Client story – Create partnership for sustainable innovation
Situation
The President and CEO of the World Business Councilfor Sustainable Development (WBCSD) challenged the Head of Sustainability Innovation in a Danish multinational corporation (MNC) to create a concept for purpose-driven business creation.
Challenge
We engaged to help create clear and winning value propositions for the most important stakeholder groups, and win backing from business development executives in MNCs.
We then moved to co-create a partnership model encompassing MNCs, philanthropic foundations, investors, and service providers.
Challenge
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How to underpin the positive intentions with tangible implementation and provide real business value.
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Bootstrapping while engaging some of the world’s largest organizations.
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Design governance meeting complex multi-stakeholder, multi-phase, multi-metric, multi-national requirements.
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Approach
Establish tight partnership with project originator and work closely in tandem. Take a business first approach and win backing from high-level advisors and key stakeholders. Create partnerships with convening organizations like the WBCSD to reach top-level players in a resource-efficient way. Safeguard vision by using design principles to set direction and innovative corporate governance; then co-create with stakeholders on that basis.
Value
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Shared understanding among key stakeholders of overlapping interests, distinctive value propositions and strategy.
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Mandate and backing to continue building executon capability and raise investments
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High-level concept for purpose-driven business creation established, scalable governance defined, and legal framework build to enable replication and scalability.
Outcome
Established US Low Profit Limited Liability (L3C) social hybrid company incorporated in the US and co-owned by two MNCs.
Created partnerships with leading organizations in the venture philanthropy space.Built legal framework for entering into MOUs with partners and suppliers.
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