Valuing companies differently: measuring the positive impact of start-ups

What if a company's value was measured not just by its financial performance, but also by its positive impact on society?

For several years, Impact France has been working on the global valuation of companies, alongside the Boston Consulting Group (BCG),ESSEC and Citizing Consulting. 

Our aim is to demonstrate that impact start-ups and scale-ups not only generate economic value, but also create a monetizable social and environmental impact. In other words, theyavoid significant costs for society.

Discover our study on avoided costs

The Impact 40/120 index: highlighting the most promising impact start-ups

Launched two years ago, theImpact 40/120 index highlights the most promising impact-driven start-ups. Winners are innovative, fast-growing organizations that can be valued for their positive impact on society or the environment. They have the potential to become impact unicorns, i.e. young, innovative companies that save society €50 million a year.
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Concrete examples of measuring the social value created

Many impact start-ups have measured and valued their positive impact by collaborating with various partners:

• Hello Charly: €15.8 million in social value created in 2024 (measured by Citizing Consulting)
  
  
• United Heroes: €8.9 million in social value created in 2024 (measured by Balthazar de la Ville Baugé)
  
  
• Simplon: €23.2m in social value created in 2023 (BCG measurement)
  
  
• Kiplin: €14.3 million in social value created by 2023 (measured by Balthazar de la Ville Baugé)
  
  
• Solinum: €12.3 M in social value created in 2023 (measured by BCG)
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Measuring avoided costs: a valuable impact measure for start-ups

Impact start-ups have an interest in concretely promoting their positive impact to their stakeholders, such as : 

• Investors: in particular impact funds, which track extra-financial KPIs.
  
  
• Customers: a figure in euros demonstrates the costs avoided by the company for society, reinforcing the organization's added value.
  
  
• Public authorities: an advocacy tool to convince political decision-makers of the economies created by impact start-ups and obtain better support for social and ecological innovations.
  
  
• Its partners: especially for B2B start-ups working with major groups: impact measurement facilitates the calculation of SROI (Social Return on Investment) and enhances the positive impact of a collaboration
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👉 Are you a start-up looking to enhance your impact?

Join our Start-up Circle

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