Stapelstein®
Stapelstein®, registered as joboo GmbH, is a German company located near Stuttgart that designs and distributes simple yet innovative, versatile and sustainable elements for children (and adults): the Stapelstein®. Founded in 2016, Stapelstein’s® mission is to create simple solutions that promote movement. Colorful stacking stones and balance boards invite kids and adults alike to play and interact with their environment and foster their development and creativity.
From the conception of the Stapelstein® itself as part of a research project to a successful and profitable company that currently holds 29 employees, Stapelstein® has come a long way – also regarding their ownership and financing structure.
After having taken on investors as shareholders early in their journey, founder Stephan Schenk and his co-founder Hannah König came to a point where the discrepancy between the founder’s vision for the company and its founding purpose and the business angels’ interest in an exit and dividend payouts became too high. Stephan and Hannah managed to regain self-determination of the organization by buying out the old shareholders with the support of Purpose Ventures and Purpose Evergreen Capital as new capital providers and setting up an aligned ownership and financing structure aligned with the principles of steward-ownership in spring 2023.
Stapelstein® has implemented the steward-ownership structure using the veto-share model. With one percent of the voting rights, the Purpose Foundation holds the veto-share and thus protects the steward-ownership structure of the company.
Steward-ownership enables us to be an independent company that stays true to its values.