Enactus Impact Academy: learning platform for purpose-driven entrepreneurship

Since 1 August 2026 we have been building a nationwide learning and networking platform for purpose-driven entrepreneurship. The project is funded through the “Nachhaltig wirken” programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the European Social Fund Plus.

Anyone who starts a company designed to deliver a social or environmental impact first and a financial return second knows the problem: the idea is there, the team is committed – and then come the questions no start-up handbook really prepares you for. How do you finance a business model whose returns partly accrue to society rather than to your balance sheet? How do you evidence your impact when funders and partners want to see it? And who do you talk to about all this when nobody around you has faced the same thing?

There is no shortage of support programmes. Most are designed for conventional, growth-oriented start-ups, many are tied to a single region, and the good ones are often fully booked or come with a price tag. That is precisely the gap we are addressing.

What we are building

The Enactus Impact Academy will be an open infrastructure – not a programme with an application process, but an offer you can draw on whenever you need it. At its core sits a digital learning platform with webinars, learning modules and expert talks, complemented by workshops and in-person formats at university locations across Germany. Those who simply need an initial assessment will find it in open office hours; those who want to go further will find a peer learning community of founding teams, experienced practitioners, mentors and partners who have faced comparable questions. In addition, we are developing toolkits on practically relevant topics such as impact measurement and climate-friendly business practices. The offer is open to purpose-driven companies and start-ups across Germany, including Enactus teams.

Thank you

Our thanks go to IBYKUS AG as the project management agency for the “Nachhaltig wirken” programme, who guided us through the application process. We are equally grateful to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the European Social Fund Plus for taking purpose-driven entrepreneurship seriously as a field of funding in its own right.

The “Enactus Impact Academy” project is funded as part of the “Nachhaltig wirken – Förderung gemeinwohlorientierter Unternehmen” programme by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the European Union through the European Social Fund Plus (ESF Plus).