Why Grade Became a B Corp

Becoming a certified B Corp™ was an important step in answering that question. The certification reflects a commitment to operating responsibly, creating long-term value, and ensuring that the digital products we build contribute positively to the world.

To mark our first B Corp Month as a certified B Corp™, we sat down with Grade founder Matt Bachle to talk about why the business chose to pursue certification and what the process has meant for the team and the way we work.

What Does It Mean to Be a B Corp?

B Corp certification recognises businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

For Matt, the certification was about validating something that had always been part of Grade’s philosophy.

“For many years we talked about operating in an ethical and responsible way,” Matt explains. “But that was just our word. Becoming a B Corp allowed us to validate that through a rigorous set of standards.”

The process assesses how a business operates across a wide range of areas including governance, team culture, environmental impact, and community engagement.

Why Grade Chose to Become a B Corp

Grade was founded in 2012 with a simple idea: that a digital business could operate differently.

Rather than focusing solely on commercial growth, the ambition was to build an organisation that contributes positively to the world.

“When I started Grade, the goal wasn’t purely commercial,” Matt says. “It was about building an organisation that adds something to the world rather than extracting from it.”

Becoming a B Corp created a formal framework that helps the business hold itself accountable to that intention.

The certification process challenged the team to examine everything from internal decision-making to how the company collaborates with clients and partners.

How B Corp Shapes the Way Grade Works

One of the most valuable outcomes of the B Corp journey has been the way it influences everyday decisions.

The framework acts as a lens through which the team evaluates the work it takes on and the impact that work can have.

“It gives us a framework to sense-check what we’re doing,” Matt explains. “That includes how we operate as a team, the clients we work with, and the work we put into the world.”

Importantly, positive impact can take many forms. While some projects focus on environmental challenges, others create meaningful change through health, community services, or public information platforms.

What matters is that the work contributes to outcomes that serve people, communities, and systems.

Strengthening Team Culture and Transparency

Another unexpected benefit of the B Corp process was the impact it had on team culture.

The certification required a deeper level of transparency around how the business operates, which led to more open communication and stronger engagement across the organisation.

“We realised we needed to share more information with the team about how the business works and how decisions are made,” Matt says. “That openness has created a level of engagement we hadn’t seen before.”

By involving the wider team more closely in decisions and direction, the organisation has developed a stronger shared sense of purpose.

What “Digital for Good” Means in Practice

For Grade, Digital for Good is not just a tagline.

It reflects both the outcomes of the digital products we build and the way we build them.

That includes:

• Designing digital platforms that improve access to information and services
• Supporting organisations creating positive environmental and social impact
• Building products that are sustainable, resilient, and useful over time
• Working collaboratively with teams and partners to create better outcomes

The aim is to create digital systems that contribute to healthier communities, stronger organisations, and more sustainable futures.

Looking Ahead

As Grade continues to grow, the B Corp framework will remain central to how the business evolves.

The team is already working with organisations creating environmental impact internationally, supporting public health initiatives, and exploring the ethical use of emerging technologies such as AI.

For Matt, the B Corp certification is not an end point but a guide for what comes next.

“The process added a level of rigour to everything we do,” he says. “It challenged us to mature as a business and to make sure we’re operating in a way that is ethical, fair, and positive for the world.”

That’s what Digital for Good means to us.

Watch the Full Conversation

You can watch the full interview with Matt Bachle here, where we discuss the B Corp journey, the lessons learned along the way, and how Grade approaches building digital products that create lasting impact.

If your organisation is exploring a new digital platform, product, or transformation initiative, we’d love to talk.