Written by Join us for an inspiring Community Call exploring peer-to-peer (P2P) financing and cooperative ecosystems. Discover how these models can empower grassroots innovation across the Global South and unlock sustainable growth for innovators worldwide.
GIG will co-host this online session with Platform Coops eG, a pioneering German cooperative that champions digital, democratic, and community-led economic models.
Details:
Wednesday, November 27th at 14:00 CET
Click here to register
About Platform Coops eG:
Platform Coops eG is a cooperative for cooperatives—a metastructure designed to support the development of platform-based, community-owned enterprises. Based in Berlin, the organisation offers strategic guidance, infrastructure, and funding models for digital cooperatives. Their mission is to foster self-determined, inclusive, and sustainable economic ecosystems by helping communities build and govern their own platforms.
Featured Speakers:
Ela Kagel – Co-founder of Platform Coops eG and founder of SUPERMARKT Berlin, a hub for digital culture and collaborative economies. Ela brings extensive experience in building resilient, community-led structures and will share practical examples of how to apply P2P financing to real-world cooperative projects.
Andreas Arnold – Co-founder of Platform Coops eG, with over a decade of experience financing social and cooperative entrepreneurs. Andreas will present a vision for a commons-oriented financial ecosystem that prioritizes environmental sustainability, social equity, and collaborative governance—reimagining how economic tools can serve community needs when reclaimed and redesigned.
Fadia Elgharib (Moderator) – GIG’s Community Manager, with over seven years nurturing grassroots innovation across the Global South. Fadia will ensure the conversation remains grounded in the lived realities of GIG members.
What we’ll explore:
This call builds on previous GIG discussions around reciprocity and value creation, continuing our exploration of how communities can sustain themselves through shared resources and mutual support.
Key topics include:
- How cooperative ecosystems can evolve from collective spending and member contributions to sophisticated P2P economic systems
- Replacing profit-driven models with democratic ownership and collective decision-making
- Building resilient infrastructures by aligning consumption with shared values
- Discovering equitable, locally rooted, and self-sustaining funding models—especially relevant for members facing barriers to traditional funding
- Imagining our own currency: designing forms of value that reflect the social fabric of our communities and express our collective identity and aspirations
This Community Call is more than a workshop—it’s a collaborative experiment in rethinking how we fund and sustain innovation. By learning from Platform Coops eG and each other, GIG members can begin to build financial ecosystems that are inclusive, regenerative, and community-led.
Join us on November 27th to be part of this critical conversation!
