revenue assets: the Mareena Café social-business café (launched 2021, employing migrant women from five nationalities), the 'Naši' Photobank (a first-of-its-kind stock-image library of foreign-origin professionals in Slovakia, sold at €7.99 per image), and a B2B 'For Companies' service line offering corporate courses, intercultural trainings, and CSR partnerships with Accenture, ESET Foundation, Volkswagen Foundation, Swiss Re Foundation, and Lenovo.

The organization's underlying technology is a conventional web platform — a multilingual (Slovak, English, Ukrainian) WordPress-style site at mareena.sk with a MailChimp newsletter, Google Analytics and Google AdSense for marketing, Adform for paid display, embedded YouTube, and an integrated e-shop accepting Visa/Visa Electron/MasterCard/Maestro. Online donations are processed via Darujme.sk, including a '5,000 hours of help' campaign, and Mareena is registered for Slovakia's 2% (or 3% for 40+ hour volunteers) personal-income-tax designation. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Mareena scaled humanitarian operations from February 2022, deploying first-contact services at the Vyšné Nemecké border crossing, free Slovak courses in Bratislava, Košice, and Nitra, and a children's programme at the Gabčíkovo humanitarian centre serving 350-400 children under UNHCR and UNICEF funding.

Revenue is a mix of donation streams (2% tax assignments, Darujme.sk giving, institutional grants from UNHCR/UNICEF/IRC), corporate CSR partnerships and paid workshops, paid Slovak language courses (from €105 per course, 12-week formats, max 15 students), e-shop merchandise sales (€0.50-€42), photobank licensing, and Mareena Café sales. The organization operates across five Slovak cities plus humanitarian and border locations, employs 51-100 paid staff, and is governed as a standalone non-profit with no parent company or disclosed cap table.

Name

Mareena

Legal name

Mareena

Website

https://mareena.sk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Mareena is a Slovak civic association founded in 2017 that supports foreigner integration through Slovak language courses, community programmes, a social-business café, and humanitarian services for Ukrainian refugees across five Slovak cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Migrant Integration and Refugee Support Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Tour Operators (56152)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Study Abroad Provider Networks, Consortia & Membership Organizations (EDAIAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Visa Documentation, Translation, Notarization & Apostille Services (EDAIADAD), Student & Youth Hostels (Youth Organization/HI-style) (THAGAGAH)

Keywords

• Migrant integration services
• Language education programs
• Humanitarian assistance services
• Intercultural corporate training
• Community support programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bratislava

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Slovak 2% tax designation donations: Annual Slovak taxpayer designation of 2% (or 3% for active volunteers with 40+ hours) of personal income tax, and 1–2% of corporate income tax, channeled to Mareena as a registered civic association (IČO 50760611).
2. Direct donations via Darujme.sk: One-time and recurring individual donations processed through the Slovak online fundraising platform Darujme.sk, including dedicated campaigns such as '5,000 hours of help'.
3. Corporate CSR partnerships: Material and financial gifts, sponsorships, and co-financing arrangements with Slovak and multinational companies (e.g., co-financing the Mareena Festival, free Slovak courses for vulnerable foreigners, summer camp for children of different backgrounds).
4. Slovak language course fees: Paid Slovak language courses for individuals and companies (A1–B2 levels, Slovak for Work Purposes), priced from €105 per course; standard 12-week courses of 24 or 36 hours; small groups up to 15 students. Also sold as corporate vouchers and tailormade in-company courses.
5. E-shop merchandise sales: Direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales of branded merchandise (mugs, stickers, postcards, t-shirts, hoodies, crewnecks, bags, caps, badges, temporary tattoos, photo prints, notebooks) and books. Prices range from €0.50 postcards to €42 hoodies; payments via Visa, Visa Electron, MasterCard, Maestro.
6. Photobank 'Naši' licensing: Per-image license sales (€7.99 each) of the Naši photobank collection to companies and organizations for use in their communications, with sublicensing terms published on the site.
7. Workshops and trainings for companies: Paid corporate workshops on 'Welcome to Slovakia' for foreign employees, intercultural communication trainings for diverse teams, and teambuilding experiences (discussion cafés, cooking clubs, multicultural tours of Bratislava, intercultural games).
8. Mareena Café sales: Social business café revenue from sales of coffee and food, operated to employ migrant women; original launch in Propeller venue.
9. Institutional grants (UNHCR, UNICEF, IRC): Project-based funding from international organizations (UNHCR, UNICEF, IRC) to support activities for people from Ukraine, including the Gabčíkovo humanitarian center children's programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Mareena is a Slovak civic association that helps foreigners, refugees, and migrants integrate into Slovak society through Slovak language courses (A1–B2 plus a proprietary workplace variant), community events, awareness campaigns, workshops, humanitarian services for Ukrainians, a social-business café employing migrant women, and B2B corporate offerings (intercultural training, language vouchers, CSR partnerships). It also operates an e-shop for branded merchandise and a unique diverse stock-photo bank called Fotobanka Naši, licensed to organizations for authentic representation in communications.

Product overview

Mareena is a single Slovak civic association (občianske združenie) that operates as a unified programme organisation rather than a modular product platform. Its offering is structured around four flagship programmes that together form the core "product": (1) the Slovak Language Courses (A1–B2 plus Slovak for Work, delivered in Bratislava, Košice, Nitra and online), (2) the Workshops programme (interactive 1.5–3 hour sessions for schools, companies and events on migration, diversity and hate speech), (3) the Volunteer / Engagement programme with five local volunteering communities, and (4) the Awareness-Raising programme which includes named Mareena Campaigns. Layered on top are operational services and revenue/digital assets: the Mareena E-shop (merchandise, illustrated stickers/postcards, clothing, photo prints), the Fotobanka Naši (a stock photo bank of foreign-origin professionals in Slovakia), the Mareena Café (a social business employing migrant women), and the B2B "Mareena for Companies" service line (corporate language courses, Welcome to Slovakia workshops, intercultural trainings, teambuildings and CSR partnerships with Accenture, ESET, Swiss Re, Volkswagen, Lenovo, Profesia and Websupport). The Ukraine Support Programme (border, city, Gabčíkovo and Košice Integration Centre activities) is the most recent humanitarian programme layer, supported by UNHCR and UNICEF.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mareena café: Social business café providing employment opportunities for women with international protection and third-country migrant women in Slovakia.
• Fotobanka Naši

Products and services

• Slovak Language Courses (A1–B2) and Slovak for Work Purposes Paid Slovak language courses delivered in Bratislava, Košice, Nitra and online at CEFR levels A1, A2, B1 and B2, plus an in-house workplace-specific Slovak course; small groups of up to 15 students, three annual trimesters. Free equivalents are provided for people from Ukraine.
• Mareena Workshops Interactive 1.5–3 hour educational workshops on migration, diversity and hate speech for schools, companies and events, designed to build critical thinking and discussion around integration.
• Mareena Community Events Recurring community activities across Bratislava, Nitra, Košice and other Slovak cities, including Language Café, UPLAYS for Ukrainian youth, Game Nights, creative sessions, Book Club, Yoga, and the summer Mareena Festival.
• Mareena Volunteer / Engagement Programme Volunteering programme organised around five local communities (Bratislava, Nitra, Košice, Trenčín, Banská Bystrica) engaging 1,144 volunteers in direct assistance, community activities, and pro-bono expertise in HR, PR, marketing and law.
• Mareena for Companies (B2B Services) B2B service line for companies including corporate Slovak language courses (vouchers and tailormade), "Welcome to Slovakia" workshops for foreign employees, intercultural communication trainings, teambuildings, photobank usage, e-shop gifting and CSR partnerships.
• Mareena Café Social business café launched in 2021 that employs women with international protection and third-country migrant women to increase their financial independence, social inclusion, language and work-related skills; originally launched at the Propeller venue in Bratislava.
• Fotobanka Naši (Photo Bank "Ours") Stock photo bank of people of foreign or Slovak-foreign origin living, working or studying in Slovakia, depicted in the professions they actually perform; sold at €7.99 per image with published sublicense terms for use by companies and organisations.
• Mareena E-shop Own online store selling socially responsible branded merchandise including Celebrating Diversity stickers, postcards, t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, caps, bags, badges, bilingual memory games, photo prints and books; payments via Visa, Visa Electron, MasterCard, Maestro.
• Ukraine Support Programme Programme of humanitarian and integration services for people from Ukraine, including first-contact services at the Vyšné Nemecké border crossing, free Slovak language courses and tutoring in Bratislava/Nitra/Košice, community events, the Gabčíkovo children's programme supported by UNICEF and UNHCR, information seminars with the City of Bratislava, and job counselling at the Košice Integration Centre.
• Mareena Awareness Campaigns Public awareness campaigns including "In a foreign city", "Committed communities", "Safety for Afghans", "Looking for similarities", "Photobank Naši", "Diversity for kids" and "I am fed up with foreigners", designed to bring diversity into lives of people in Slovakia.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,144 engaged volunteers and volunteers across five Slovak cities
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship csr partner, core csr partner, minor csr partner, flagship institutional partner, core institutional partner, core policy partner, minor production partner, core operational partner and core campaign partner.

• Accentureflagship csr partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAccenture is named among Mareena's flagship cooperations on the 'Naše spolupráce' partner-logo wall. The English 'For Companies' page cites Accenture (alongside ESET, Swiss Re and Volkswagen) as a partner that has contributed to increased awareness about migration and helped finance the summer Mareena Festival.
• Lenovocore csr partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured on the 'Naše spolupráce' partner-logo wall as part of Mareena's corporate cooperation network.
• Profesiacore csr partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured on the 'Naše spolupráce' partner-logo wall as part of Mareena's corporate cooperation network.
• LeitnerLeitnercore csr partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured on the 'Naše spolupráce' partner-logo wall as part of Mareena's corporate cooperation network.
• Websupportcore csr partnerTechnology or IntegrationFeatured on the 'Naše spolupráce' partner-logo wall; as a Slovak web-hosting provider, Websupport is a likely technology/infrastructure partner for mareena.sk.
• Espanaminor csr partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured on the 'Naše spolupráce' partner-logo wall as part of Mareena's corporate cooperation network.
• Gio Caffè (Giocaffe)minor csr partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured on the 'Naše spolupráce' partner-logo wall as part of Mareena's corporate cooperation network.
• UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency)flagship institutional partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished partnership since the start of the war in Ukraine enabling Mareena to expand activities and strengthen presence in multiple locations, including the Gabčíkovo humanitarian center where Mareena provides child protection and education services.
• UNICEFflagship institutional partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports Mareena's work with children from Ukraine, including at the Gabčíkovo humanitarian center where Mareena delivers daily creative, sports, and arts activities, language courses, and a children's club.
• IRC (International Rescue Committee)flagship institutional partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished partnership since the start of the war enabling Mareena to expand activities and strengthen its presence in several locations.
• Magistrát hlavného mesta SR Bratislavy (Bratislava City Hall)core institutional partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner that co-organized information seminars for people from Ukraine covering city services, state institutions, finding work, and enrolling children in schools.
• Košický samosprávny kraj (Košice Self-Governing Region)core institutional partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded the Košice Integration Center opened on 20 June 2022 with Mareena and other partners; provides social, psychological, and legal aid while Mareena runs the job-counselling desk.
• League for Human Rights, CVEK, NMŠ, Človek v ohrozenícore policy partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint authors of the policy brief 'Integration of People from Ukraine — Recommendations' presented at the Integration Forum organized by the League for Human Rights; collaboration on proposing concrete integration solutions for people from Ukraine.
• Bratiska.skminor production partnerOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLocal Slovak producer collaborating on Mareena's 'Celebrating Diversity' merchandise, including t-shirts produced in cooperation with Bratiska.sk.
• Fire and Rescue Corps (Hasičský a záchranný zbor)core operational partnerOthersCo-coordinates border-zone operations with Mareena at the Vyšné Nemecké border crossing, providing first-contact services to people crossing from Ukraine.
• Donio.sk / 'Kto pomôže Ukrajine' coalitioncore campaign partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint fundraising coalition with other Slovak NGOs under the 'Kto pomôže Ukrajine' call hosted on Donio.sk, mobilized after 24 February 2022 to support people fleeing Ukraine.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Slovenská humanitná rada (Slovak Humanitarian Council): Slovak humanitarian NGO coordinating aid and integration support, particularly for refugees from Ukraine. Operates in overlapping geographic markets with similar beneficiary populations and donor base.
• Slovenská katolícka charita (Caritas Slovakia): Slovak Catholic charity providing humanitarian aid, social services, and migrant/refugee integration programs. Comparable in target beneficiaries, services mix, donor-driven funding model, and parish/community-based delivery structure.
• Nadácia Pontis: Leading Slovak corporate philanthropy foundation coordinating CSR programs and donation platforms. Directly comparable in partnering with Slovak corporates (Accenture, ESET, Volkswagen are also Pontis partners) and in intermediating CSR funding to NGOs like Mareena.
• Liga za ľudské práva (League for Human Rights): Slovak human rights NGO active in migration, integration policy, and refugee rights advocacy. Already a co-author of Mareena's policy briefs, indicating closely aligned mission, target beneficiaries, and policy positioning in Slovakia.
• Slovenský Červený kríž (Slovak Red Cross): National humanitarian organization providing refugee assistance, integration support, and emergency humanitarian response in Slovakia. Highly comparable in target population, geographic scope, and reliance on a large volunteer base.
• Človek v ohrození (People in Peril): Leading Slovak humanitarian NGO providing humanitarian aid, development assistance, and integration support for refugees. Directly comparable to Mareena in target beneficiary population (vulnerable foreigners/refugees), donor base, and operational geography across Slovakia.
• ADRA Slovensko: Slovak branch of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, providing humanitarian aid and community development including refugee support. Comparable beneficiary population, services, geographic scope, and international funding model.
• IOM Slovakia (International Organization for Migration): UN migration agency operating in Slovakia with migration management, refugee assistance, and integration programs. Directly comparable beneficiary population, services mix, and reliance on the same UN/institutional funding ecosystem that supports Mareena.

Broad incumbents

• Berlitz Slovakia: International language school chain offering paid corporate language courses including Slovak for foreigners. A broader incumbent with overlapping corporate language-course offering but operating as a for-profit commercial chain rather than a civic association.
• NRC (Norwegian Refugee Council): International humanitarian organization focused on displacement in Eastern Europe, including Ukraine response and refugee integration. A broader incumbent operating in the same institutional funding ecosystem that Mareena taps via UNHCR/UNICEF partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCP-t36iqRc2VgnK7M7xMC6A
• Facebookfacebook.com/mareena.sk
• Instagraminstagram.com/mareena.sk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mareena

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Mareena