Purpose Economy

💛 Round two! #StewardOwnership took the stage again at SXSW – the iconic conference & festival in Austin. Here’s what we talked about in our second panel. 🌟 The panel looked at how steward-ownership challenges one of the oldest economic paradigms: money equals power. As our colleague Annika Schneider, who moderated the two panels, opened the session: “I'm extremely happy that three forerunners are with me on this stage who have all instilled the steward-ownership principles, they will share their stories and help us understand how steward-ownership can change the way business is done”. 🎤 You can find the link to the whole panel in the comments! Keen for some highlights? Here’s what stood out. 🗯 Panel 2: The Only Constant is Change: Rethinking Corporate Ownership 🗯 🚀 Stephan Schenk, founder of Stapelstein, one of the best known children's brands in Europe, shared what set him on the path toward steward-ownership: “How could we stand for free play if we’re not free ourselves?” For him, steward-ownership offered a way to structurally embed the company’s purpose-orientation and independence into its very DNA - and also become a magnet for great talent “because they see that we take our mission seriously and they're working for the mission, not for the profit of the owners.” 🔐 Melanie Rieback founded her cybersecurity company Radically Open Security out of frustration with unethical industry practices. She chose a different path: “10 years ago, I made the at the time highly unconventional decision to sell my company for €1 to a foundation. I did this to try and protect the mission.” But she also made clear: “It’s not a magic fix. A badly run steward-owned company is still a badly run company. Culture, leadership, and integrity still matter.” 💡 Greg Curtis from Patagonia (who also spoke in the 1st panel) gave insights at how steward-ownership was the solution to Patagonia’s succession plans: “Yvon had been on this 50-year journey of discovering what was important to the business, defining the culture, and making it what it was.” Separating money and power with a steward-ownership structure allowed Patagonia to ensure that "our profits directly support the causes we care about. That’s a game-changer", as Greg stated in the 1st panel. ⚖️ As the panel wrapped up, one thing was clear: We need better legal frameworks to make steward-ownership accessible. As Melanie Rieback puts it: “Entrepreneurs should be able to walk into their Chamber of Commerce and choose ‘steward-owned’ as easily as they pick ‘LLC.’” ✨ Annika Schneider left the exchange with a closing thought: “Steward-ownership is not about ideology — it’s born out of freedom. The freedom to build businesses that serve people and planet, not just short-term profits.” 🔗 Curious to dive deeper? Listen to the full session (link in comments)! 🟢🔵🟣 And don’t forget to save the date: October 9, 2025 is when #SO25, our next Conference on Steward-Ownership, takes place in Berlin!

💛 SXSW, meet #StewardOwnership. #StewardOwnership, meet SXSW. The iconic festival picked our most favorite topic, steward-ownership, for the agenda of this year’s #conference – and we had the honor of hosting two panels 🙌 We gathered a remarkable set of panelists, traveled to Austin and dove deep into questions around #ownership and #purpose. 🎧 In case you didn't have the chance to be there, the good news is: You can listen to both panels online – please find the links in comments below. Interested in a high-level summary? Today and tomorrow, we’re sharing the key insights. (We’re building up to something exciting — don’t miss the date at the end!) 🗯 Panel 1: This Is Not Woke Capitalism — This Is the Future of Business 🗯 ☀️ On March 11 at 10 AM, under the Texas sun, we kicked off our first panel. We explored the key elements and building blocks we see in the companies we work with — ones that could help shape a future of an economy that serves people and the planet. 🎓 Professor Nien-hê Hsieh (Harvard Business School) reminded us that “steward ownership is taking us back to the origins of corporations. Businesses were originally granted incorporation rights only if they served a broader public purpose.” 🍫 Tony's Chocolonely’s very own Katharina Bottenberg told the story how Tony’s is an impact company that makes chocolate, not the other way around. With a mission lock model, the company stays true to its founding principles “with all stakeholders including investors being aligned”! 🌍 Greg Curtis, Executive Director at Patagonia’s Holdfast Collective, reflected on the journey of Patagonia’s transition to steward-ownership: “Turning Patagonia into this engine for impact work in the communities that we engage with is really powerful.” 🚀 Our colleague Annika Schneider left the audience with a vision: “If we get more companies to embrace structures like a mission-lock or a full ownership transition, we won’t need to wait for top-down change. We can build a flourishing economy from the ground up." 👉 You want to learn more? You're asking yourself questions like "what's the difference between a mission-lock and steward-ownership"? Then you should save the date: October 9, 2025! 🟢🔵🟣 That’s when the #SO25, our third Conference on Steward-Ownership, takes place – a space to meet others who are exploring new ways of owning and running businesses. Feel free to share this with people who might be looking for the same kind of exchange!

We’re kicking off the week with news about our weekly open Q&A sessions on #stewardownership, happening this Thursday! If you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or simply curious about alternative ownership and financing models, we’d love for you to join us. 🤝💬 These sessions are interactive and all about you—ask your questions, hear from others, and dive deeper into steward-ownership and our work. ⚠️ Just a heads-up: These aren’t webinars or presentations. We’re here to answer your questions, so come prepared to share! 🔄 Sessions alternate between English and German every Thursday at 3 PM (CET). 🕒🌍 🗓️ This week’s session will be in German. The next English session is scheduled for March 27th, 2025.

„Property entails obligations. Its use shall also serve the public good.“ is somewhat famously stated in Article 14 (2) of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany. With a focus on businesses and their role in times of crisis, the Alanus Hochschule für Kunst und Gesellschaft takes on the topic of property with a great lecture series and multiple experts and practitioners from the fields of politics, philosophy, sociology, law and business, offering promising insights into current discourses around #ownership, #sustainability and #inequality. Among them is our co-founder Armin Steuernagel kicking-off the series next week on March 13th with a keynote on #stewardownership and its role for an economic order fit for the 21st century. We are especially excited to hear Prof. Dr. Anne Sanders, M.Jur., author of several drafts for a new legal form for steward-owned companies in Germany, speak about alternative models of corporate ownership on March 20th! Huge shout out to Veronika Scheuering and Aaron Rohde for organizing and hosting such great series! The series will be held in German and can be attended in person and online. Find out more below 👇🏼

🚀 The iconic SXSW conference, known for bringing together innovators, creatives, and change-makers from around the globe, is taking place again this year in Texas from March 7-13! 💬 To borrow SXSW’s own description: “Every March it’s nonstop memorable moments, almost impossible to describe to someone who missed it.” 🌟 Needless to say, talking about steward-ownership is a must! Don’t miss "This is Not Woke Capitalism, this is the Future of Business", an inspiring panel discussion moderated by our very own Annika Schneider. Joining her are visionary leaders Greg Curtis (Patagonia), Katharina Bottenberg (Tony's Chocolonely), and Nien-hê Hsieh (Harvard Business School). 💡 For decades, two outdated paradigms have ruled the global economy: money equals power, and companies exist solely to maximize shareholder value. But the 21st century calls for transformative change. It is time that we seek new economic models that prioritize a company's mission. 🌍 In this session, we will discuss which levers we need to redesign to unlock the potential of companies. We will dive into how to build businesses that put purpose and long-term independence at the core of entrepreneurial endeavors and how this serves the company & people, planet and society. #SXSW #Texas #PurposeEconomy #StewardOwnership #Verantwortungseigentum #conference #panel #Patagonia #Harvard #TonysChocolonely

We often push this question forward: “What kind of companies do we want to move forward with?” Mario Draghi posed the same question in his much-discussed EU report, but from a competitiveness and innovation perspective. We’d like to add another perspective: #Ownership. Because more than the design of specific products or services, what matters most is the deep design of the organization itself. When asked, we took a moment to highlight some key points from the report, reflecting on them through a #StewardOwnership lens. Feel free to share your thoughts on any aspects we might have missed.

We’re kicking off the week with news about our weekly open Q&A sessions on #stewardownership, happening this Thursday! If you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or simply curious about alternative ownership and financing models, we’d love for you to join us. 🤝💬 These sessions are interactive and all about you—ask your questions, hear from others, and dive deeper into steward-ownership and our work. ⚠️ Just a heads-up: These aren’t webinars or presentations. We’re here to answer your questions, so come prepared to share! 🔄 Sessions alternate between English and German every Thursday at 3 PM (CET). 🕒🌍 🗓️ This week’s session will be in English. The next German session is scheduled for March 6th, 2025.

🔄 Expanding Succession Options: Steward-Ownership as an Alternative Model In many parts of the world, family-owned businesses face a growing challenge: #succession. New numbers from Germany show that this is becoming increasingly problematic. According to a study by KfW, 215,000 succession arrangements are planned for this year alone, while even more - 231,000 companies - are considering shutting down their operations – also due to a lack of succession options. 🔎 The main reasons: ▪️ Owners are reaching retirement age (62% of cases) ▪️ Lack of interested family successors (47%) ▪️ Struggle with bureaucratic hurdles (30%) The consequence? A cornerstone of many economies – small and medium-sized companies – risks shrinking. But succession doesn’t have to mean inheritance, sale, or shut-down. There’s another way: #StewardOwnership. ⚡ Using steward-ownership as a succession model, businesses are passed on in trust to new steward-owner(s). Instead of being inherited automatically or sold to the highest bidder, qualified and suitable people – like employees – become successors without facing a huge debt burden to purchase the company. Due to an asset-lock that enables purpose-orientation, profits are reinvested into the company and its mission (or donated). 🤝🏼 This model ensures that companies remain self-determined and safe from external takeovers beyond generational transitions. This not only helps to protect jobs, strengthen the company's resilience, and keep entrepreneurship purpose-driven, but it also democratizes access to the traditional owner position. 🌎 In various legal frameworks worldwide – from steward-ownership realized with a trust structure in the U.S. to foundation-owned companies where a non-profit foundation owns and controls for-profit businesses in Denmark – this model is already flourishing globally. 💡 In Germany as well as in the Netherlands, initiatives are working towards establishing a new legal form for steward-owned companies, reducing barriers for business owners to adopt this model. For us, this is a crucial step to widen the spectrum of succession options and preserve companies that drive innovation, employment, and sustainable economic growth. Find more background information in the comments below 👉🏼 #StewardOwnership #Succession #PurposeNetwork #NewLegalForm #Mittelstand #BusinessSuccession

❓ What if mental health care was more human-first, self-managed, and designed to support both patients and professionals? 🚀 BuurtzorgT is doing just that — moving away from hierarchy and bureaucracy to create a system where small, self-managed teams have the trust and freedom to do what’s best for their patients. And thanks to steward-ownership, the companies mission-orientation stays protected. 👉 Our colleague Annika Schneider breaks it all down in this Corporate Rebels piece (🔗 link to article in comments). A must-read for anyone looking to explore new ways to challenge the status quo in healthcare! 🔎 Do you want to dive even deeper? Then check the whole new case study on BuurtzorgT (🔗 link to case study in comments)! #StewardOwnership #PurposeEconomy #BuurtzorgT #MentalHealth #Verantwortungseigentum #CaseStudy

We’re kicking off the week with news about our weekly open Q&A sessions on #stewardownership, happening this Thursday! If you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or simply curious about alternative ownership and financing models, we’d love for you to join us. 🤝💬 These sessions are interactive and all about you – ask your questions, hear from others, and dive deeper into steward-ownership and our work. ⚠️ Just a heads-up These aren’t webinars or presentations. We’re here to answer your questions, so come prepared to share! 🔄 Sessions alternate between English and German every Thursday at 3 PM (CET). 🕒🌍 🗓️ This week’s session will be in German. The next English session is scheduled for February 27th, 2025.