impactIA Foundation
impactIA Foundation is a Geneva-based Swiss nonprofit, founded in 2017, that delivers applied AI education, ethics training, and open-source AI tooling to individuals, enterprises, and civil-society organizations across the Francophonie and beyond.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersGeneva, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What impactIA Foundation does
impactIA Foundation is a Swiss nonprofit foundation established in 2017 and headquartered in Geneva, operating across three declared pillars: Individual, Enterprise, and Civil Society. It positions itself as an applied AI education and ethics organization, delivering training curricula that span generative AI, NLP, computer vision, process automation, and autonomous agents across text, image, video, audio, and multimodal modalities.
Its product surface includes several distinct programs. ShamanAI is an open-source machine learning framework. robotMe is a blockchain-based platform for distributing AI tasks and compensating the human workers who train them. MAIA Academy delivers youth AI education through a custom 3D environment called MAIA Town. Additional programs include RAIE (robotics bootcamp), the AiiA Festival (art + AI), the 'My Mentor is a Woman' mentorship, and IDAIO/Women in AI. In 2022 the foundation also launched MOOC Leadership Inclusif, shifting part of delivery from venue-based workshops to a globally accessible self-serve channel.
The business model combines fee-based training (programs priced CHF 500-4,800 per participant or class, delivered both directly and through channel partners IFAGE, FER Genève, and Centre Patronal Vaudois), grant and donation funding from public and institutional supporters (UNESCO at flagship tier, Swiss Confederation, Canton and City of Geneva, Hasler Stiftung, SIG, La Mobilière, WISeKey, Pro-Helvetia among 20+ named supporters), and an Advisory Board of more than 20 multidisciplinary experts. The foundation is co-led by Tim O'Hear (President) and Laura Tocmacov Venchiarutti (Managing Director). Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the entity operates as a nonprofit, consistent with a mission-driven rather than venture-scale commercial posture.
impactIA Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- impactIA Foundation
- Legal name
- impactIA Foundation
- Website
- https://impactia.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- impactIA Foundation is a Geneva-based Swiss nonprofit, founded in 2017, that delivers applied AI education, ethics training, and open-source AI tooling to individuals, enterprises, and civil-society organizations across the Francophonie and beyond.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
impactIA Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AI Ethics Education and Training
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- School-Based PT Evaluation & Assessment (EDAKAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Community Development & Social Impact Programs (EDAIAGAA)
Keywords
Where impactIA Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Geneva
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
impactIA Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Training and Education Programs: Revenue from Academy programs including New Generation courses (MAIA, RAIE), continued education for professionals, and enterprise training programs. Programs are priced at CHF 500-4,800 per participant or class.
- Foundation Supporters and Donors: Funding from institutional supporters including canton and city governments, Swiss foundations (Hasler Stiftung), corporations (SIG, La Mobilière, WISeKey), and international organizations (UNESCO, Pro-Helvetia).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | One time | Leadership Inclusif Program - Mentoring by women for male leaders |
| Subscription | One time | Mentore D&I in AI - Training to become a mentor |
| Subscription | Annual | MAIA Academy - Online AI education for youth |
| Unit Pricing | One time | RAIE Bootcamp - Week-long robotics and AI program |
| Subscription | One time | AI Readiness Training - One-day seminar |
| Subscription | One time | Deploying AI in Organizations - Two-day training |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
impactIA Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
impactIA Foundation is a Geneva-based nonprofit that delivers AI ethics education, training, mentoring, and public awareness programs for youth, professionals, women, and enterprises. It complements these programs with proprietary digital platforms—ShamanAI (an open-source machine learning framework), robotMe (a mentoring platform), and MAIA Town (a 3D metaverse)—used to operationalize its educational mission. Core revenue/mission activities include the MAIA Academy, RAIE, My Mentor is a Woman, Women in AI, Formation Continue, and the AiiA Festival.
Product overview
impactIA Foundation is an ethical AI nonprofit organization that operates as a multi-program education and advocacy platform organized around three pillars: the Individual, the Enterprise, and Societal R&D. Its product portfolio centers on AI education and ethical AI deployment tools rather than a traditional SaaS product. Key offerings include ShamanAI (an open-source ML framework for knowledge work automation and robotics), robotMe (an AI training and compensation platform leveraging blockchain), the MAIA Academy (online AI/robotics/ethics training for youth aged 12–18 via a 3D metaverse called MAIA Town), RAIE (in-school robotics and AI bootcamps for ages 9–18), the AiiA Festival (an annual arts-and-AI cultural event), My Mentor is a Woman (inclusive leadership mentorship), IDAIO/Women in AI (diversity advocacy), and a suite of continuing professional education programs (AI Readiness, Applied AI Developer, AI Project Manager, Generative AI seminars) delivered in partnership with Swiss training institutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MAIA Academy: Youth education program for ages 10-18 discovering AI, robotics, and ethics through collaborative projects in the francophonie community.
- RAIE
- My Mentor is a Woman
- AiiA Festival
- robotMe
Products and services
- MAIA Academy Educational program delivering AI and machine learning training to learners, including youth and professionals, as part of impactIA's educational mission.
- RAIE Program within impactIA Foundation's portfolio of responsible AI initiatives, supporting education and applied work in ethical artificial intelligence.
- My Mentor is a Woman Mentoring program designed to support and elevate women working in or entering the field of artificial intelligence.
- Women in AI Community initiative that supports women working in artificial intelligence through networking, visibility, and educational activities.
- Formation Continue Continuing education program providing AI training and upskilling opportunities to working professionals.
- AiiA Festival Public festival event organized by the foundation to raise awareness and advance public dialogue around ethical artificial intelligence.
- ShamanAI Open-source machine learning framework developed by the foundation to support learners and practitioners working on AI projects.
- robotMe Platform developed by the foundation to support its mentoring initiatives, connecting mentors and mentees in AI-related fields.
- MAIA Town 3D metaverse environment created by the foundation to host immersive educational experiences and community engagement around AI topics.
Quantifiable outcome
- Goal: Reach 30% women in AI by 2027
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use impactIA Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
impactIA Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability14 records
Feature5 records
impactIA Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- État de Genève (Canton of Geneva Government)coreGovernment body supporting impactIA as a key initiative for AI education and workforce development in Geneva. Provides funding and institutional backing for programs targeting citizens and organizations.
- Ville de Genève (City of Geneva)coreCity government supporting impactIA initiatives including the AiiA Festival and youth education programs. Partner for community engagement and urban AI literacy.
- UNESCOflagshipUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization providing international recognition and support for impactIA's ethical AI mission and diversity initiatives.
- Women in Digital SwitzerlandcoreOrganization co-publishing the 'Advancing Women in AI' white paper with impactIA, working together on increasing female representation in AI.
- IFAGEcoreGeneva training organization delivering impactIA AI courses including Developer in Applied AI and AI Project Manager programs.
- FER Genève (Fédération des Entreprises Romandes)coreGeneva employers federation partnering with impactIA for AI training programs, launching formation programs for members.
- Centre Patronal VaudoisminorVaud region employer association providing venue for impactIA Generative AI training programs.
- MIA/CAGIminorOrganization for NGOs and associations in Geneva partnering with impactIA to provide AI training for the nonprofit sector.
- Théâtre Saint-GervaisflagshipCultural venue hosting the AiiA Festival, a collaboration between impactIA and artist Jonathan O'Hear for AI-art exploration.
- Jonathan O'Hear (Artist)flagshipContemporary artist collaborating with impactIA to create DAI (AI dancer) and co-direct the AiiA Festival exploring AI through art.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
impactIA Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AI Now Institute: Research institute focused on the social implications of AI, producing influential policy research and advocacy reports. Comparable to impactIA's research and white paper work (e.g., 'Advancing Women in AI') and policy-facing AI ethics positioning.
- NESTA: UK innovation foundation running programs on AI, future of work, and inclusive technology. Comparable in structure and mission to impactIA as a foundation funding and delivering AI education and social impact programs, though operating at larger scale in the UK.
- AI4ALL: Nonprofit providing AI education, mentorship, and career pathways for underrepresented groups, including a focus on women and minorities. Closely comparable to impactIA's MAIA Academy and Women in AI programs in mission, audience, and educational delivery model.
- Women in AI: Global nonprofit advocating for gender inclusivity in AI through research, education, and community programs. Directly comparable to impactIA's IDAIO/Women in AI initiative, including research publications and the 30% women-in-AI target by 2027.
- AlgorithmWatch: Nonprofit research and advocacy organization focused on algorithmic decision-making, AI accountability, and bias. Comparable to impactIA's ethical AI and diversity-focused mission, with overlapping audiences in European civil society and policy.
Broad incumbents
- Element AI (ServiceNow): AI solutions provider (acquired by ServiceNow) that historically operated AI ethics advisory services. Comparable to impactIA's enterprise AI training and ethics advisory offerings but as a commercial incumbent at much larger scale.
- DeepLearning.AI: Large-scale AI education provider offering courses, specializations, and corporate training. Comparable to impactIA's Formation Continue and AI Readiness programs, but commercially oriented and at much greater scale.
- Mozilla Foundation: Major nonprofit funding open-source technology, AI ethics advocacy, and internet health research. Comparable to impactIA in operating an open-source technology stack (ShamanAI vs. Mozilla projects) alongside public-interest AI advocacy, but at substantially larger scale.
Regional players
- Swiss Digital Initiative: Geneva-based foundation promoting responsible digital technology through certification and ethics initiatives. Comparable as a regional Swiss peer with overlapping mission on ethical technology, sharing Geneva institutional networks and funders.
Emerging players
- Apolitical: Global learning network for government and public servants covering digital and AI skills. Comparable to impactIA's MOOC Leadership Inclusif and enterprise training targeting civil society and public institutions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
impactIA Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceimpactIA Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
impactIA Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
impactIA Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
impactIA Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about impactIA Foundation
What does impactIA Foundation do?
impactIA Foundation is a Geneva-based nonprofit that delivers AI ethics education, training, mentoring, and public awareness programs for youth, professionals, women, and enterprises. It complements these programs with proprietary digital platforms—ShamanAI (an open-source machine learning framework), robotMe (a mentoring platform), and MAIA Town (a 3D metaverse)—used to operationalize its educational mission. Core revenue/mission activities include the MAIA Academy, RAIE, My Mentor is a Woman, Women in AI, Formation Continue, and the AiiA Festival.
Is impactIA Foundation a public or private company?
impactIA Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was impactIA Foundation founded?
impactIA Foundation was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is impactIA Foundation based?
impactIA Foundation is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does impactIA Foundation make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Training and Education Programs are the primary driver. The others are foundation Supporters and Donors.
Who are impactIA Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AI Now Institute, NESTA, AI4ALL, Women in AI and AlgorithmWatch. Broad incumbents are Element AI (ServiceNow), DeepLearning.AI and Mozilla Foundation. Swiss Digital Initiative is listed as a regional player. Apolitical is listed as an emerging player.
Does impactIA Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for impactIA Foundation.
What industry is impactIA Foundation in?
impactIA Foundation's product category is AI Ethics Education and Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAKAGAA, School-Based PT Evaluation & Assessment, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAJ, Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8300.