Impact Hub’s vision was born in Soweto (South Africa) and first tested in London. In 2000, a group of London students came together to address the millennial goals and spark a conversation about changing the status quo of global issues. They initiated an event in London and were later invited to the 2002 UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. Instead, they decided to organize their own people’s summit in collaboration with local activists -who were working to transform a wasteland in Soweto. Together they birthed the Soweto Mountain of Hope (SoMoHo); an arts and environmental education collective. In 2005, the community grew and they found a space to house them in London. The mindset behind the Hub was not to reinvent the wheel but to bring together isolated entrepreneurs and change-makers for collaborative action on urgent issues.

The network is now made up of more than members in more than 100 Hubs across five continents.