The whole is greater than the sum of its parts (Aristotle)
As a trusted and experienced partner, Social Synergy Deutschland e.V. (SSD) supports investors, public institutions and foundations. We provide advisory and support in designing, implementing and governing interventions, platforms and partnerships in complex social and local development contexts. Social Synergy Deutschland was launched in December 2018, as a not-for-profit charitable organisation. We invest patient capital and on-the-ground technical advisory to impact-oriented and social enterprises as well as mature non-profit-organizations, supporting them in developing their business models to leverage their potential.
Our unique approach is based on supporting non-profits and impact startups in their engagement with funders and investors. Through its legal status, Social Synergy Deutschland is eligible to accept philanthropic capital and either direct it to our portfolio organisations and partners abroad (mainly in Ukraine and India) through what we call as Fund for Inclusive Growth (FIG) or we can counsel our clients (funders and investors) on adopting our approach for your portfolio.
Our idea behind FIG is very simple: it focuses on Investing (or Funding) at Margin:
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Over the years many philanthropists have invested substantial sums in programmes.
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This transfer of capital, besides achieving programmatic outcomes, has also resulted in organisations that possess an enduring ability to generate impact. Philanthropists can continue to direct capital in these programmes through these same organisations.
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But there is an additional possibility: leveraging these historical investments to build institutional capital of these same organisations through the smaller but continuous deployment of capital.
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By funding at the margin, the funds are directed towards nurturing the fundamental abilities of these organisations. Sometimes, it may mean supporting a strategic programme, at other times hiring of persons or building their potential, and still other times running a straightforward organisational development process.
NEWS
Impact Investing shapes the reconstruction of Ukraine
Social Synergy Deutschland e.V. and the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund are launching a new online exchange format to build a Ukrainian-German impact investing ecosystem. The aim is to connect key actors from companies, investors, social entrepreneurs, science and others on a common platform in order to develop concrete cooperations, projects and long-term partnerships. Designed as a lasting and constructive space, concrete cooperations can arise from ideas and a trusted exchange. Focus will be on: - Partnership and exchange between German and Ukrainian actors - Connection of investors and capital recipients - Identification and support of innovative, impact-driven projects and enterprises - Active participation shaping a sustainable and innovative reconstruction of Ukraine The curated exchange format is subsidised by the German Government's Platform for Reconstruction of Ukraine and convenes a selected group of diverse participants.
Impact Entrepreneurs - Are you ready for an impact investor?
As part of the Kyiv Impact Entrepreneurs Meetup #5 on 27th of May, Martin Vogelsang shares this experience with Ukrainian entrepreneurs in a hands-on workshop for Ukrainian startups, mentors and supporters. Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund, impact investor and social entrepreneur, Martin was among the pioneers who helped shape impact investing as a distinct sector in Germany. During the workshop, Martin explores three main pitfalls: - How do investors make decisions at the early stages, what do they pay attention to? - What are common startup mistakes, and how to fix them? - How can startups prepare optimally for working with capital, from business model development to articulating social impact?
First Civil Resilience Forum 2026 - It all comes down to a resilient civil society
As the first of its kind, our first Civil Resilience Forum on Energy resilience, organized in cooperation with EUCIV on 16 April 2026 in Berlin, convened a curated expert group committed to actively contributing their expertise and experiences around three key topics: ☑️ Analysis of the Berlin blackout at the end of 2025 ☑️ Resilience through empowerment ☑️ Europe-wide knowledge transfer The forum was not only about sharing expert knowledge, but enabling a practice-oriented exchange to catalyze the technical and organizational solutions to strengthen urban resilience. Designed as a starting point for a platform, our aim is to initiate concrete collaborations among key stakeholders. More events follow soon, so stay tuned.
INSIGHTS
During her visit to Berlin in March 2026, we talked to Mariia from NESEMOS - a veteran Auto Hub and social enterprise, founded in February 2022 by Mariia Ksondzyk, the daughter of a fallen Ukrainian veteran, and journalist Petro Shuklinov.
"Voices, Visions, Alliances” Annual Conference hosted by the German Federal Government’s Platform for the Recovery of Ukraine
Welcoming our partners from Ukraine to Germany to join our workshop on Impact-Oriented Entrepreneurship, and visit Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in Munich
PARTNERS
