The Baltic pilot

A foundation seeding steward ownership in the parts of Europe not yet covered — starting in the Baltics.

We build steward ownership where no one else does.

An Estonian foundation —
registration in progress

By the numbers

Most of Europe has no one building this.

18/27 EU member states with no dedicated steward ownership field builder. Baltics & Central / Eastern Europe
1989 Post-transition founders now reaching succession — a one-time ownership handover. The succession wave
0 Aligned legal vehicles or patient capital in most of these markets — the real constraint. Not awareness. Infrastructure.

In plain terms

A company that can't be sold for profit, and can't be steered by outside shareholders.

01Self-determination

Control stays with the people actively involved in the company — not with whoever happens to hold the shares.

A structural commitment device — a golden share or foundation that enforces the promise, rather than relying on the character of whoever runs the company next.

02Purpose-orientation

Profits can be made and distributed, but they serve the company's purpose. Mission is locked structurally, not left to good intentions. Patagonia, Bosch, Zeiss, Ecosia and Buurtzorg are built this way.

How the mechanics work

The map, as text

Where the field is built, and where it isn't.

Every other field builder leads with the principles. We lead with the gap. Indicative picture of dedicated steward ownership organisations across Europe:

EstoniaLatviaLithuania PolandCzechiaSlovakiaHungarySloveniaCroatiaRomaniaBulgariaPortugalGreeceIrelandFinland GermanyNetherlandsBelgiumDenmarkFranceSweden
  • Where we're active — the Baltic pilot
  • Open — no dedicated field builder
  • Already covered
01 Convert

We help companies convert — and build the templates while we do it.

In markets without a chapter, we do the work directly: exploration sessions, conversion consulting, workshops and keynotes. Each conversion produces jurisdiction-specific legal templates that the next company — and eventually a local chapter — can reuse.

In this chapter, we'll cover:

  • Conversion consulting for founders
  • Exploration sessions and workshops
  • Legal localisation — templates + practitioner network
  • Succession-wave targeting for ageing founders
Read about our services
02 Coordinate

Working with the movement, not on top of it.

We coordinate rather than compete: partnering with existing organisations and national chapters, monitoring policy, convening practitioners, and keeping a picture of steward ownership across the region.

In this chapter, we'll cover:

  • Partnering with existing field builders and chapters
  • EU-level policy advocacy and national monitoring
  • Convening founders, advisors and investors
  • A steward ownership census for the region
How we work with the field
03 Create

Seeding new organisations where there are none.

In zero-awareness markets, someone has to start. We build awareness from the ground up and incubate new national field builders — giving them back-office support until they can stand on their own, then handing the work over.

In this chapter, we'll cover:

  • Awareness-building in zero-awareness markets
  • Chapter incubation with shared back-office
  • The Baltic pilot — our first region
Read the Baltic pilot

From the field

The first Baltic founder to convert will tell this story better than any foreign logo.

Regional case study — in progress. Until then: if you're a founder thinking about who should own your company after you, we'd like to talk.

Start a conversation

Stay in the loop

Notes from the uncovered markets — occasional, no noise.

Occasional notes on steward ownership in the uncovered markets. Unsubscribe any time.

Get involved

Building a company that outlives its owner starts with a conversation.

Start a conversation Read the Baltic pilot