There are awards that feel like a nice milestone. And there are those that make visible something that has driven a company from the very beginning. For us at MatheArena, the “Verified Social Enterprise” (VSE) label clearly belongs to the second category. On May 8, 2026, we were officially recognized as a Verified Social Enterprise by the Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism together with Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws). The award was presented by State Secretary Elisabeth Zehetner and aws Managing Director Bernhard Sagmeister, together with numerous other social enterprises from all over Austria.
Verified Social Enterprise Label ceremony © Rauchecker
With the Verified Social Enterprise label, an official way to make companies with societal impact visible has been created in Austria for the first time. Because until now there were indeed many companies pursuing social or ecological goals, but no officially valid designation for it. The VSE label changes that: organizations that demonstrably place societal impact at the heart of their business model can be certified and are allowed to publicly identify themselves as a “Verified Social Enterprise.”
The requirements for this are clearly defined: companies must document their impact in a comprehensible way, present a public impact report, and show how societal impact is concretely anchored in the business model. The review is carried out by an independent Impact Board and is valid for 3 years.
At the center of this is an idea that has always been especially important to us: “Impact First.”
This does not mean that economic success is unimportant. On the contrary. Social enterprises must be economically viable in order to generate impact over the long term. The difference lies in the priority: profit is not the central goal but a means to sustainably finance and scale societal impact.
Joy in learning math © MatheArena
Why education is a societal mission for us:
Many young people lose confidence in their mathematical abilities early on. Not because they fundamentally could not understand the subject, but because learning is often associated with pressure, frustration or anxiety. At some point, the feeling arises: “I just can’t do this.”
That is exactly where MatheArena comes in. Because we did not start our project simply to develop yet another learning app. From the outset, we were about something else: showing young people that learning mathematics can also be fun.
To do this, we rely on adaptive learning paths, targeted questions, immediate feedback and motivating learning experiences. For us, educational equity means: How do we create easily accessible learning offerings that open up real opportunities for as many people as possible?
What was also palpable at the ceremony: the topic of social entrepreneurship is finally gaining visibility in Austria.
More and more companies are once again connecting economic thinking with societal responsibility. The VSE label creates a common framework for this for the first time and makes visible which organizations credibly pursue this aspiration.
Especially in times of major societal challenges, we need companies that measure innovation not only by how monetarily profitable it is, but also by the contribution it can make to people and society. Our experience is that economic success and societal impact are not a contradiction. The most exciting innovations often emerge precisely where both are thought of together.
Carmen Goby (Vice President WKÖ), State Secretary Elisabeth Zehetner (BMWET), Lena Gansterer (Deputy Chair of the Board SENA), Bernhard Sagmeister (Managing Director aws) surrounded by the 25 new VSE label holders.
Detailed information on the Verified Social Enterprise label.
Photos: MatheArena, Rauchecker, Lusser