Rainmaking SDG Compass

2,000+ impact startups unleashing innovation to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Register your interest and receive full interactive access to the SDG Compass

For impact-driven leaders, sustainability strategists and people who want to unleash entrepreneurship and innovation to make a positive impact on the world.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have set a vision for a better planet

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.

At its heart are the 17 SDGs, which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

Rainmaking has created a unique and comprehensive overview of 2000+ Impact startups which are unleashing innovation to address the SDGs.

There is a vast world of innovation around the SDGs represented by the startups featured in our SDG Compass, and rather than businesses reinventing the wheel, they can tap into the entrepreneurship of these startups to help solve these challenges. Rainmaking’s Impact database comprises of over 4,000 startups, of which 2,160 have been assessed for the launch of the SDG Compass.

What is a Compass?

Compass is a multi-dimensional view of market activity over time. It’s mostly used when crafting an innovation strategy, in which the need is to establish a view of the market today, how it has evolved, and where it is heading. To do this, we use early signals of innovation such as startup activity and VC funding. We then can combine these early signals of innovation with macro-industry forces, to gather a comprehensive view of the market.

These early signals and trends are first visualised, so we can better identify what challenges and opportunities exist and how companies are responding. We take startups as a key indicator to measure activity, and place them on a Compass visual, enabling us to analyse things such as:

  • The volume and growth of activity within a certain area of the market
  • How technology and business models are being used to enable solutions
  • The amount of investment into an area of the market or type of company
  • White spaces where customer needs are growing but not currently being met

What does the SDG Compass contain?

The Compass provides businesses insights from emerging solutions around the world serving the 17 SDGs, with more being added everyday. Compass provides insights on those solutions through a dynamic and clickable dataset that includes startup activity, maturity, founding year, funding, and a global map. Some high-level findings across all startups tracked include:

$31.3bn


The total amount of funding in USD assigned to the 2,160 impact startups globally

719


The number of startups in the most active region responding to the SDGs – the Nordics

82%


The percentage of startups that are considered to be of ‘nascent’ maturity

Do you want to engage with SDG startups or get your own tailor-made Compass?

Are you an Impact startup who’d like to be added to the Compass?

Rainmaking is a global innovation firm headquartered in Copenhagen. We design and execute innovation programs and are the founders of Startupbootcamp.

Our strategy centers on People, Profit and Planet and more than 50% of past programs have been impact related. We are also a proud participant of the UN Global Compact, the world’s leading voluntary corporate citizenship initiative.

Meet our Team

We’re a diverse, international team, drawn from a range of backgrounds and professional disciplines. We bring a wide range of skills and interests to the work, and we share a love of seeing others develop and grow; both personally, and professionally.