The Innovation In Politics Institute Gmbh

What The Innovation In Politics Institute Gmbh does

The Innovation in Politics Institute GmbH is a Vienna-headquartered, privately held Austrian mission-driven organization founded in 2016 by Edward Strasser and Ronny Zuckermann, with a wholly-owned German subsidiary (Innovation in Politics Institute Germany GmbH) established in Berlin in 2019. The institute operates at the intersection of government engagement, civil society, and business, building multi-stakeholder Mission Partnerships to address complex political and societal challenges, and delivering strategic advisory services through its Expert Consulting line. It also curates and exchanges best practices across European government, business, and civil society via its Best Practices Hub, which contains 2,000+ documented case studies and a network of 5,000+ citizen jurors.

The organization's product portfolio is organized around three core services (Mission Partnerships, Expert Consulting, Best Practice Exchange) and a growing slate of initiatives including the annual Innovation in Politics Awards (held since 2017 in cities including Vienna, Berlin, Warsaw, Barcelona, and forthcoming Cascais), the European Capital of Democracy (ECoD) annual city designation, Safe Democracy (a digital-democracy mission partnership with Austrian municipalities and technology vendors), the Truth, Lies & Democracy game jam on misinformation, the H2 Convention and re_use Initiative (climate-neutral industry and construction), the Education Festival in Vienna, and the ACT NOW Mayors' Conference. Operations run through two offices (Vienna, Berlin) with representation across 15–16 European countries and a network of 70+ international partners, 24 participating cities, and institutional patronage from the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.

The revenue model is professional services in nature — partnership fees, consulting engagements, grants flowing through affiliated gemeinnützige (non-profit) subsidiaries (ECoD gemeinnützige GmbH, Hub for Education Innovation Vienna/HEIV gemeinnützige GmbH), and event-related income from the annual awards, conventions, and festivals. No public revenue, headcount, pricing, or funding-round disclosures exist, and the company remains independently owned by six shareholders with no external private-equity or venture-capital backing.

Name

The Innovation In Politics Institute Gmbh

Legal name

The Innovation in Politics Institute GmbH

Website

https://innovationinpolitics.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Innovation in Politics Institute GmbH is a Vienna-based, privately held mission-driven organization founded in 2016 that strengthens European democracy through multi-stakeholder Mission Partnerships, expert consulting, and best-practice exchange among governments, businesses, and civil society.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Consulting & Democracy Innovation Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Public Relations Agencies (54182)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Democratic Governance & Public Administration Reform (BPADAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Diplomacy, Cultural Diplomacy & Strategic Communications (BPAIAIAE), Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships (EDADALAK)

Keywords

• Political consulting services
• Democracy innovation programs
• Multi-stakeholder partnerships
• Civic engagement consulting
• Public sector advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Mission Partnerships Services: The organization builds multi-stakeholder Mission Partnerships between governments, businesses, and civil society to address political and societal challenges. Revenue appears to be generated through partnership fees and consulting engagements.
2. Expert Consulting: Strategic advisory services provided to governments and organizations seeking to implement political innovations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Innovation in Politics Institute is a mission-driven organization that strengthens democracy through three core service pillars: Mission Partnerships (multi-stakeholder collaborations between governments, businesses, and civil society), Expert Consulting (strategic advisory from former campaigners, diplomats, and researchers), and Best Practice Exchange (cross-border knowledge transfer). These services are complemented by flagship initiatives such as the annual Innovation in Politics Awards, the European Capital of Democracy program, and the Best Practices Hub containing over 2,000 documented political innovations.

Product overview

The Innovation in Politics Institute operates as a mission-driven organization — not a technology product company — offering a portfolio of programmes, initiatives, and services centered on strengthening democracy through innovation. Its core service offering comprises three pillars: Mission Partnerships (multi-stakeholder collaborations tackling complex societal challenges), Expert Consulting (strategic advisory), and the Best Practice Exchange (cross-border knowledge-sharing). These are supported by flagship initiatives including the annual Innovation in Politics Awards (which recognizes outstanding European political innovators via a citizen jury of over 1,000 jurors), the Best Practices Hub (Europe's largest database of political best practices with over 2,000 entries), and the European Capital of Democracy (ECoD) annual city programme. Additional programmes span digital democracy (Safe Democracy), anti-disinformation (Truth, Lies & Democracy game jam), climate action (H2 Convention, re_use Initiative), education (Education Festival), and mayoral coordination (ACT NOW Mayors' Conference). The organization does not appear to offer a software product, platform, or API as its primary offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Innovation in Politics Awards: Annual awards program recognizing political innovators across Europe
• European Capital of Democracy (ECoD)
• Safe Democracy
• H2 Convention
• Truth, Lies & Democracy
• Education Festival
• re_use Initiative
• ACT NOW Mayors' Conference

Products and services

• Mission Partnerships Multi-stakeholder partnerships between governments, businesses, and civil society that address complex political and societal challenges no single actor could solve alone, targeting public sector entities and civic organizations across Europe.
• Expert Consulting Strategic advisory services delivered by an international team of former political campaigners, diplomats, entrepreneurs, and researchers to help governments and organizations turn bold ideas into impactful political innovation.
• Best Practice Exchange Identification and sharing of cutting-edge solutions from innovators across government, business, and civil society, supporting problem-solving and cross-border knowledge transfer for decision-makers.
• Innovation in Politics Awards Annual award programme recognizing exemplary political innovators across Europe, with winners selected by a citizen jury of over 1,000 Europeans and presented as part of the European Capital of Democracy programme.
• Best Practices Hub Europe's largest collection of political best practices, with over 2,000 curated examples enabling cross-border collaboration and knowledge sharing among decision-makers in government, business, and civil society.
• European Capital of Democracy (ECoD) Year-long programme designating a European city annually as the European Capital of Democracy, which curates and hosts democracy-strengthening activities including the annual Innovation in Politics Awards.
• Safe Democracy A mission partnership of cities and technology providers focused on improving the relationship between citizens and local governments through better digital tools for democratic participation and transparency.
• Truth, Lies & Democracy A live-streamed game jam where developers create interactive video games that teach players to identify and respond to misinformation and content manipulation, combining creativity, technology, and civic engagement.
• H2 Convention A joint initiative of Upper Austria and Linz uniting stakeholders from industry, academia, and government for exchange on achieving climate-neutral industry, held annually in Linz, Austria.
• Education Festival (Bildungsfestival) Vienna's central hub for educational innovation, fostering collaboration and providing a dedicated space for addressing challenges and envisioning the future of education.
• re_use Initiative Initiative focused on climate-neutral construction through circular economy and reuse practices, with an annual congress held in Linz, Austria.
• ACT NOW Mayors' Conference Annual conference bringing together mayors and municipal leaders to discuss and advance climate action and sustainability commitments across European cities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 editions of awards program (2017-2025)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• City of ViennacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Vienna is a key partner in the Safe Democracy Mission Partnership and hosted the European Capital of Democracy 2024/25 and the 2025 Innovation in Politics Awards.
• Austrian Association of Cities and TownscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in Safe Democracy initiative, representing Austrian municipalities in digital democracy efforts.
• Austrian Association of MunicipalitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Safe Democracy Mission Partnership focusing on digital tools for citizen-government communication.
• SAPsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner in Safe Democracy Convention, providing enterprise software solutions for digital democracy initiatives.
• DXC TechnologysupportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing digital transformation solutions for Safe Democracy initiatives.
• a-trustsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner specializing in digital signatures and trust services for secure digital democracy.
• CyclomediasupportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing street-level imagery and mapping solutions for urban planning initiatives.
• POLYASsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner specializing in secure online voting solutions for democratic participation.
• Council of EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPatronage and support for the Innovation in Politics Awards, Secretary General Ms Marija Pejčinović Burić endorses the awards program.
• European ParliamentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided patronage for the 2025 Innovation in Politics Awards under Secretary General Alain Berset.
• City of LinzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in H2 Convention and re_use Initiative for climate-neutral construction and hydrogen economy development.
• Upper Austria (State)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative with Upper Austria for H2 Convention focusing on climate-neutral industry development.
• City of BarcelonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Capital of Democracy 2023/24 and host of the 2024 Innovation in Politics Awards.
• Generalitat de CatalunyasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional government partner supporting Innovation in Politics Awards 2024 in Barcelona.
• Diputació BarcelonasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting partner for awards ceremony and Barcelona's European Capital of Democracy activities.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• European Policy Centre (EPC): Brussels-based think tank producing policy analysis and convening EU policymakers, civil society, and business. Highly comparable as a multi-stakeholder convening organization focused on European governance innovation and democratic resilience.
• Carnegie Europe: Pan-European think tank combining research, convening, and public engagement on EU affairs and democratic governance. Comparable mission of strengthening European democracy through cross-border policy work and convening networks.
• European Endowment for Democracy: Brussels-based EU-funded body supporting democracy, civil society, and independent media across the European neighbourhood. Comparable as a democracy-supporting intermediary that funds and convenes multi-stakeholder partnerships across Europe.
• Club of Madrid: Membership organization of former heads of state and government focused on democratic leadership and policy innovation. Comparable in convening political leaders and producing best-practice exchanges on governance innovation.

Broad incumbents

• Nesta: UK innovation foundation running programmes on government innovation, citizen engagement, and democratic technology. Comparable as a mission-driven organization producing governance innovation research, pilots, and partnerships.
• Demos: US-based public policy organization working on democracy, economic opportunity, and inclusive governance. Comparable as a think-and-do tank combining research, advocacy, and convening to strengthen democratic participation.
• International IDEA: Intergovernmental organization supporting democratic governance worldwide with research, capacity building, and convening. Comparable in mission (strengthening democratic institutions) and as a producer of comparative best-practice knowledge for policymakers.
• Bertelsmann Stiftung: Large German private operating foundation running extensive governance, democracy, and education programmes across Europe and globally. Comparable as a well-resourced operator of multi-country democracy and education initiatives with similar convening power.

Emerging players

• The GovLab (NYU): NYU-affiliated research center focused on how technology and innovation can transform governance. Comparable in studying and promoting governance innovation through research, convening, and best-practice dissemination.
• European Alternatives: European citizen organization promoting democracy, equality, and cultural exchange across borders. Comparable as a smaller Europe-wide civil society actor focused on citizen engagement and democratic innovation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/IPI_Network
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@innovationinpolitics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/politicsinstitute
• Instagraminstagram.com/innovationinpoliticsinstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 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 The Innovation In Politics Institute Gmbh