Stories of Steward-Ownership
A World of Stories
Steward-ownership comes alive through real-world examples, through people, communities, and individual approaches, through stories that highlight the impact it has in the world.
In our blog and stories section, you will not only read about new cases, companies, and the global ecosystem. You will also discover fresh perspectives on current political, economic, societal and cultural developments and events. Let’s look at the world through a steward-ownership lens – and see what we can learn from it.
A Lighthouse for Steward-Ownership or Just Another Silicon Valley Giant?
OpenAI has always been an intriguing case from a steward-ownership perspective. With its nonprofit parent and a for-profit subsidiary, it at least showed strong similarities to steward-ownership structures. But recent events suggest the tech giant may be heading in a different direction.
Curated Stories
Let’s dare to dream ...
What if one of the world’s most beloved activist brands, eh, we mean ice-cream brand, reclaimed its entrepreneurial freedom? Ben & Jerry’s has always stood for more than just ice cream ... until it was sold to Unilever in 2000. Now their founders dare asking: What if we could take it back? And we're like: Yeah, let's talk!
Haferkater: A Steward-Ownership Lighthouse
A new lighthouse in terms of steward-ownership and aligned financing: Haferkater. Famous throughout Germany for its healthy porridge-to-go at traffic hubs, the company has transitioned to steward-ownership last fall – with the support of the Purpose Network.
The Path to Steward-Ownership is hilly...
“Something is being taken away from you that you don't want to give up voluntarily”
Way back in the 90s, Bionade-fonder Peter Kowalsky invented the world's first "healthy lemonade", if you will. And then learnt a lesson about ownership-dynamics and what the "money equals power" paradigm truly means. Despite building Bionade into a major success, Kowalsky ultimately lost the company – and with it, his vision for a long-term, sustainability-focused business model. Listen to the compelling story in his keynote on the SO:22 conference.
Patagonia's New Steward-Ownership Structure
Almost three years have passed since Patagonia announced its transition to a new ownership structure in late 2022. At our SO:23 conference a year later, Charles Conn, chairman of the board, referred to Patagonia as a "steward-owned company". In our deeper analysis of the new structure, we had come to the same conclusion. Enjoy the read.
You want more?
The ink is still drying, more stories are on their way. In the meanwhile, enjoy reading our latest magazine:
"This isn't woke capitalism, it's the future of business."
Our Steward-Ownership Learning Journeys
Want to go deeper? Our guided learning journeys offer a step-by-step path for exploring Steward-Ownership from understanding the basics to implementing the model in your company or advising others on how to do so.