What Matters is a global initiative and evolving practice dedicated to reclaiming humanity in the economy. We focus on regenerative community development, specifically within informal economies, township communities, and underserved settlements.

What Matters is sustained by CO-LAB for Future Economics, an independent, privately owned nonprofit organization headquartered in Vienna, Austria.

We also branched out as COLAB for Future Economics South Africa to secure and sustain our operations in South Africa.

While officially established as an initiative in 2023, our work is built upon more than a decade of intensive pre-fieldwork and cross-industry observation within both corporate and community-based economic systems.

We operate in informal economies, urban townships, and underserved settlements. Our work bridges the gap between technology, capital, and humanity while focussing on community-based economies. Our focus areas:

1 | Community & Bioregional Economy Development

2 | Business & Financial Literacy

3 | Community Leadership & Economic Agency

4 | Inclusive Dialogue & Economic Collaboration

5 | Regenerative Investment & Capital Awareness

Our work unfolds within the informal economy, focusing on capacity building, resilience, and reclaiming the human element in financial and social exchanges. We see economies as a social practice.

For further details, look at the focus areas.

It is a shift away from extractive models. We focus on economic systems that restore and renew their own resources and social fabric, ensuring the economy serves the people, rather than people serving the economy.

Each community-business we collaborate with incorporates this in its business model, practice, and service/product.

No. We are neither a charity nor a seller of dreams. Even though we choose a nonprofit structure, we focus strongly on economy and bioregional development.

We view economies as human-made social practices that can be intentionally reshaped to serve humanity through collective action and innovation.

Our work is global with a grown network of socio-economic fabric weavers across the globe.

Currently, we have active footprints and partnerships in South Africa, Kenya, Germany, and Austria, focusing on townships, underserved settlements, and informal economic environments.

What Matters is an initiative sustained by nonprofit

CO-LAB for Future Economics

Headquarters | Austria
Registered as CO-LAB für Zukunftsökonomie
Lichtenfelsgasse 5/6
1010 Vienna

Representation | South Africa
Registered as COLAB for Future Economics
Onze Rust Landgoed Eenheid 2
9301 Bloemfontein
Free State

For formal legal information, please refer to our Imprint and GDPR sections, also found in the footer of our website.