A Regenerative Economy in Action

(Photo by iStock/Vasil Dimitrov) 

A regenerative economy operates in service to life, building connections between natural and social systems. Nature’s law of reciprocity shows us that nothing can survive in isolation; where nutrients flow, life flourishes. Early Indigenous economies, such as that of the potlatch, exemplified this idea by keeping resources flowing throughout the community, oriented to the best uses for the good of all. There are many possibilities beyond the current system for what an economy can become.

What does a regenerative economy look like? Coralus (formerly SheEO) has operated one for the last nine years. Thousands of people have come together to experiment with allocating capital to individuals pushed to the margins by our current systems, knowing that we neglect most of the planet’s inhabitants due to systemic bias. Coralus combines monetary capital with undervalued forms of capital—care capital, navigational capital, knowledge capital, social capital, and resistant capital—to create rich soil in which new models, mindsets, and solutions can grow.

To create new systems, we must empty ourselves of the stories and narratives that hold the current systems in place, a practice embedded in Coralus’ design. Conditioned by dominant business narratives to look for scale, familiarity, and catchy one-liners, we often overlook the potential of unconventional ideas.

When a diverse set of individuals brings their varied perspectives to the task, our sense of what works begins to shift in dramatic ways. Coralus has seen fledgling businesses, with just weeks of cash flow, transform into thriving hubs of innovation after hundreds of community members decided, “This is amazing!” and rolled up their sleeves to become customers, marketers, advisors, and cheerleaders.

An Indigenous woman who raised venture capital (VC) funds for the venture she founded realizes she is not aligned with the growth-at-all-costs mentality and finds support in the Coralus community. A wealth holder loans her money to unwind an investment so a founder can build her business on her own terms. These stories exemplify the capacity of the regenerative economy to align financial practices with personal and communal values. This community-based approach to building businesses expands possibilities in the economy and the community.

Coralus allocates community capital through collective decision-making each year, inviting all members to vote on what they’d like to see in the world. When individuals ranging in age from 14 to 90+ bring their intuition, interests, and perspectives to the process, a wide range of views emerges, bringing forth new futures. This is not due diligence as usual, and it’s working. Coralus produces exceptionally high payback rates, ventures transform themselves so their businesses can transform their sector, and the community marvels at what’s possible when everyone brings their resources to the table. Ventures gain access to a new community of customers, advisors, marketers, and influencers. Rather than disrupting current power structures, Coralus becomes a source of power.

Valuing all forms of capital and experience creates a sense of inclusion that encourages broad participation. As a regular practice, reciprocity (asking for and giving support) changes the way we think, allowing us to see that we have everything we need around us. Aligning values by practicing radical generosity softens us, creating the conditions for people to share their dreams and opening the door to expanded resources and possibilities.

Instead of extracting from ventures and pushing them to win the market, Coralus focuses on supporting them to transform their space for the benefit of all. For example, Better Packaging Co., which created the world’s first home-compostable courier packaging, has deepened its commitment to a plastic-free world by creating packaging from collected plastic pollution, healing the planet as it scales rather than extracting more raw materials. Indiegraf has developed a platform to empower journalist entrepreneurs to deliver community news, a critical source of information in a healthy democracy.

More than 190 ventures with dreams of doing things differently have been supported, nurtured, and cared for by a community of more than 7,000 individuals across five countries. The path to a regenerative economy is often winding, messy, and mysterious. At every step, there is pain and grief for the way things are. Bearing witness as the system prioritizes money over all else requires us to take notice, let go, and reorient toward the future we want. We must unwind our stories, remain steadfast in our integrity, and trust that there is another path. Building a regenerative economy that results in a thriving society is the work of our times.

Read more stories by Vicki Saunders.