Kolsquare becomes a certified B Corporation: a milestone in our journey to positively impact the world

At Kolsquare, we believe in the power of KOL Marketing as a force for positive change. We use all our resources — our tech, our voice and our tribe — to develop and implement solutions to complex problems. We apply this philosophy equally to our business and industry, as we do to social and environmental issues.

B Corp certification is the manifestation of this philosophy: independent recognition that Kolsquare is in business not only to make a profit, but to positively impact the world.  

B Corporation certification is more than just a label. The rigorous B Lab audit is a guarantee that Kolsquare has embedded high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency into its day-to-day business.

“When we launched Kolsquare in 2018, we knew we wanted to do things differently. Where others fixated on the negative aspects of influencer marketing, we knew instinctively that with a little bit of passion and a lot of hard work, we could harness the power of our industry as a force for positive change,” comments Kolsquare Founder and CEO Quentin Bordage.

“There’s still a lot to do, but I’m incredibly proud of all that we’ve managed to achieve in such a short time. B Corp certification would not have been possible without the commitment and enthusiasm of our tribe — from our employees past and present, to our investors, clients, and our social partners.”

From entreprise à mission to B Corp: what is a benefit corporation?

Founded in 2018, Kolsquare’s journey to B Corp certification began in 2020 when it became a Benefit Company (Entreprise à Mission) under French law.

As part of this first step, Kolsquare committed to incorporating specific social and environmental objectives into our corporate mission:

1.    Use our technology and expertise to empower all people, organizations and ideas to positively impact the world

2.    Train, inspire and empower future change-makers

3.    Donate 1% of annual revenue to support social and environmental initiatives

4.    Conduct a responsible business to have a positive social and environmental impact

These four core commitments are the driving force of our business and the foundations that underpin our success.

Today, Kolsquare financially supports nonprofit associations working to alleviate and prevent the scourge of online harassment and harmful content confronting our youth. We actively measure and offset our carbon footprint by partnering with innovative tech solutions.

We also offer our powerful technology to nonprofits and NGOs, and to our fellow B Corp companies, at discounted rates so that they, too, might benefit from the positive impact of influencer marketing.  

In our industry, we take an active role in promoting and contributing to the development and implementation of new laws designed to make influencer marketing more responsible and ethical — both in our home market of France, and at the European level.

We support our clients in navigating this fast-moving environment by implementing technical tools within our platform to help them choose responsible creators and (coming soon) to measure the carbon impact of their campaigns. We also offer a comprehensive suite of resources covering responsible industry practices.  

B Corp certification: a commitment for the long-term

B Corp certification means Kolsquare has been verified as meeting B Lab’s high standards for social and environmental impact. That we have made a legal commitment to stakeholder governance, and are demonstrating accountability and transparency by disclosing this record of performance in a public B Corp profile.

The B impact assessment process evaluates a company’s performance in five key areas — governance, workers, environment, community, and customers — and awards the company a score out of 200. To earn B Corp certification, companies must achieve a minimum score of 80 out of a possible 200 and recertify every three years. You can see Kolsquare’s results in detail here.

As a certified B Corp, Kolsquare becomes one of 8,200 companies worldwide (and one of some 400 in France) that make up the global B Corp movement committed to transforming the global economy to one that benefits all people, communities and the planet.

As such, Kolsquare’s B Corp certification is more than an acknowledgment of past efforts; it challenges Kolsquare to continue innovating while upholding high standards of social and environmental responsibility.

This includes ongoing efforts to reduce the carbon footprint, promote gender equality within the company, support diversity and inclusion, and to make our industry more ethical and responsible.

As Kolsquare moves forward with its B Corp status, it remains dedicated to leading by example, showing that ethical business practices and social responsibility can go hand in hand with technological innovation and market success.

We’re excited by what the future holds and are looking forward to sharing our progress with you.