Through this article, Van Deursen delves into the need for startups to move beyond sustainability and embrace regeneration—championing business models that restore ecological and social systems.
When I co-founded the start-up investment platform Vevolution, it was with the conviction that startups are one of the most powerful forces we have for creating a better world. Years earlier, I had built and sold companies in the digital space—but what inspired me to become an investor wasn’t the returns. It was the entrepreneur’s building solutions that aligned profit with purpose. Now, more than ever, we need to take that alignment further.
The next startup revolution must be regenerative
Not just sustainable—regenerative.
Sustainability is about doing less harm. Regeneration is about repairing, healing, restoring. The planet doesn’t just need us to stop damaging it—it needs startups that leave it better than they found it.
From rewilding degraded land to cellular agriculture, from materials innovation to ethical supply chains, I’ve seen firsthand how this mindset shift transforms a business from “just another startup” into a movement. Regenerative thinking isn’t a sector. It’s a lens
And it’s profitable.
Startups in this space don’t need to compromise growth for ethics. In fact, the most visionary founders I back are those who understand that solving a real planetary or social problem creates deep, long-term value for customers, communities and capital.
“As investors, we often talk about de-risking, but the biggest risk of all is continuing to back business models that deplete the very systems we depend on. Regenerative startups are ethical bets, at the same time they’re economically and ecologically resilient”
This isn’t just a call to founders; it’s a wake-up for investors too. If we want to see a thriving planet and society in the decades to come, our capital must flow into ideas that restore rather than extract. As investors, we often talk about de-risking, but the biggest risk of all is continuing to back business models that deplete the very systems we depend on. Regenerative startups are ethical bets, at the same time they’re economically and ecologically resilient.
We also need to evolve how we define success. It’s not just about scale or valuation. In a regenerative world, success looks like circular systems, healed landscapes, empowered communities and transparent governance.
It means being able to ask:
Are we leaving things better than we found them? And being honest about the answer.
So, here’s my message to founders:
• Build with nature, not against it.
• Design your business model to regenerate the systems it touches—whether that’s soil, human health or trust.
• Be transparent about your journey. The next generation of consumers and investors isn’t looking for perfection; they’re looking for authenticity and courage.
We’re entering an era where the companies we remember will be the ones that dared to do more than “scale fast.” They’ll be the ones that scaled wisely and left something behind worth inheriting.
