Impact Hub, a global coworking space is dedicated to driving positive global change in more than 100 cities across five continents.  These mini-ecosystems host the perfect environment for collaborations and innovation.

Reaching over 16,000 members, Impact Hubs are diverse, cultured and come from many backgrounds including startups, social entrepreneurs, and social organizations.

With over 200 programs each year for its members and surrounding communities, having a multi-stakeholder network and having a global reach, Impact Hub has helped found over 6,400 startups between 2012 and 2016.

Learn more about this amazing organization by reading this article. This article will show you:

• What is an Impact Hub? 
• The Impact Hub business model
• The Impact Hub locations 
• Impact Hub membership costs
• What’s included with an Impact Hub membership?
• Impact Hub events
• The Impact Hub franchise model 
• How to start an Impact Hub

What is an Impact Hub?

An Impact Hub is a communal, coworking space for passionate entrepreneurs looking to create a positive impact.  They are a mix of an innovation lab, a business incubator, and a community center. Impact Hubs create a community among its members and the city where they are located.

Through its inspirational events and community, Impact Hub is looking to be more than just a coworking space.

Impact Hub prides itself on three components to make the whole system work.  The first component is building a community with the goal of positive, global change.  Impact Hubs finds passionate entrepreneurs who want a space to learn, grow, and innovate.

The second component is being a source of inspiration and motivation for their community. Through workshops, events, labs. and programs, Impact Hub wants to provide content and learning opportunities to help its members lead and achieve their goals.

The third component is the physical space at each Impact Hub. The spaces are open, flexible and provide a place for individuals, startups and remote workers to work in an office environment.  At many of the Impact Hubs, spaces can be rented out as event venues.

Impact Hub says, “the magic happens where these three elements connect and are brought to life through the art of hosting.”

Impact Hub Business Model

Impact Hub’s venues act as a coworking space and an event space.  Impact Hub’s business model is set in one main revenue stream and some locations choose to add more streams.

The main stream of revenue is through its members.  Members join to use the facilities as a coworking space and an incubator.  Depending on the Impact Hub, members also get perks and discounts for joining – including discounts on events.  More details about the perks of memberships can be found below.

Other streams of revenue for the Impact Hubs can be renting out spaces for events and charging for training courses and mentorship programs.

Impact Hub locations are great for local businesses wanting to throw events.  Some Impact Hubs choose to price out their spaces per hour and others per day.  Renting out spaces is a great stream of revenue while also marketing the Impact Hub and giving their members a discounted experience.

Some Impact Hubs choose to charge for courses, workshops, and programs.  Others choose to offer these free of charge. It depends on the founders of the location. 

This business model has proven to be effective with over 100 Impact Hub locations and counting.

Impact Hub Locations

Impact Hubs are located across five continents, in over fifty countries, and over 100 cities.  They are continually expanding to more locations as more innovators jump on board the mission.

Impact Hub’s global reach is full of diversity with entrepreneurs from different backgrounds.

North America

North America hosts 22 Impact Hub locations across nine countries.  Here are the Impact Hubs that make up North America:

• Canada
  • Impact Hub Montreal
  • Impact Hub Ottawa
• United States
  • Impact Hub Honolulu
  • Impact Hub Seattle
  • Impact Hub Minneapolis – Saint Paul
  • Impact Hub Houston
  • Impact Hub Austin
  • Impact Hub Santa Barbara
  • Impact Hub San Francisco
  • Impact Hub Oakland
  • Impact Hub Salt Lake City
  • Impact Hub Baltimore
  • Impact Hub Boston
• Mexico
  • Impact Hub Monterrey
  • Impact Hub Mexico City
• Haiti
  • Impact Hub Port-au-Prince
• Guatemala
  • Impact Hub Antigua
• El Salvador
  • Impact Hub San Salvador
• Honduras
  • Impact Hub Tegucigalpa
• Nicaragua
  • Impact Hub Managua
• Costa Rica
  • Impact Hub San Jose

South America 

South America hosts ten Impact Hub locations across three countries. Here are the Impact Hubs that make up South America:

• Colombia
  • Impact Hub Bogota
  • Impact Hub Medellin
• Venezuela
  • Impact Hub Caracas
• Brazil
  • Impact Hub Florianopolis
  • Impact Hub São Paulo
  • Impact Hub Curitiba
  • Impact Hub Belo Horizonte
  • Impact Hub Brasilia
  • Impact Hub Recife
  • Impact Hub Manaus

Europe 

Europe hosts 39 Impact Hub locations across 19 countries.  Here are the Impact Hubs that make up Europe:

• Norway
  • Impact Hub Bergen
• Sweden
  • Impact Hub Stockholm
• United Kingdom
  • Impact Hub Kings Cross
  • Impact Hub Islington
  • Impact Hub Birmingham
  • Impact Hub Inverness Serving the Highlands & Islands
• Germany
  • Impact Hub Ruhr
  • Impact Hub Munich
  • Impact Hub Dresden
  • Impact Hub Berlin
• Netherlands
  • Impact Hub Amsterdam
• Portugal
  • Impact Hub Lisbon
• Spain
  • Impact Hub Madrid
  • Impact Hub Zaragoza
  • Impact Hub Donostia
  • Impact Hub Vigo
• Italy
  • Impact Hub Syracuse
  • Impact Hub Bari
  • Impact Hub Rome
  • Impact Hub Florence
  • Impact Hub Trento
  • Impact Hub Milan
  • Impact Hub Turin
• Switzerland
  • Impact Hub Zurich
  • Impact Hub Basel
  • Impact Hub Geneva-Lausanne
  • Impact Hub Bern
• Austria
  • Impact Hub Vienna
• Croatia
  • Impact Hub Zagreb
• Czechia
  • Impact Hub Brno
  • Impact Hub Ostrava
  • Impact Hub Prague
• Ukraine
  • Impact Hub Odessa
• Hungary
  • Impact Hub Budapest
• Serbia
  • Impact Hub Belgrade
• Romania
  • Impact Hub Bucharest
• Slovakia
  • Impact Hub Bratislava
• Russia
  • Impact Hub Moscow
• Greece
  • Impact Hub Athens

Asia

Asia hosts 14 Impact Hub locations across 13 countries.  Here are the Impact Hubs that make up Asia:

• Turkey
  • Impact Hub Istanbul
• Georgia
  • Impact Hub Tbilisi
• Armenia
  • Impact Hub Yerevan
• United Arab Emirates
  • Impact Hub Dubai
• Kazakhstan
  • Impact Hub Almaty
• Japan
  • Impact Hub Tokyo
  • Impact Hub Kyoto
• China
  • Impact Hub Shanghai
• Philippines
  • Impact Hub Manila
• Taiwan
  • Impact Hub Taipei
• Myanmar
  • Impact Hub Yangon
• Cambodia
  • Impact Hub Phnom Penh
• Malaysia
  • Impact Hub Kuala Lumpur
• Indonesia
  • Impact Hub Jakarta

Africa 

Africa hosts 11 Impact Hub locations across 11 countries.  Here are the Impact Hubs that make up Africa:

• South Africa
  • Impact Hub Johannesburg
• Zimbabwe
  • Impact Hub Harare
• Zambia
  • Impact Hub Lusaka
• Tanzania
  • Impact Hub Dar es Salaam
• Rwanda
  • Impact Hub Kigali
• Burundi
  • Impact Hub Bujumbura
• Sudan
  • Impact Hub Khartoum
• Ghana
  • Impact Hub Accra
• Nigeria
  • Impact Hub Lagoa
• Mali
  • Impact Hub Bamako
• Senegal
  • Impact Hub Dakar

How Much Does an Impact Hub Membership Cost and What’s Included?

Impact Hubs all charge a membership fee.  The price varies by location, but there are some common membership tiers among them.  Members get perks depending on which tier they choose. Perks can include event discounts, a personal desk, conference room hours, etc.

Almost all Impact Hubs offer a day pass to be able to use the facilities.  These passes come with restricted privileges. The day pass usually just guarantees a coworking space to work, but it’s up to the individual Hub to offer additional perks for the pass.  Day passes can average between $4 USD (Impact Hub Accra) to $50 USD (Impact Hub Seattle).

The next common tier of membership is a basic or part-time pass.  This tier is for members who don’t need the facilities more than a couple of times each month.  The pass is usually for 10 or fewer visits each month and includes membership perks like discounts.  Basic passes can average between $81 USD (Impact Hub Antigua) to $300 USD (Impact Hub Austin) a month.

The second common tier of membership is an unlimited or full-time pass.  This tier is for members who use the facilities often and need access for more than 10 days each month.  This is a full membership and may include more perks than the basic tier. Unlimited passes can average between $150 USD (Impact Hub San José) to $406 USD (Impact Hub Zürich) a month.

The final common tier of membership is the fixed membership.  This tier is exactly like the unlimited membership, but includes a fixed desk.  Members can be assured that they will have a dedicated desk to leave their belongings and concentrate on their work.  Fixed passes can average between $450 USD (Impact Hub Ottawa) to $473 USD (Impact Hub Tokyo) a month.

Other perks and services can be charged an additional fee, depending on the Hub.  For example, at Impact Hub Accra all members can receive mail at the hub for free, but Impact Hub Baltimore charges an extra $40/month.

Other perks that can be offered are:

• 24/7 access to facilities
• Free copies / printed pages
• WiFi
• Meeting room, conference room discounts
• Event venue discounts
• Private lockers
• Kitchen
• Private office

These perks can be free with a membership, can be free with a high membership tier or can cost extra.

Impact Hub Events

Being a member of most Impact Hubs gives individuals access to events, programs, workshops, courses, and training.  Impact hubs have hosted over 11,000 events in 2016 alone.

From wellness classes like meditation and yoga to entrepreneurial classes – like how to approach the early stage of a business and introduction to content design, events are made to inspire and motivate.

Since Impact Hub is a diverse network, some events are chosen to help minorities get support for their ventures.  For example, Impact Hub Seattle has a person of color meetup every 3rd Monday to share resources, discuss racial equality and make an impact.

Impact Hubs also care about environmental issues, so events around recycling and being zero waste are common.  For example, Impact Hub Stockholm just had an event around zero-waste fashion.

But most events are based around leadership and entrepreneurship.  Impact Hub San Francisco has events around being your own boss, funding a business course and exploring your business idea.  Impact Hub Baltimore has courses on serving your community, creating your social media narrative and making money in the health and fitness industry.

Members get free access to events or a discounted price, depending on the Impact Hub.  These events are what makes Impact Hubs special and inspiring. Hosting events is part of the three components of an Impact Hub along with community and coworking spaces.

Impact Hub Coworking Franchise Model

Impact Hub is not a franchise opportunity, although it is similar.  Each Impact Hub is part of the Impact Hub Association and is a co-owner of the Impact Hub intellectual property, IT infrastructure and Impact Hub brand. 

The Impact Hub Association is also the owner of the Impact Hub Company.  All owners of individual Impact Hubs are co-owners of the Impact Hub Company.  The Impact Hub Company is the charitable organization that mandates the global operations of all the Impact Hubs.

Unlike franchising, where location owners pay a royalty, have no ownership of the brand and have limited decision authority towards the business, Impact Hub founders are co-owners of the business with creative freedom towards business operations like pricing.

How to Start an Impact Hub

To start an Impact Hub, you must go through an extensive application process.  Impact Hub is looking for individuals who are passionate about helping bring positive social change and about creating a community of others looking to do the same.

These leaders are referred to as makers at Impact Hub.

For a maker to create an Impact Hub, they need to have at least two more people on board. Only teams of three or more are eligible to start an Impact Hub.

Makers must be committed for 5-10 years and be willing to spend their own time, money, and energy into their Hubs.  Impact Hub is looking for makers who live in largely populated areas and who have experience in creating an enterprise.

Impact Hub is the Coworking Space of Change

Impact Hub is a great community-based coworking space that is expanding across the globe. What makes it so special is that they are focused on entrepreneurs who want to make global, positive impacts with their businesses.

Impact Hub has three main components:  community, events, and coworking spaces.  Each of these components works together to inspire and drive motivation.

Depending on your membership type, being a member at an Impact Hub gives you access to a workspace with perks like discounted events, conference rooms, business mail, and a dedicated desk and locker.

Impact Hub is all about creating a community to drive positive change.