What WOW Foundations does

WOW Foundations is a Swedish non-profit organization ("ideell organisation") founded in 2013 (per the company's own website) — though a secondary source attributes the start to 2012 — and headquartered in Halmstad, Sweden. It operates in six Swedish cities: Borås, Göteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Karlstad, and Stockholm. The organization runs two complementary programs: MeetUP, which centers on monthly WOW-lunch networking events that bring together established Swedish women and immigrant women for mutual learning, and OneGoal, a structured 4-month mentorship program in which an established Swedish mentor (Agent) commits 30 hours to help an immigrant woman (Candidate) find employment. WOW reports a OneGoal success rate above 75%, with 194+ participants placed into jobs since 2013 and 38 MSEK in created economic value. As of early 2026, the network comprises more than 3,012 participants ("WOW-are") and 430+ women attending monthly lunches.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform; operations are community-led and event-driven. WOW-lunches are held at venue partners such as Scandic properties, Hotel Clarion Karlatornet, and Restaurang Creo, and are free for participants, with lunch costs covered by local sponsors. The OneGoal methodology is documented through a digital manual and supported by local OneGoal experts in each city, with intake periods in January and August. WOW maintains an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and has received press coverage from SVT, Aftonbladet, Swedish Radio, Göteborgs-Posten, and other outlets.

WOW Foundations is funded through a mix of corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and individual donations. Strategic partner packages start from 50,000 SEK, with Gold, Silver, and Bronze partner tiers starting from 5,000 SEK. Main sponsors (Huvudsponsorer) include JCAJ, JADO, Ernstromgruppen, and Svenska Postkodlotteriets Stiftelse, alongside corporate OneGoal partners such as Siemens, Barilla, Ellos Group, Nordea, Nobia, and Pegoya. Individuals contribute via one-time donations through Donorbox and recurring monthly giving through Swish ("WOW Friends"). The organization operates with a lean core team (1–10 paid employees) supplemented by volunteers, and is governed by a board chaired by Carin Kuylenstierna with founder Linda Törner serving as Secretary General.

Name

WOW Foundations

Legal name

WOW Foundations

Website

https://wowfoundations.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WOW Foundations is a Swedish non-profit organization operating in six cities that runs MeetUP networking lunches and OneGoal mentorship programs to help immigrant women find employment and integrate into Swedish society, funded by corporate sponsors, foundations, and individual donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Halmstad

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorships: Strategic partners pay from 50,000 SEK for customized packages and opportunity to shape WOW's future development. Gold, Silver, and Bronze partner packages start from 5,000 SEK with benefits including social media exposure and event participation.
2. Donations and Monthly Giving (WOW Friends): Individual donors contribute through one-time donations or recurring monthly giving via Swish. Donations fund extra activities and participants can have their names published on the website.
3. OneGoal Program (Social Impact): Companies can participate through Corporate OneGoal where employees serve as Agents helping immigrant women find employment. This creates social impact and employee engagement without direct revenue to WOW.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WOW Foundations runs two complementary integration programs for women in Sweden: MeetUP, a monthly WOW-lunch networking format held across six cities that brings established Swedish women and immigrant women together for cultural exchange and learning; and OneGoal, a structured four-month one-on-one mentorship in which an established Swedish woman commits 30 hours to help an immigrant woman move from unemployment to employment, achieving a reported 75% success rate. All programs are offered free to participants and funded through corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and individual donations.

Product overview

WOW Foundations offers a dual-program approach centered on integration: MeetUP (including WOW-luncher networking events) connects immigrant women with established Swedes across 6 Swedish cities for mutual learning and social integration; OneGoal is a structured employment program that matches immigrant women seeking jobs with established Swedish mentors who commit 30 hours over 4 months to help them achieve employment, achieving a 75% success rate. The organization operates city-specific chapters in Borås, Göteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Karlstad, and Stockholm.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MeetUP Core social integration programme that connects established Swedish women with immigrant women through monthly WOW-lunch networking events held across six Swedish cities. It provides a recurring meeting place for cultural exchange, mutual learning, and community building on topics such as integration, Swedish society, health, economy, communication, and AI, with all events offered free to participants.
• OneGoal Structured four-month employment programme that matches an established Swedish woman (Agent) one-to-one with an immigrant woman (Candidate). With a 30-hour commitment over the four-month period and a guided methodology including a digital manual and matching, OneGoal moves over 75% of Candidates from unemployment into employment. It runs with two intakes per year (January and August) and offers a Corporate OneGoal variant where company employees serve as Agents.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% of OneGoal candidates go from unemployment to employment
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

30 partnerships are on record, tiered core, local, corporate champion and corporate partner.

• JCAJcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor (Huvudsponsor) of WOW Foundations. Provides financial support for operations.
• JADOcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor (Huvudsponsor) of WOW Foundations.
• ErnstromgruppencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor (Huvudsponsor) of WOW Foundations.
• Lofbergs GrouplocalGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner in Karlstad enabling WOW-lunch events.
• WermlandsInvestlocalGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner in Karlstad supporting WOW operations.
• KlaraviklocalGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner in Karlstad.
• WestraWermlandslocalGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner in Karlstad.
• CooplocalGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner in Karlstad.
• SwedbanklocalGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner in Karlstad.
• Fredrik Wijkstrom (Siemens Financial Services)corporate championGTM or Marketing PartnerCEO of Siemens Financial Services, featured advocate for WOW. Represents corporate engagement in WOW.
• Barillacorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner participating in Corporate OneGoal. Matilda from Barilla speaks about WOW importance for diversity and inclusion.
• Ellos Groupcorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerJennifer from Ellos Group explains why they are partners to WOW. Corporate OneGoal participant.
• Nobiacorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner in Stockholm.
• Oscar Hirschcorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner in Stockholm.
• ÖresundskraftlocalGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner in Helsingborg.
• NordströmlocalGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner in Helsingborg.
• MilDeflocalGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner in Helsingborg (Charity logo).
• Helsingborgs HamnlocalGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner in Helsingborg.
• ScandiclocalGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner providing space for WOW-lunches in Helsingborg.
• EntergatelocalGTM or Marketing PartnerCyrus Daneshmir, VD and founder of Entergate in Halmstad, explains why they support WOW.
• Halmstad HandelsföreninglocalGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal business association partner in Halmstad.
• HandelsbankenlocalGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner in Halmstad.
• IntealocalGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner in Halmstad.
• Baker TillylocalGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner in Halmstad providing professional services.
• DevoteamlocalGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner in Halmstad.
• Fredblad ArkitekterlocalGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnCharlott Castler, co-owner of Fredblad Arkitekter in Halmstad, participates in WOW.
• SimonsoftlocalGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner in Gothenburg.
• Nordeacorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor in Stockholm.
• Siemenscorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor in Stockholm. Fredrik Wijkstrom, VD Siemens Financial Services, featured advocate.
• Pegoyacorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor in Stockholm.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Rädda Barnen (Save the Children Sweden): Major Swedish non-profit running integration and child/youth inclusion programs, including mentorship initiatives. Comparable in mission and Swedish geographic focus but operates at far larger scale and broader demographic scope than WOW.
• Individuell Människohjälp (IM): Swedish non-profit supporting inclusion of newly arrived immigrants and people with disabilities into the labor market. Comparable target population and Swedish operating geography, with broader thematic scope than WOW.
• Erikshjälpen: Major Swedish second-hand charity and international aid organization with active integration programs in Sweden. Comparable Swedish non-profit donor base and integration mission, but with a much broader humanitarian footprint than WOW.
• Stockholms Stadsmission: Large established Swedish social-services non-profit addressing poverty, homelessness, and integration in Stockholm. Comparable in social-impact mission and Swedish donor base, but with a much broader service portfolio than WOW's narrow focus on immigrant women's employment.

Direct peers

• Kvinna till Kvinna: Swedish foundation supporting women's rights and empowerment, including economic integration. Comparable mission focus on women and gender-based empowerment, though Kvinna till Kvinna's geographic focus is international rather than domestic Swedish.
• Mitt Liv: Swedish non-profit focused on integration and inclusion of foreign-born talent into the Swedish labor market through mentorship and networking. Directly comparable to WOW's OneGoal model and target population of immigrants seeking employment in Sweden.
• Mentor Sweden: Swedish non-profit running large-scale mentorship programs that match professionals with young people from non-academic backgrounds for labor-market preparation. Closely comparable to WOW's mentorship methodology, though Mentor targets youth of all genders rather than specifically immigrant women.

Emerging players

• Läxhjälpen: Swedish non-profit providing mentoring to students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Comparable in volunteer-mentorship methodology and Swedish operating geography, though focused on education rather than employment outcomes.
• Nätverket för Integration: Sweden-based networks and associations working on immigrant integration and employment. Comparable in thematic focus on Swedish labor-market integration, though smaller and less formalized than WOW's structured OneGoal methodology.

Regional players

• SWEA (Swedish Women's Educational Association): Global Swedish women's network with professional development and mentoring programming. Comparable in promoting networking between Swedish women and providing mentorship, but operates primarily outside Sweden in the diaspora rather than within Sweden.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@wowfoundations126
• Facebookfacebook.com/wowfoundationssverige
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wow-foundations
• Instagraminstagram.com/wowfoundationssverige

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 WOW Foundations