Impact Acceleration

Impact Academy

The Impact Academy is a unique opportunity for senior corporate employees and impact-driven entrepreneurs to embark on an enriching 5-month journey and learn from each other’s challenges and expertise. Senior employees get the chance to leverage their expertise towards creating a tangible impact, while developing their leadership and coaching skills. On the other hand, entrepreneurs receive targeted support in crucial areas of their business. Throughout the program that is held twice a year, SEIF provides additional input sessions covering crucial topics such as impact management, impact investing, best practices and pitch training. The aim of the program is to make startups ready for impact investments and to support them in overcoming challenges in specific areas of their needs.

For corporate partners

Skill-based volunteering: based on their experiences and skillsets, the employees will coach an impact-driven startup according to their challenges and needs
Cross-corporate: each startup is paired with two coaches from different corporates and/or departments, ensuring the complementarity of skillsets and mutual learning.
Impact startups: coaches get exposed to innovative sustainable business models and an entrepreneurial way of thinking, as well as the opportunity to make a personal contribution towards the SDGs
Input sessions: SEIF organises periodic online input sessions for all participants around impact-related topics, giving the coaches the opportunity to apply an impact assessment framework and dive deeper into the challenges of an entrepreneur
Impact-assessment tools: SEIF developed various tools to allow impact-driven entrepreneurs to track and assess their impact based on their given sector and stakeholder group.
Networking: coaches get the chance to exchange with like-minded colleagues and curated impact startups thanks to the on- and offline events facilitated by SEIF

For startups

Coaching duo: you are paired with two coaches from different corporates or departments, ensuring support in a large range of business-related topics
Tailored support: you are matched with your coaches based on your needs and challenges
Network access: your coaches can act as door openers in specific areas of your business growth
Input sessions: SEIF organises periodic online input sessions for all participants allowing entrepreneurs to design their impact measurement strategy, financing strategy, learning from peers, and practicing for the closing pitch to impact investors
Impact-assessment tools: SEIF developed various tools to allow impact-driven entrepreneurs to track and assess their impact based on their given sector and stakeholder group.
Peer learning & networking: you get the chance to exchange with like-minded entrepreneurs and potential growth partners thanks to the on- and offline events facilitated by SEIF
Pitch day: at the end of the program, nominated startups have the chance to pitch in front of an expert community and potential impact investors.
2 cycles per year: you have the possibility to apply more than once, to receive support in various steps of your business growth

Please note that this is not a financing program and participants will not be allowed to ask for financial support from their coaches.

Frequently Asked Questions.

This program is flexible and offers on- and offline options. As it requires a high level of commitment, your attendance is valued on certain dates:

Timeline for the current cycle

August 16th: Selection of suitable startup profiles

August 22nd, 12:00-13:00: Coach the Coach Session (online onboarding session for coaches)

August 23rd, 12:00-13:00: Coach the Startup Session (online onboarding session for startups)

September 12th, 18:00-21:00: Kick-off event (in person, mandatory)

December 5th, 18:00-21:00: Closing pitch event (in person, mandatory)

SEIF organises four monthly input sessions on various topics such as impact measurement and management, financing planning, best practices and pitch practice. The dates will shortly be communicated to the participants.

The Impact Academy is a win-win situation: The entrepreneurs benefit from the professional support of our employees and they get insights into an innovative sector and a deep dive into topics such as Impact Management and Impact Finance. For many of our volunteers, the experience is so rewarding that they sign-up again and again.

We stayed in regular contact with our coach after the SEIF program ended. Of course, we could not tell her the details about the sale process, but since it was a pretty stressful phase for us three founders, it was important to have someone at our side with an outside perspective – also to calm us down sometimes. Our adivce to future participants of the SEIF Impact Academy: try to think of bigger topics to tackle during the program, a problem that you cannot just google (…). Think about the bigger picture of your business.

The SEIF Impact Academy is an established part of our annual volunteering activities at PwC Switzerland. The programme enables PwC employees to apply as well as share their skills and experience in a context outside of their daily work. The feedback from our people is always very positive. They especially value that they can do good for society and our planet while at the same time learn a lot themselves. Participants feel inspired by getting insights in the life of entrepreneurs and the chance to exchange with different people from impact start-ups.

We have been engaged in the Impact Academy for several years now and the program continues to be in high demand among our employees who are serving as volunteer coaches to social entrepreneurs.

The SEIF Network offers great support, visibility as well as sense of community – exactly the things you’ll need to leverage your impact!

Our partners

Interested in becoming a partner?

Are you an impact-driven entrepreneur looking for professional support to build a successful business?

Meet the current participants

Developing alternative protein sources with their patented Golden Chlorella microalgae.

All-in-one mobility aid using AI to help people with low vision avoid obstacles.

Designs future-oriented learning settings with easy software solutions for all educational areas.

Offering a portfolio of innovative acute and chronic wound care solutions, which are personalized and affordable.

On a mission to mobilise disabled children with autonomously fitted (AI-Driven) and manufactured orthopedic devices.

Developing an alternative to leather for the automotive, furniture and fashion industries made of residual materials from hemp cultivation.

Providing simple and reliable solubility measurement to enable faster, cost-effective and sustainable drug development for better and effective medicine.

Committed to create 100% circular, low carbon and equitable buildings with their fully circular floor slabs.

Energy solutions for a sustainable future. The expertise of SeasonCell lies in the research and development of thermal energy processes.