Good Empire

Building A Nation Without Borders

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Authors

Neha Praseed

Neha Praseed

Shravani Enduri

Shravani Enduri

School

Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management

Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management

Professors

Chris Laszlo

Chris Laszlo

Gabriela Cuconato

Gabriela Cuconato

Global Goals

5. Gender Equality 10. Reduced Inequalities 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities 17. Partnerships for the Goals Flourish Prize Honoree - For Business as an Agent of World Benefit - Weatherhead School of Management

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Summary

Good Empire’s Impact Engagement SaaS provides teams with the software and the exposure to set their impact goals, track and share progress, and engage teammates and potential collaborators. Organizations of all sizes can participate in this app, and users can set goals based on any of the 17 SDGs. Through quantitative metrics and a growing network, these goals feel measurable and attainable.


Innovation

Good Empire is a social platform that challenges individuals and organizations to take part in global impact challenges that align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The app features an impact engagement SaaS that allows parties of all sizes—from global enterprises to school clubs—set impact goals, track their progress, and “grow their ripple” by inspiring others to join the effort. The app continually sets challenges focused on sustainability, abundance, and equity to fuel its users’ participation and rewards them with unlocked statuses, in-app achievements, and real-world awards, in addition to online exposure.

The platform is André Eikmeier’s baby, and with the help of his equally passionate 11-person team and over 2000 investors, his hope is to forge an emotional connection between users and their impact and empower organizations that can’t get enough of doing good. Plenty of people care about the SDGs, but on the individual level, meeting them by 2030 seems out of reach. A social platform that connects and aligns the socially-minded helps make tangible social or environmental change feel possible. In André’s words, “it’s time to save the f****** world.”

Building A Nation Without Borders

Good Empire's user-friendly interface

Inspiration

André spent 12 years as the co-founder and CEO of a company called Vinomofo, where in his later days he saw success but not true fulfilment. His concern for the state of the world, from international politics to corporate misogyny to a growing cultural distrust of government, became harder to ignore. Ultimately, André’s desire to create a better world for his children inspired him to look beyond himself and make a worthy contribution back to the planet.

“[My kids] are going to turn around one day and say ‘Wow Dad, your generation really screwed things up. What did you do to try to help? And what am I going to say to them, or to myself?”

Understanding that his privilege could amplify a message that others have tried to voice, he quit his job at Vinomofo and founded Good Empire, the software that touted community building, positive reinforcement, real-time impact metrics, and a step forward towards a new culture of sustainability and reciprocity. If André could go back in time, he’d encourage himself to start building something that fueled the world, not his own ego, and he encourages young entrepreneurs to do the same. “We’ve got to stop trying to be the best in the world,” he notes. “We’ve got to start being the best for the world.”

Overall impact

According to André, “goals are written down into levels and each challenge has to be achievable. Some of the goals for this year include changing the poverty line, ending hunger for 100 people, providing education for 100 people, empowering 100 girls, 9500 marginailzied communities, help 100 homeless people, collect 500,000 bits of plastic from oceans, and plant 50,000 trees.” These are all attainable, short term goals that can easily be extended if met.

Good Empire encourages the “ripple effect.” When users see each other posting their daily goals, they are motivated to do good and help the environment. By completing challenges and influencing others, a person’s ripple score can improve on the app, and the app itself “turns being a good human into a worldwide, real-world game.”

Good Empire aims to connect people of different backgrounds that are working towards the same goal of making the world a better place. André’s vision is to create “an impact company that removes barriers for privileged people to help underprivileged people.” All of the donations they receive go directly to the impact partners and the profit does not get distributed to the owners. Good Empire has a software tool that impacts and engages people via subscription.

The company has 17 impact goals for 2030 and they expect linear growth. The main idea is to take a single measurable goal that engages with the broader community goals. Impact is measured by considering free individual uses, the number of followers the app gains on a daily basis, and the sum of the global impact each user makes and reports on the app.


Business benefit

Good Empire’s challenges are directly related to the 17 UN Sustainable Goals. With each challenge completed, a person’s ripple score increases or they earn a currency called "G coin." The company achieved B Corp status in 2022, earning an impact score of 99.7, nearly 50 points above the median score among for-profit companies. Good Empire is in excellent standing and gives the company a good name. The workers in the company have a benefit score of 28.2. This includes financial security, health, wellness & safety, career development, and engagement & satisfaction. Through the app, the next generation of Impact Engagement SaaS is being built to further enhance these goals.

Social and environmental benefit

Good Empire’s focus is “to take action on global challenges that align with the UN Sustainable Goals.” This company “meets the highest standards of social and environmental impact.” Their B Corp score of 21.8 includes factors like diversity, equity & inclusion, economic impact, and civic engagement & giving. The company’s environment score of 27.8 represents an impressive impact on air, climate, water, land, and surrounding life. These positive scores show that Good Empire is meeting André’s vision to use its platform to contribute back to our planet.

Interview

André Eikmeier, Founder

Photo of interviewee

Business information

Good Empire

Good Empire

Melbourne, AU
Business Website: https://goodempire.org/
Year Founded: 2018
Number of Employees: 11 to 50
Good Empire is a social app that brings individuals and organizations together to set and perform challenges that meet the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Users can measure and track their progress, build a network of like-minded people, and benchmark their efforts against other teams worldwide.