As managing director Laura is playing a key role in the development of financial support for medium-sized businesses in or transitioning to steward-ownership. On the one hand, Laura advises companies on succession and transformation processes and structures these transactions financially, while simultaneously advocating for knowledge and experience exchange with other capital providers to advance the topic of SOAF (Steward-Ownership Aligned Finance).
Laura found her way to Purpose after several years in corporate banking and subsequently running her own company – and is now shaping new paths in financing.
Welcome to Purpose
Since coining the term steward-ownership in 2015, PURPOSE® exists to make steward-ownership known and accessible to everyone. Working together in the PURPOSE® Group under one brand, with distinct focus areas and in separate, independent entities, we are united by one vision: to unlock the potential steward-ownership holds for people, planet, and society.
Together for steward ownership
We all work to make steward ownership known and accessible to everyone. While the non-profit Purpose Foundation drives advocacy, research, and education, Purpose Consulting and the investing entities (Purpose Ventures and Purpose Evergreen Capital) work directly with companies, founders, and investors. Drawing on practice and research from across the field, including from the independently operated PURPOSE® entities, the Foundation produces tools, research and educational materials and publishes them as open content, freely available to everyone.
Our work is made possible thanks to pioneering companies, investors, and the many experts and changemakers working with and transitioning to steward ownership already today. In addition, our regional partners under the Purpose brand (Purpose Latam, Purpose US) and field builders (e.g., Foundation for Steward Ownership in Germany or We Are Stewards in the Netherlands) collaborate with us to advance steward ownership worldwide.
How we relate to each other: While all entities operate (legally, financially and entrepreneurially) independently, they all contribute their most valuable resource: knowledge, experiences, and input from working on the ground and their passion for steward ownership. This allows the non profit Purpose Foundation to carry out research grounded in practice, create open content and tools that are freely available and supportive to a global audience, and develop education materials based on insights others might put behind paywalls.
A shared mission
As a non profit, the Purpose Foundation pursues its mission autonomously and with its own resources. We work to make steward ownership globally known and accessible through advocacy, research and education. We cooperate with other organisations in the field, including the independently operated PURPOSE® companies. We happily and openly share our experience and learnings to help make steward ownership known and accessible to everyone.
Purpose Consulting globally accompanies entrepreneurs and founders toward custom-tailored ownership and governance structures for their companies – from founding to succession, aligned financing and beyond.
Purpose Ventures helps the next generation of founders build profitable, steward-owned businesses with purpose-aligned capital – bringing their values, mission, and ownership into harmony while mobilizing more investment for steward-owned companies
Purpose Evergreen Capital offers patient, value-aligned capital to small and medium-sized enterprises helping businesses stay independent and true to their values with steward ownership.
The Purpose Veto Share enables companies to legally safeguard the principles of steward ownership (currently only available in Germany and Switzerland). The veto share solution was developed to simplify the legal implementation of steward ownership for companies today.
In addition, there are regional affiliated Purpose Partners who operate under the Purpose brand (Purpose Latam, Purpose US), as well as regional changemakers with whom we closely collaborate to advance steward ownership.
Thank you!
None of this would be possible without the forerunners – the steward-owned companies, entrepreneurs and investors who, in the face of partly uncharted territories and systemic adversities, have the courage to forge ahead and implement steward ownership – as well as the many brilliant lawyers, tax consultants, employees in steward-owned businesses, researchers, legislators, thought leaders, changemakers and regional partners contributing to this journey. Thank you!
