European Commission · 2026
Europe points to Isola as a model of impact-driven business
The only Italian and Southern European business among the cases presented as examples
The impact we create
We have measured what we do from day one: stated goals, KPIs for each area, results made public every year. This page brings together the figures of our first three years, the method we use to produce them and our commitments for the next three.
Key KPIs
The results of our first three years
Every area we work in has its own indicators, measured with the same criteria from 2023 to 2025. Here is a selection of the results of our social innovation programmes. For the full story, see the “Programmes” page or our impact reports.
3,477
participants in the programmes
25
guidance and training programmes launched
75
stakeholders actively involved in the governance process
406
cultural events open to the community free of charge
Impact Report 2025
Read the PDF
The European Commission report
A model recognised in Europe
The report
A European map of impact-driven businesses
- Commissioned by
- European Commission, DG GROW
- Written by
- WYG
- Date
- Final report, July 2026
- Method
- 242 survey responses, 57 interviews and a workshop
Main findings
A common yardstick, not a new category
- 01There is no European definitionCooperatives, benefit corporations and social enterprises live under different regimes.
- 02A common, non-binding frameworkNo single legal form: 76% of survey respondents support it.
- 03The obstacles are systemicFragmented rules, public procurement and access to finance.
The proposed framework
Eight elements to recognise an impact-driven business
How we are cited · pp. 74-75
The Isola Catania case
Isola Catania Impresa Sociale S.r.l. (Italy)
Isola Catania Impresa Sociale is an Impact Community Hub: a combination of multifunctional spaces and a community of engaged people that activates collaborative, place-based processes and generates projects and opportunities for young people in Sicily. […] Within Isola’s business model, physical space is not merely a rental asset but a strategic lever for social and environmental impact. […]
Impact generation – social, cultural and environmental – is the central organising principle of the business model. […]
What it says about us
Space as a lever, the network as infrastructure
- 01A hub that generates projects and opportunities for new generations in Sicily.
- 02Physical space is not a rental asset, but a strategic lever for impact.
- 03A network of more than 100 organisations that collaborate and co-invest.
- 04Impact is the organising principle of the business model.
Why it matters
Sicily, a laboratory in Europe
- 01A recognised modelThe social innovation hub as infrastructure for local development.
- 02Stronger meaningful connectionsWith institutions, foundations, investors and European partners.
- 03A commitment to keepMeasuring impact rigorously and reporting it with facts and figures.
Read more
Impact-driven businesses in the EU: State of play and future prospects
European Commission, DG GROW · WYG · 2026
Isola Catania on pages 74-75
Isola Catania is the social innovation hub that unlocks the potential of new generations in Sicily.
Isola Catania. Una Sicilia possibile.
Stories from Isola’s programmes
Stories, not just numbers
Isola’s programmes give rise to enterprises, initiatives and careers: people who have turned an idea into a job, here, in Sicily.
1 / 6
Hack the Gap
VociUrbane
Born at a Startup Weekend, it tells the story of the city’s outlying neighbourhoods authentically, giving a voice back to the people who live there every day. It acts as a bridge between schools and the neighbourhood, launching grassroots participatory projects in the Librino district.
Feedback on Hack the Gap
“From a Startup Weekend to a social project”
Hack the Gap
CTM
Cielo Terra Mare Agricola is a Sicilian agritech startup that combines precision drones and certified natural biostimulants to fight soil degradation and the economic marginalisation of local farms.
Feedback on Hack the Gap
“It was a turning point for Cielo Terra Mare: from an idea born from our land to a real business. It gave us vision, confidence and direction”
Fempreneurs
Effettoetneo
An ecosystem of experiences born in Catania, it creates authentic connections between people, places and culture. Through events and workshops it turns places and relationships into lively spaces to inhabit.
Feedback on Fempreneurs
“During the first phase two of us met: shortly afterwards the official group was formed, marking the birth of the association”
Fempreneurs
Sicilitude
Founded in 2025 by three Sicilian professionals, it turns roots tourism into a structured range of services. Combining archive research and tailor-made tours, it reconnects people of Italian descent with their origins.
Feedback on Fempreneurs
“It was decisive for Sicilitude: it allowed us to consolidate our business model thanks to international mentors and a network of local women entrepreneurs”
Hack the Gap
GEEN
A startup founded and led entirely by women, it is developing an AI infrastructure to make corporate welfare accessible to everyone. Its copilot guides workers towards health and wellbeing services, reducing inequalities in access to care.
Feedback on Hack the Gap
“For Geen, Hack the Gap was a real space for connecting with other women entrepreneurs and with key players in innovation in Sicily”
Hack the Gap
Hematica
An innovative startup born at the Politecnico di Torino, it develops technologies for real-time monitoring of haemodialysis therapy. Its SuXmonitor device personalises care for patients with kidney disease.
Feedback on Hack the Gap
“It was an accelerator of growth and awareness: a journey that helped us strengthen our business model and widen our network”
The next three years
Strengthening the agency of new generations in overcoming the barriers that stand in the way of work, self-employment and enterprise
Since 2023 we have been working to make it easier for young people in Sicily to find work and start a business. Looking at the three years ahead, we have chosen to renew this commitment.
We design, deliver and report: it’s the method we have always used to manage our social impact. This time we took a step further, building the 2026-2028 Strategic Plan together with Isola’s stakeholders: shareholders, staff, partners, institutions, the third sector and beneficiaries.
The Plan sets a three-year budget and a dashboard of 80 indicators that keep us aligned with our mission, day by day. The indicators are divided into three categories: impact, outcome and output.
Impact
Two impact indicators
A stronger sense of self-determination and of confidence in the region and in one’s professional future; the number of hires, cases of self-employment and new enterprises generated by the programmes.
Outcome
Six outcomes on three axes
Guidance: knowledge of opportunities and clarity about one’s professional direction. Skills: soft skills for employability and skills for sustainable development. Access: a professional network and specialist, certifiable hard skills.
Output
Monitored outputs
Spaces open to the community, projects and training courses delivered, staff training and skills: the activities the outcomes stem from.
Sicilia che innova 17 November
Social Economy Forum
The Forum is where Sicilian enterprises that create economic value and impact meet those who look for that impact, fund it, verify it and communicate it: institutions, companies, the world of finance and the third sector. Its goal is to bring Sicily into the national and European debate on the social economy, where the South isn’t the place people leave, but the place where a new way of doing business takes shape.
Discover the Forum
Let’s do it together
Would you like to create impact with us?
We design, deliver and report on impact programmes with companies, foundations and institutions. If you would like to know more about our impact strategy, get in touch: we are happy to share what we are learning.
Let’s do it together
Would you like to create impact with us?
We design, deliver and report on impact programmes with companies, foundations and institutions. If you would like to know more about our impact strategy, get in touch: we are happy to share what we are learning.
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