About Enviu

Enviu is a 100% steward-owned non-profit organization with offices in Nairobi, Bangalore, Jakarta, and Rotterdam. We are a start-up studio that builds impact-first, financially sustainable ventures. Our ventures are built with the vision to drive systemic change in four domains: food, textile, plastic, and mobility. These domains cause climate change. Finding solutions is what drives the 50+ passionate people at Enviu.

HOW IS ENVIU CHANGING THE WORLD

Enviu takes a systemic approach to enable tangible change in the market. We have four domains, each with a distinct impact-driven purpose.

1. Enviu Agrifood (Kenya): Paving the way towards future-proofing Kenya's food system by eliminating post-harvest loss and helping farmers become more climate-resilient.
2. Enviu Zero Waste (Indonesia, Netherlands): Normalize zero-waste consumption by preventing usage of non-recyclable single-use plastic packaging
3. Enviu Textiles (India, Kenya, Bangladesh): Develop business models to build a fair and circular textile value chain.
4. Enviu Mobility (The Netherlands): Accelerating the transition towards circular and inclusive mobility

Under each domain, we create multiple ventures, which are strategic interventions at key points in a value chain.

Our partners (funding, knowledge and tech) and other stakeholders (governments policy makers, and communities) help us build these companies. Together, we address social and environmental issues and drive failing markets toward a “new normal.” This is what we call: initiating and building world-changing companies.

THE ENVIU STORY

Enviu’s journey started about 20 years ago, at a time when social entrepreneurship was not a hot topic at all. The relationship between humans and nature became the inspiration for Enviu founder Stef van Dongen.

Since its founding in 2004, Enviu's focus has always been building a new economy for people and the planet, by developing disruptive business models with opportunities for economic growth and long-lasting impact.

Enviu has built over 30 ventures that have positively impacted the environment and communities worldwide.

We create two types of impact:

1. Impact through action: Build successful impact-driven business models and scalable ventures.

1. Impact through knowledge-sharing/capacity building: Drive systemic change through our methodology, learnings and venture showcases.

VISION: A global economy that serves people and the planet.

MISSION: To develop innovative business models that drive systemic socio-environmental change.

ENVIU APPROACH

Using an overarching theory of change, we determine what systemic interventions are needed along the value chain. We validate business models by creating new ventures and/or by replicating or accelerating some of the existing ventures in other parts of the world. We use what’s already there and add what’s missing.

Our programs take four crucial steps in enabling change:

1. Identify root causes, leverage points, and opportunities
2. Ideate and validate system-changing models via human-centered designs
3. Recruit entrepreneurial teams and raise investments
4. Create a supportive ecosystem by building coalitions, engaging with governments & creating awareness.

Our tools to ideate, develop, and grow ventures:

• Tried-tested-and-proven methodologies
• Action-driven teams in the field

Our programmatic approach allows successful ventures to scale for long-lasting sustainable impact.

With nearly 20 years of experience, we dare to say now that we became experts in initiating, validating, building and scaling disruptive business models.