What We Foundation does

We Foundation (legal name Me-säätiö sr) is a Helsinki-based Finnish non-profit foundation founded in 2015 by Supercell entrepreneurs Ilkka Paananen and Mikko Kodisoja, focused on preventing social exclusion of children, youth and families through equal access to meaningful leisure activities. The foundation operates its own community infrastructure — the Meltsi community house in Eastern Helsinki, the FC Meltsi football club, and a network of We Houses — and collaborates with municipalities, sports clubs, and NGOs across Finland, including participation in the Ministry of Education and Culture's national Finnish Model for Leisure Activities.

The foundation's core technology asset is Melvio, a data and impact-measurement tool used by sports clubs and partner organizations to collect comparable, research-based data on participation, family background, and well-being outcomes; it integrates with the Jopox sports-club management system. Technology development is handled by Wondershop, a wholly-owned sister tech studio that also built the Wonderworld hybrid digital-physical game platform piloted at Meltsi. The foundation also operates as a grantmaker and project funder for initiatives such as Startup Refugees, Aseman lapset's K-0 anti-bullying program, and the three-year We School project.

We Foundation operates as a non-profit foundation with no commercial revenue: all services to children, youth and families are free, and operations are funded through donations, grants and founder capital. Its go-to-market is hybrid, combining direct delivery through own community spaces, partnership agreements with Finnish municipalities (258 municipalities under the Finnish Model, 20 in its impact pilot), and technology licensing to sports clubs. It is GDPR-compliant, holds the 2023 UEFA Foundation for Children Award, and is expanding its footprint via the HALO youth street culture center in Vantaa (opening late 2026).

Name

We Foundation

Legal name

Me-säätiö sr

Website

https://www.mesaatio.fi/en/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Short description

We Foundation is a Helsinki-based Finnish non-profit foundation that prevents social exclusion of children, youth and families by operating community spaces, the Melvio impact-measurement platform, and partnerships with municipalities and sports clubs across Finland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact and Youth Inclusion Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Child and Youth Services (624110), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Social impact measurement
• Youth community programs
• Leisure activities research
• Social inclusion services
• Impact data analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Donations: We Foundation operates as a non-profit foundation funded by donations and grants. Founded in 2015 by Supercell entrepreneurs Ilkka Paananen and Mikko Kodisoja, the foundation receives support from various sources including government programs. The foundation does not generate commercial revenue but rather operates through charitable funding.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

We Foundation (Me-säätiö) is a Finnish non-profit foundation that prevents social exclusion of children, youth, and families through free community programs, operating community spaces, and developing impact measurement technology. Its core offerings include the Melvio data and impact measurement tool used by sports clubs and organizations, direct operation of the Meltsi community house and FC Meltsi football club in Eastern Helsinki, and partnership-funded programs supporting over 8,000 Finnish sports clubs and 258 municipalities.

Product overview

We Foundation operates a portfolio of products focused on social impact measurement and community well-being for children and families. The core platform is Melvio, a data and impact measurement tool used by sports clubs and organizations to collect and analyze well-being data from hobby participants. Meltsi serves as both a physical community house in Helsinki and the operational foundation for testing We Foundation's technology. Related offerings include FC Meltsi (a community football club), Wonderworld (a hybrid digital-physical game project with sister company Wondershop), and the upcoming HALO youth culture center in Vantaa. The organization also publishes data articles analyzing the impact of leisure activities on children's well-being.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Meltsi: Open community house for children and families in Mellunmäki suburb in Helsinki
• FC Meltsi
• Melvio
• We House
• We School

Products and services

• Melvio A data and impact measurement tool that helps sports clubs and organizations collect data on hobby participation, participant well-being, and social impact outcomes through surveys. Integrates with the Jopox sports club management system to enable comparable, research-based reporting on reach and well-being effects of hobby activities.
• Meltsi Community House An open community house for children and families located in the Mellunmäki suburb of Eastern Helsinki, serving as both a physical community space offering free activities and a testing ground for We Foundation's technology and impact measurement tools.
• FC Meltsi A community football club operated by We Foundation in Eastern Helsinki, offering free-of-charge football activities to children aged approximately 7-19 regardless of skill level or background.
• HALO Youth Street Culture Center A planned youth street culture center in Havukoski, Vantaa, providing 3,500 square meters of space for dance, street basketball, scootering, music, and art activities for local youth, opening late 2026.
• We House Community support houses operated as part of We Foundation's network, providing preventive work on social exclusion at the grassroots level with community support across various life situations. Five We Houses in operation, each reaching hundreds of active visitors monthly.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of FC Meltsi players feel they belong to a meaningful community
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• WondershopcoreTechnology or IntegrationWe Foundation's sister company and spin-off tech studio. Develops and maintains the social impact measuring technology platform including the Wonderworld game project. Created data tools to monitor volume, reach, effectiveness, and impact of operations.
• The Mannerheim League for Child WelfaremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPilot project partner in developing digital data tools for social impact measurement. One of the organizations that collaborated in creating the technology platform.
• NiceheartsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPilot project partner in developing digital data tools for social impact measurement alongside the Meltsi team.
• Startup RefugeesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding from We Foundation played key role in growth and scaling of operations. Partnership reached people deprived of support in employment, skills development and entrepreneurship.
• We HousemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreventive work on social exclusion at grassroots level with community support. Five We Houses in operation, each reaching hundreds of active visitors monthly.
• Aseman lapsetmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint project K-0 specifically addressing serious cases of bullying. All dealt cases have been resolved. 36,000 Finnish children get bullied in schools every week.
• Maahanmuuttajanuorten HelsinkimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject funding helped implement new ways to support youth from immigrant backgrounds find education and employment opportunities.
• We SchoolmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWe Foundation financed and coordinated three-year project reaching thousands of students. Created models for school days to help prevent social exclusion, many still in use.
• Vantaa CitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint project for HALO youth street culture center. Vantaa provides the space (former caravan factory, 3,500 sqm), We Foundation builds content with youth and partners. Opening late 2026.
• GAME (Denmark)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanish organization providing inspiration for HALO center. We Foundation visited GAME House in Copenhagen in spring 2023. GAME House centers bring street sports and culture to youth in inspiring, city-respecting spaces.
• Finnish National Agency for Education (OPH)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContact Point for the Finnish model for leisure activities. Co-participant in impact pilot project with We Foundation.
• 20 Finnish MunicipalitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipalities participating in We Foundation's impact pilot project studying the Finnish model for leisure activities. Includes Akaa, Hämeenlinna, Joensuu, Oulu, Rovaniemi, Jyväskylä, Lahti, Vantaa and others.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UEFA Foundation for Children: UEFA's charitable arm supporting vulnerable and marginalized children through football. Direct peer — FC Meltsi was a 2023 award recipient alongside 22 other European organizations, and We Foundation operates a similarly positioned sport-for-children model.
• Right To Play: International organization using sport and play to educate and empower children facing adversity. Direct peer in sport-based youth development with a similar technology-meets-program delivery model and global funder base.
• Laureus Sport for Good Foundation: Global foundation using sport to address social issues facing young people. Direct peer in the sport-for-social-inclusion category, with comparable scale of program delivery and outcome measurement orientation.
• Homeless World Cup Foundation: Uses football to inspire people who are homeless to change their lives. Direct peer operating in the sport-for-social-inclusion space with similar membership-club and tournament-based program models.
• GAME Denmark: Danish organization operating GAME House street sport and culture centers. Direct peer explicitly cited as the inspiration for We Foundation's HALO youth culture center project in Vantaa.

Broad incumbents

• Magic Bus India: One of the largest sport-for-development organizations globally, operating youth development programs across India. Broad incumbent providing comparable life-skills-through-sport curriculum for vulnerable children.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters International: Global youth mentoring organization serving children facing adversity. Broad incumbent with comparable mission of preventing social exclusion through structured adult/youth engagement and outcome measurement.
• Playing for Change Foundation: Foundation creating positive change through music and arts programs for children worldwide. Broad incumbent in the creative-activity-for-social-impact space, comparable funding model and outcome-measurement orientation.

Emerging players

• Street Child United: UK-based charity using sport to campaign for the rights of street-connected children. Emerging player with comparable child-advocacy focus and sport-as-platform model, though with narrower geographic reach than We Foundation.

Others

• Sopact: Impact measurement technology platform serving social-impact organizations and funders. Adjacent/peer technology — directly comparable to We Foundation's Melvio platform in the social impact data and measurement software category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mesaatio

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments1 record

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Frequently asked questions about We Foundation