Following Social Innovation Over Time: Evaluating The Hive’s Accelerator

The Hive, the Hub for Social Initiatives and Businesses in Israel, was established as Israel’s national center for social entrepreneurship and social innovation, jointly founded by the National Insurance Institute Funds and JDC Israel. Operating since 2017, The Hive aimed to support social entrepreneurs developing innovative solutions for at-risk populations facing social and economic disadvantage. Its work combined acceleration, incubation, community building, and professional services, positioning The Hive as a key infrastructure actor within Israel’s social innovation ecosystem.

At the core of The Hive’s activity stood its main Accelerator Program. The Accelerator Program supported selected social ventures through a structured, 18-month process that combined professional training, intensive mentoring, networking opportunities, and, for selected ventures, significant financial grants. The program targeted both nascent and more mature initiatives working across fields such as ageing, disability, children and youth at risk, employment, and poverty reduction.

The Evaluation Approach and Methodology

Key Impact conducted a comprehensive external evaluation of The Hive over five years (2017-2022). The evaluation combined several complementary approaches to capture both processes and results as they unfolded over time. It was grounded in an explicit Theory of Change, while also applying longitudinal design and developmental evaluation, reflecting The Hive’s evolving model. Indicators of success were refined throughout implementation in response to organizational learning, changes in strategy, and the diverse profiles of participating ventures.

The longitudinal design allowed the evaluation team to follow ventures from entry into the Accelerator through program completion and up to 18 months later. This made it possible to assess not only immediate outcomes, but also medium-term effects on venture development, sustainability, and scaling trajectories. The evaluation further included comparative elements, examining differences between ventures that received grants and those that did not, as well as between participating and non-selected initiatives.

Data collection relied on a rich mixed-methods strategy, including hundreds of in-depth interviews, surveys, structured observations, document reviews, and analysis of administrative and monitoring data. These sources were triangulated to provide a robust and nuanced picture of program performance and contribution.

Key Findings at the Program Level

The evaluation found that the Accelerator Program made a meaningful contribution to participants’ professional capacities, strategic thinking, and confidence as social entrepreneurs. Participants reported substantial learning in areas such as defining social value, refining intervention models, and navigating complex environments. Mentoring emerged as one of the program’s strongest components, often leading to significant revisions in venture models.

Longitudinal findings showed that financial grants were a critical driver of venture scalability and sustainability, particularly for more established initiatives. Grant-supported ventures demonstrated significantly higher survival rates and stronger progress across key indicators than those that completed the program without funding. At the same time, the evaluation highlighted limits to a one-size-fits-all accelerator model, especially given the heterogeneity of ventures in terms of maturity, business models, and sectoral focus.

At the organizational level, the evaluation documented how The Hive actively used evaluation findings to refine its strategy, adjust its selection criteria, rethink program structure, and strengthen its positioning within the broader ecosystem. Overall, the evaluation confirmed The Hive’s value as a learning organization and as an important platform for advancing social entrepreneurship in Israel.

See the final evaluation report (in Hebrew) here.