Together We Build More – When Business Models Create Social Impact

In many CSR initiatives, efforts come solely from the outside, but the logic of this project was not based on a traditional donation model. Instead, we created a structure where business and social impact reinforce one another. By allowing the surplus from increased Acronis sales to generate direct funding, we were able to build a model that is sustainable, scalable, and directly connected to a service our customers already use and continue to grow with. As a distributor, our mission is to create the conditions that make it easy for customers, vendors, and local actors to collaborate. In this case, that meant that Acronis, Gridheart, and our mutual customers could jointly contribute to something that truly made a real difference. The result was a new resource center for 1,200 students in Kenya.

Social impact doesn’t need to stand apart from the core business. By linking the project to a service already established with customers, we could develop a continuous and predictable funding model where the customer value, transparency from Acronis, and the structures we build as a distributor together form a long-term purpose based on local needs. When the business model itself carries the project, the initiative is no longer a separate CSR effort, but a natural part of the ecosystem.

We were also reminded of the importance of local ownership. It is not international actors who drive change in practice - it is those who own the need. In Kenya, it was the school that defined the priorities, and local partner organizations that led the implementation. When the actors on the ground guide the development, the project is not something “added from the outside,” but a reinforcement of structures that already exist and will continue long after our involvement has ended.

At Gridheart, we would like to once again thank all involved partners for a well-executed project where every contributor helped create meaningful, lasting impact!