Xarxa d'Economia Solidària de Catalunya

What Xarxa d'Economia Solidària de Catalunya does

Xarxa d'Economia Solidària de Catalunya (XES) is a Barcelona-headquartered non-profit association founded in 2003 that serves as the reference coordinating body for the Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS) in Catalonia. It aggregates hundreds of member entities — cooperatives, associations, foundations, mutualitats, insertion enterprises, and informal collectives — plus individual activists, organized through more than 20 territorial networks and a dozen sectorial commissions (feminist economies, ecology, housing, education, functional diversity, anti-racism, procommons, communication, and community spaces). XES is governed by a 13-member Permanent body elected by the General Assembly and supported by a technical team of roughly 12 staff covering coordination, communication, Balanç Social, FESC, local networks, community economies, ecofeminism, administration, and technical secretariat.

The organization's product portfolio centers on three certification/evaluation tools: Balanç Social (a six-dimension social impact audit now in its 20th year and recognized by the EU Commission and OECD as a best practice), Balanç Comunitari (a self-evaluation tool for community management processes delivered via the Ensenya el Cor platform), and Pam a Pam (a collaborative mapping tool for responsible consumption and ESS visibility). Supporting products include the FESC and FESSrural festivals, the mandatory anti-violence protocol, the Espai de les Sòcies member portal with Tauler d'Anuncis job board and XES Carnet discounts, the InfoXES newsletter, publications, and educational tools such as Social Fantasy and Future Scenarios Workshops. The underlying technology stack is deliberately low-AI and open-source, built on WordPress, self-hosted Matomo analytics, Telegram channels, and Pam a Pam's mapping platform.

XES's revenue model combines subscription-style membership fees (€39/year for individuals, from €54/year for community entities, from €159/year for economic entities) with public grants from the Generalitat de Catalunya, Ajuntament de Barcelona, the Spanish Ministry of Labour and Social Economy, and EU programmes (Next Generation EU, CERV co-funded with Oxfam Intermón). Distribution runs through the xes.cat digital front door, the territorial xarxes as field channels, the Pam a Pam discovery map, and event-based recruitment at FESC/FESSrural. XES plays an active socio-political role, co-driving Catalonia's ESS Law and serving as a founding member of AESCAT, REAS Red de Redes, and RIPESS Europa.

Name

Xarxa d'Economia Solidària de Catalunya

Legal name

Associació Xarxa d'Economia Solidària de Catalunya

Website

https://xes.cat

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

XES is a Barcelona-based non-profit association founded in 2003 that coordinates the Social and Solidarity Economy in Catalonia, serving hundreds of member cooperatives, associations, foundations, and individual activists through certification tools (Balanç Social, Balanç Comunitari), mapping (Pam a Pam), territorial networks, and advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social and Solidarity Economy Network Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

ESG Governance, Sustainability Reporting & Assurance Advisory (BPAHAFAJ), Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB), Stakeholder Engagement, Indigenous/Tribal Consultation & Social Impact (SIA) (EUAHAAAH)

Keywords

• Solidarity economy network
• Social impact certification
• Cooperative movement advocacy
• Community development services
• Ethical finance association

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Membership fees (quotes): XES is funded primarily through annual membership fees paid by individual members and collective entities (cooperatives, associations, foundations, etc.). Fee structure: individual members from €39/year; community entities from €54/year (minimum); economic entities from €159/year (minimum). Fees are voluntary and can be increased above the minimum.
2. Public grants and institutional financing: XES receives financing from public institutions including the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government), Barcelona City Council (Ajuntament de Barcelona), the Spanish Ministry of Labour and Social Economy, and EU funds (Next Generation EU, Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan). Funding is directed toward specific programs such as the Balanç Social, Balanç Comunitari, and the Teixint Drets project (EU CERV programme co-funded with Oxfam Intermón).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Xarxa d'Economia Solidària de Catalunya (XES) is a non-profit association founded in 2003 that represents, promotes, and strengthens the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) in Catalonia. It provides member-based services including the Balanç Social social impact certification, the Balanç Comunitari community self-evaluation tool, the Pam a Pam collaborative mapping platform for ESS discovery, annual FESC and FESSrural festivals, a mandatory anti-violence protocol, advocacy and policy representation, and access to a territorial network of more than 20 local ESS networks across Catalonia.

Product overview

Xarxa d'Economia Solidària de Catalunya (XES) is a network organization representing the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) in Catalonia, not a traditional tech company. Its core product portfolio centers on evaluation, certification, and networking tools for SSE entities: the Balanç Social (Social Balance) for auditing organizational impact across six dimensions, the Balanç Comunitari (Community Balance) for community project evaluation, and Pam a Pam as a collaborative mapping tool for ESS initiatives. Supporting products include the FESC festival for networking, the Social Fantasy educational video game, Future Scenarios Workshops, the anti-violence protocol, and the Members Area portal with tools like the announcements board (Tauler d'Anuncis), membership card, and InfoXES newsletter. The XEC (Community Spaces Network) coordinates communally-managed projects. These tools collectively enable SSE entities to measure impact, network, and advance the social and solidarity economy in Catalonia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pam a Pam: Collaborative map showing and promoting responsible consumption initiatives of ESS
• Balanç Social
• FESC
• FESSrural
• Balanç Comunitari
• Futurs (im)Possibles
• XEC (Xarxa d'Espais Comunitaris)

Products and services

• Balanç Social (Social Balance) An accountability and social impact measurement tool that audits and evaluates six dimensions of ESS organizations: economic functioning and profit policy, gender perspective, equity and internal democracy, environmental sustainability, social commitment and cooperation, and quality of work. Used by cooperatives, associations, foundations, and other ESS entities to demonstrate compliance and access public procurement.
• Balanç Comunitari (Community Balance) A free, fully digital self-evaluation and continuous improvement tool for community management processes, adapted from the Balanç Social framework. Evaluates the community impact of initiatives across four thematic blocks in basic and complete modalities via the Ensenya el Cor platform.
• Pam a Pam Collaborative mapping tool showing and promoting responsible consumption and ESS initiatives across Catalonia. Surfaces ESS entities to consumers and serves as the validation pipeline for inclusion in the Social Market catalogue.
• FESC (Festival de l'Economia Solidària de Catalunya) Annual Forum and Festival of the Social and Solidarity Economy of Catalonia that promotes networking, exchanges, and visibility between ESS entities, with reserved activity and fair space for participating organizations.
• FESSrural (Rural Solidarity Economy Festival) Annual festival focused on the rural solidarity economy in Catalonia, serving as a visibility moment and community-building space for rural ESS actors.
• Protocol contra les violències masclistes i LGTBIAQ+-fòbiques Mandatory shared standard for all XES member entities covering prevention, identification, internal complaint procedures, and restorative approaches to gender-based and LGTBIAQ+-phobic violence. Includes training sessions via Liberaforms.
• Espai de les Sòcies (Members Portal) Member-only digital portal offering tools, resources, the Tauler d'Anuncis job board, the XES Carnet with partner discounts, Balanç Social and Balanç Comunitari evaluation portals, documentation library, and coordination contacts.
• XES Membership (annual membership) Annual membership program for individuals (€39/year minimum), community entities (€54/year minimum), and economic entities (€159/year minimum), providing access to the Espai de les Sòcies portal, discounts, evaluation tools, advocacy representation, and inter-cooperation opportunities.
• Xarxa d'Espais Comunitaris (XEC) Sectorial network within XES that coordinates communally-managed projects, with the goal of building horizontal and transparent spaces where people reclaim their lives through mutual support.
• Carnet de la XES Voluntary membership card for XES members offering advantages and discounts at other XES member organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17,000 ESS organizations (official) and 188,000 workers represented in the Catalan ESS ecosystem that XES helps articulate and promote
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and medium.

• RIPESS Europa (Red de Redes de Economía Social y Solidaria Europa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerXES is a member of RIPESS Europa, the European network of solidarity economy networks. RIPESS brings together national SSE networks across Europe and works on advocacy, knowledge-sharing, and international solidarity economy coordination. XES participates in RIPESS Europa's activities and international exchanges.
• REAS Red de Redes (Red de Redes de Economía Social y Solidaria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerXES is a member of REAS Red de Redes, the Spanish-state level network of solidarity economy networks. REAS coordinates SSE networks across different Spanish territories and shares tools including the Balanç Social methodology. REAS produces state-level social economy reports using data from member networks.
• AESCAT (Associació de l'Economia Social de Catalunya)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAESCAT is the association that groups the representative scope of social and solidarity economy in Catalonia. XES is a founding member and key participant in AESCAT, which was instrumental in developing Catalonia's ESS Law (Llei de l'Economia Social i Solidària).
• LaCoordi (La Coordinació d'Entitats del Tercer Sector Comunitari)mediumStrategic or Co-development PartnerXES is a member of LaCoordi, the coordination body for community third-sector entities in Catalonia, working on shared advocacy and representation goals.
• PlataformaESSmediumTechnology or IntegrationXES participates in PlataformESS, an initiative to design, develop, and share open-source digital tools serving the social and solidarity economy. The platform creates shared technological infrastructure for ESS organizations.
• Transicions FeministesmediumStrategic or Co-development PartnerXES participates in Transicions Feministes, a feminist transitions network that aligns with its ecofeminist and social justice mission.
• Assemblea d'Economia SocialmediumStrategic or Co-development PartnerXES participates in the Assemblea d'Economia Social, a broader assembly of social economy actors in Catalonia.
• Xarxa d'Ateneus Cooperatius de CatalunyacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Xarxa d'Ateneus Cooperatius is a program promoted by the Generalitat de Catalunya and managed by the local ESS fabric. Ateneus Cooperatius accompany the creation of ESS entities and weave a favorable ecosystem throughout the country, directly collaborating with XES on territorial ESS development.
• Xarxa de Municipis per l'ESS (XMESS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerXMESS is an association of 68 municipalities and local institutions (as of 2024) that promotes, reinforces, and consolidates ESS, setting common objectives and strategies and fostering cooperation and joint action among its members. XES works closely with XMESS on municipal ESS promotion.
• Fundació Roca GalèsmediumStrategic or Co-development PartnerFundació Roca Galès is a think tank focused on cooperative and social economy studies. XES members (including Xavi Palos, technical secretary) participate in the foundation's activities, contributing to research and knowledge production on ESS.
• FETS Finançament Ètic (Finançament Ètic i Solidari)mediumStrategic or Co-development PartnerFETS is a key ethical finance organization in Catalonia. Nina Gonzàlez, a XES Permanent member, represents FETS, linking ethical finance and solidarity economy. FETS organizes the annual Baròmetre de les Finances Ètiques.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Social Economy Europe: EU-level umbrella representing social economy enterprises and associations to EU institutions. Directly comparable to XES as a representative/lobbying body for the social economy, but operating at the EU policy level rather than regional Catalan scope.
• Euclid Network: European network supporting social enterprise and social economy development. Directly comparable: membership-based organization advancing the social economy through advocacy, capacity building, and networking, similar to XES but with pan-European rather than regional focus.
• RIPESS Europa: European intercontinental network of solidarity economy networks. Directly comparable to XES as a membership-based federation of SSE actors, with XES itself a member; focuses on advocacy, knowledge-sharing, and coordination of social solidarity economy across European territories.
• LaCoordi: Coordination body for community third-sector entities in Catalonia. Directly comparable to XES in its membership-based representation role, advocacy focus, and Catalan territorial scope, with significant overlap in member organizations and shared advocacy goals.
• REAS Red de Redes: Spanish state-level solidarity economy network that federates regional SSE networks including XES. Directly comparable: same membership-based network model, same focus on Balanç Social methodology, and same advocacy role for the social and solidarity economy at a larger geographic scope.
• AESCAT: Association grouping the representative scope of social and solidarity economy in Catalonia. Directly comparable: XES is a founding member; AESCAT operates in the same geography with overlapping member entities, focuses on representation of the social economy, and co-led the development of Catalonia's ESS Law.

Emerging players

• NESsT: International organization supporting social enterprises in emerging markets through financing and capacity building. Comparable to XES in its focus on supporting social economy actors with tools and resources, but operates as a venture support organization rather than a representative network association.

Broad incumbents

• Social Enterprise UK: UK membership body for social enterprises. Comparable to XES as a membership-based representative organization advancing the social economy through advocacy and member services, but larger in scale and focused on the broader UK social enterprise category rather than solidarity economy specifically.
• Cooperative UK: UK membership body for cooperative enterprises and a broader network of cooperative and social economy actors. Comparable to XES in its representative role for cooperative and social economy entities and its advocacy function, but operating as an established national-level trade body in the UK with a wider portfolio of member services.

Regional players

• CEPTA (Czech Social Economy Platform): Czech national platform representing social economy actors. Comparable to XES as a regional/national membership-based network promoting social economy policy and practice, but operating in a different country with different political and funding context.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/xes_cat
• Facebookfacebook.com/xes.cat
• Instagraminstagram.com/xes_cat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xarxa-economia-solidaria-de-catalunya

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Xarxa d'Economia Solidària de Catalunya