Client
Impact Hub Zurich
Contractor
Panter AG
Year
2024
Network. Share. Grow. – The digital platform for the Impact Hub Zurich community
The Impact Hub, the largest network for creatives, start-ups and techies in Switzerland, has centralized the fragmented communication within its dynamic community with an innovative community app. Based on the “Bling” framework, the app replaces existing communication channels and offers an efficient and user-friendly solution for exchanging information, managing members and reserving resources.
The core functions include central communication, self-service functions, interactive networking and process automation. The application increases efficiency, reduces administrative effort and improves the user experience. It promotes transparency, facilitates collaboration and strengthens the sense of community.
By promoting social and ecological innovations, the application creates sustainable added value for society. It serves as a role model for global networking and supports the Impact Hub’s mission to promote innovative solutions to social challenges.
About
The Impact Hub Zurich (IHZ) is the largest network for creatives, startups and techies in Switzerland and part of the global Impact Hub network. With over 800 members in Zurich and more than 24,000 worldwide, the IHZ connects entrepreneurs, companies, NGOs and public institutions in a unique innovation ecosystem. It offers co-working spaces, events, support programs for sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation, meeting and event spaces as well as gastronomy to promote sustainable and social innovation. Through its diversity and collaborative culture, it creates a space for ideas that solve social and environmental challenges.
Initial situation
The Impact Hub Zurich is a dynamic network that brings together entrepreneurs, creatives and changemakers. Communication within the community used to take place via various one-to-one or one-to-many channels such as email, newsletters, WhatsApp, telephone or personal visits. This fragmentation led to inefficient communication, increased administrative effort and limited networking between members. Important information on relevant topics had to be painstakingly gathered via various channels. This made it challenging to provide new members with quick access to relevant resources, events and opportunities for cooperation. There was therefore a need for a central, intuitive solution that would facilitate the exchange, dissemination of information and self-administration of members. At the same time, we wanted to promote transparent, open and dynamic interaction that supports our mission and values. One of IHZ’s core competencies is networking and this should also be emphasized through digital innovations.
Solution
The newly developed community app is based on Bling, an open-source framework for the development of community solutions. It replaces the previously used communication channels and offers an efficient, user-friendly alternative for the exchange and networking within the Impact Hub Zurich community, the management of memberships, the booking of resources and the use of community offers. It ensures that all members – whether on-site or remote – have the same access to information and the network.
The core functions of the app include:
- Centralized communication: A single platform for all messages, announcements and discussions – away from scattered channels such as Whatsapp, newsletters, email or direct messages.
- Self-service functionalities: Members can independently access relevant information, book resources, organize events and manage their membership. Important notifications are now made directly via the app.
- Interactive networking: The app makes it easier to find and network with members with similar interests or complementary skills and enables faster networking with the community and the Impact Hub Zurich team.
- Transparency and participation: An open space for discussion, collaboration and co-creation that reflects the values of the Impact Hub. For satellite communities in particular, the app offers a central platform for exchanging ideas and strengthening ties with the entire community.
- Increased efficiency: Administrative processes are automated and facilitate the management of the community.
This digital solution will make Impact Hub Zurich’s innovation network even more connected, efficient and sustainable. It makes it easier for members to share ideas, learn from each other and make a difference together. The technical integration with Impact Hub Zurich’s own ERP, website, various payment gateways, a ticketing system and other third-party systems creates a seamless experience. The community app is available as an iPhone app, Android app and web version for IHZ members.
”Better interaction and participation options make it easier for members to get involved in projects - in contrast to the past, when exchange was only possible via e-mail and made collaboration more difficult.
Simone UsterCommunity Lead Impact Hub Zürich
Business
The introduction of the Community App brings numerous advantages for the Impact Hub Zurich. The reduction on a central platform significantly reduces the internal administrative workload, which means considerable time savings. At the same time, the automation of processes reduces the need for manual interactions and administrative support, which saves costs.
Simple and direct networking strengthens the community and improves the user experience, which leads to greater member satisfaction. The app also ensures greater transparency, as important information is accessible to all members at all times and communication gaps are minimized.
The app increases the value of membership by helping members to take full advantage of the entire offering – from additional benefits to networking within the community. The aim is for membership to be perceived as more than just the use of the co-working spaces. This strengthens long-term loyalty to the Impact Hub Zurich and promotes customer retention.
Public Value
The community app not only increases efficiency within the Impact Hub Zurich, but also creates sustainable added value for society. The digital networking of start-ups, NGOs and companies creates new synergies that specifically promote social and ecological innovations – a core competence of Impact Hub Zurich. The app strengthens the community by bringing people with shared values together and supporting a culture of collaboration. At the same time, it creates more inclusion and transparency by making knowledge, resources and contacts accessible to everyone. This lowers barriers to social engagement and opens up new opportunities for participatory co-creation.
The app also shows how technology can be used in a targeted manner to drive sustainable and social innovation. It serves as a digital tool for global networking and can be adapted as a model for other Impact Hubs worldwide in order to strengthen international cooperation. In this way, the Community App makes a decisive contribution to furthering the mission of the Impact Hub Zurich: to promote innovative solutions to social challenges and actively shape a sustainable future – goals that cannot be achieved alone, but only as a community.
