Out of the Box International

What Out of the Box International does

Out of the Box International is a Brussels-based non-profit European network organization founded in 2014, operating with a core team of 16 employees and a network of 34 member organizations across 24 countries. Its mission centers on developing innovative policies in social entrepreneurship, social cohesion, open digital environments, and youth participation, with strategic priority pillars covering Alternative Democracies, Fresh Ideas for Social Cohesion, Social Economy, and a Sustainability Incubator. The organization coordinates cross-sectoral cooperation between civil society organizations, youth NGOs, SMEs, municipalities, and universities, leveraging an Expert Pool of 50+ specialists to deliver projects, policy assessments, training, and facilitation services.

The organization generates revenue almost exclusively through EU grant funding under programmes including Erasmus+, CERV, AMIF, Horizon Europe, and IPA, supplemented by membership contributions from its network organizations. Its current product portfolio includes the EXOAIM Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (2026, coordinated by DTU, developing AI-powered exosuits for children with motor impairments), the ICALL Online Course (launched July 2026 for inclusive communities), the Youth Agoras programme on democratic participation, and policy development services. Core technology infrastructure is typical for a non-profit: a WordPress website, social media channels, and standard digital collaboration tools — no proprietary software products, APIs, or commercial platforms are operated.

The go-to-market model is community-led and event-driven: engagement is built through international projects, study visits (e.g., Brussels-based INCLUDE ME stakeholder meetings), training courses, conferences, and direct policy-maker advocacy. Customer-facing relationships are primarily with EU institutions as funders, network member organizations as participants, and project consortium partners across Europe. The organization has no disclosed commercial pricing, no app products, and no API offerings, positioning it as a project-and-policy intermediary rather than a technology vendor.

Name

Out of the Box International

Legal name

Out of the Box International

Website

https://outofthebox-international.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Out of the Box International is a Brussels-based non-profit European network (founded 2014, 16 employees) coordinating 34 member organizations across 24 EU countries to deliver grant-funded projects in social innovation, youth participation, social cohesion, and inclusive policy development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Innovation Network Services

NAICS

Business Associations (81391), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Access & Quality (International Development) (BPAGABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery) (BPADAEAA), Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL), Infrastructure, Housing & Community Development (BPAGABAL)

Keywords

• Social innovation projects
• EU policy development
• Youth participation programs
• Civil society networking
• Horizon Europe research

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels , Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

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. EU Funding Programmes: Primary revenue from EU funding including Erasmus+, CERV, AMIF, Horizon Europe, and IPA programmes. The organization receives grants for social innovation, youth participation, social cohesion, and digital projects. Received EUR 34,320.00 administrative grant from Erasmus Plus Programme.
2. European Network Membership Services: Membership in the network provides networking opportunities, partnership building, and professional development for member organizations.
3. Project-based EU Grants: Projects supported by EU funding programmes such as Erasmus+, CERV, AMIF, Horizon Europe, and IPA, along with private and/or crowd funding.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Out of the Box International is a European network organization that develops and coordinates social innovation projects and provides policy development services. Through a network of 34 member organizations across 24 European countries and an expert pool of 50+ specialists, the organization designs and implements EU-funded projects under programmes such as Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, CERV, AMIF, and IPA. Its work spans youth participation, social cohesion, social entrepreneurship, digital policy, and inclusive innovation, delivered via project consortia, policy advocacy, and capacity-building services.

Product overview

Out of the Box International is a European network organization (not a traditional product company) that develops social innovation projects and provides policy development services. Their portfolio includes EXOAIM (a Horizon Europe research project on AI-powered assistive exosuits for children with motor impairments), the ICALL online course for inclusive communities, and various youth participation and social cohesion projects. The organization operates through four strategic priority pillars: Alternative Democracies (youth participation), Fresh Ideas for Social Cohesion, Economy with Social Mission (social entrepreneurship), and Sustainability Incubator. They maintain an Expert Pool of 20+ specialists and a Network of 34 member organizations from 24 countries across Europe. Core services focus on innovative policy development, project coordination, and stakeholder engagement rather than commercial product offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EXOAIM
• ICALL Online Course
• Youth Agoras
• Expert Pool
• Innovative Policy Development Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 European projects implemented
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and strategic.

• Technical University of Denmark (DTU)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2026Coordinator of EXOAIM Horizon Europe project - the organization's first participation as beneficiary in EU's flagship research programme. DTU leads an 8-organization consortium developing intelligent exosuits for children with disabilities.
• Libero (Serbia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 February 2016Leading partner in INCLUDE ME project for prevention of early school leaving. Libero is an NGO from Serbia leading the consortium.
• PRONI Centar (Bosnia and Herzegovina)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in INCLUDE ME project consortium working on youth development and non-formal education.
• Kosovo Young Lawyers (Kosovo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization dealing with legal aspects of youth rights and early school leaving prevention.
• Ti Povej (Slovenia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in INCLUDE ME project consortium from Slovenia.
• JEF MontenegrocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization from Montenegro in youth participation and democracy projects.
• MOJU (Portugal)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization from Portugal in INCLUDE ME project consortium.
• Secondary VET School of Obrenovac (Serbia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partner in consortium addressing early school leaving.
• European Youth ForumstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey stakeholder met during study visits; represents youth organizations at EU level.
• OBESSUstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean school student union met during Brussels study visit.
• EXOAIM Consortium PartnersflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEight organizations from across Europe combining expertise in engineering, AI, rehabilitation, healthcare, social innovation, policy and communication for the EXOAIM project testing in Denmark, Belgium, Spain, and Serbia.
• ALL DIGITALcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean association working to enhance digital skills across Europe. Represents 70 member organisations working with 25,000 digital competence centres providing training to 1.5 million people annually.
• European Academy for Education and Social Research (Ireland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork member institution developing better Europe through knowledge sharing and ICT-based research.
• Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity network member with 15 academic divisions, globally oriented with liberal mindset.
• CiviKos Platform (Kosovo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-sectoral network of civil society organizations enabling cooperation between CSOs and government in Kosovo.
• Association for Democratic Prosperity – ZID (Montenegro)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of most powerful civil society organizations in Montenegro, focusing on youth and quality of life development.
• PRONI Center for Youth Development (Bosnia and Herzegovina)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGO founded in 1998 working on democratic society development through human rights, youth work, peace-building, and EU integration.
• Center for Intercultural Dialogue (Macedonia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRuns youth support system with Multi Култи youth centers promoting inter-ethnic cooperation, gathering over 2000 beneficiaries annually.
• European Projects Association (Belgium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization focused on R&D, innovation, and internationalization using innovative ICT tools for European projects.
• Toplum Gönüllüleri Vakfı (TOG) (Turkey)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth NGO reaching about 30,000 young volunteers annually with 800+ projects implemented; has 2 Youth Centers and 3 Coordination Centers.
• Institute of Entrepreneurship Development (Greece)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGO founded in 2005 promoting entrepreneurship, research, and entrepreneurial mindset through regional and national policy contributions.
• Minds Europe (Serbia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and Development Organization dedicated to technological advancement with over 50 years collective experience in education, culture, ICT, and sustainability.
• OTB Europe (Portugal)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSME empowering clients to gain and manage grants, improve policy initiatives, and build sustainable partnerships with motto 'Old ways won't open new doors.'

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• European Policy Centre (EPC): Brussels-based think tank engaging EU policy makers on cohesion, social, and digital policy. Comparable Brussels-based EU policy engagement model, though operating at broader policy scale.

Broad incumbents

• Erasmus Student Network (ESN): Largest European student network present in 40+ countries, with deep engagement in Erasmus+ programme and youth mobility. Comparable youth-focused European network model.
• Eurodesk: European youth information network providing mobility and EU opportunities information across 36 countries. Overlaps OTB's mission to engage young people in European citizenship and Erasmus+ pathways.

Direct peers

• ALL DIGITAL: European association enhancing digital skills through 70+ member organizations and 25,000 competence centres. OTB lists it as a member/partner and their missions on digital inclusion and European policy align closely.
• European Projects Association: Non-profit Belgium-based organization focused on R&D, innovation, and internationalization through ICT tools for European projects. OTB lists it as a network member and the missions are directly comparable.
• CiviKos Platform: Cross-sectoral network of Kosovar civil society organizations enabling cooperation between CSOs and government. Directly comparable civil-society network model with OTB's membership-based structure.
• European Youth Forum: Brussels-based umbrella platform representing over 100 youth organizations across Europe. OTB engages it as a strategic stakeholder and operates in the same youth-policy and EU-advocacy space.
• OBESSU (Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions): European umbrella of school student unions active in EU youth policy. OTB engaged it as a Brussels stakeholder and they share the youth-democratic-participation thematic focus.
• SALTO South East Europe Resource Centre: EU-supported resource centre supporting youth work and non-formal education in South East Europe. Operates in the same geography, theme, and EU funding ecosystem as OTB's regional priorities.

Regional players

• Toplum Gönüllüleri Vakfı (TOG): Turkish youth foundation reaching 30,000 young volunteers annually. OTB lists it as a network member and it operates in the same youth civic-engagement space, though primarily in Turkey.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/OutoftheBoxint1
• Facebookfacebook.com/outoftheboxinternational
• Instagraminstagram.com/outoftheboxint
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/out-of-the-box-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Out of the Box International