Beyond Profit: Redefining Business for a Regenerative Future

As part of her research at RIFS, Adina-Iuliana Deacu is exploring a redefinition of business as “an entity that solves social issues and creates social value in a financially sustainable way” as a solution to climate change and the polycrisis.

Date: Thursday, February 26th, 2026, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. CEST 

This framework challenges traditional profit-driven models and aligns with regenerative principles that prioritize ecological balance, community resilience, and human well-being.

But this work is not only theoretical. All around the world there are already many entrepreneurs who embody this new definition Adina-Iuliana Deacu is proposing, not only through her work as a Fellow, but also through her own entrepreneurial practice. During this online event, 9 entrepreneurs from different parts of the world whose work embodies this new definition will share their stories to inspire new possibilities.

The online event will:

• Showcase how business can be used as a tool to solve social issues and create social value in a financially sustainable way across industries and local contexts.
• Highlight the importance of local solutions to local issues while revealing their global relevance.
• Provide participants with extended access to each speaker’s story through a podcast series released within a week from the live event.

Online Event Scope
 

The event will bring together 9 entrepreneurs and changemakers representing diverse geographies and sectors—demonstrating that while social and environmental challenges differ locally, the new definition of business can be applied universally.

It will:

• Feature three panel discussions, each with 3 speakers from distinct regions and industries.
• Explore topics such as regenerative production, inclusive employment and locally rooted business models.
• Challenge the traditional obsession with scaling by emphasizing contextual adaptation and long-term community value with financial sustainability.

Who Should Join?

• Entrepreneurs & Startups adopting purpose-driven models.
• Academics & Researchers in sustainability, design, and economics.
• Impact Investors & Policymakers exploring regenerative paradigms.
• Civil Society & NGOs interested in locally grounded change.
• Anyone else interested in the topic
   

Registration

Please register here: https://eveeno.com/beyondprofit
You will receive the link to join the event with the confirmation e-mail after registration.

Programme

Beyond Profit Online Conference Speaker Info (Partial List)

Angela Juliana Odero (Kenya)
Rio Fish Limited CEO, Co-Founder
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-juliana-o-82207b163/

The Rio Fish Initiative
Rio Fish leads the transformation of Kenya’s aquaculture sector by empowering smallholder farmers through innovative solutions. Our strategic approach combines smart-farming technology with direct market access, creating a sustainable ecosystem for fish production. At the heart of our model is a robust network of women fish traders who drive our aggregation, processing, and distribution systems, ensuring fresh fish reaches consumers efficiently. Our work actively combats ‘jaboya’ – a predatory practice where male fishermen sexually exploit women traders in exchange for access to scarce fish. This exploitation has fueled both gender-based violence and the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Lake Victoria region, where infection rates stand 4.5 times above the national average. Through our sustainable supply chain and direct market access, Rio Fish empowers women traders to operate independently and safely. We are building a future where fisheries thrive, women are economically empowered, and communities prosper through dignity and equal opportunity.
Website: https://riofish.co.ke/

Claudia Guerreiro (Estonia)
Conscious Marketing Movement Founder
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudiabarrosguerreiro/

Conscious Marketing Movement
Marketing is often seen as a necessary evil: a driver of consumption, pressure, and manipulation. Manipulative marketing tactics are also a lead cause of mental health issues. But Claudia, believes marketing can be part of the solution and a key driver of systemic change. She founded the Conscious Marketing Movement (CMM) to redefine the field — putting people's wellbeing and the planet first. Through community-building, education, and direct support for organizations applying conscious marketing in practice, her team champions a new marketing standard rooted in ethics, impact, and responsibility. Their work advances SDG 12: responsible consumption and production and SDG 3: Mental Health and Well-being.
Website: https://conscious-marketing-movement.com/

Brian Lined (China)
Linden Centres Founder
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-linden/

Linden Centres
We are a social enterprise, whose founding was inspired by our desire to share the richness of China's cultural traditions with the world. Our hotels are living museums. Our restoration efforts have breathed life back into neglected heritage sites, giving these tangible cultural monuments dignified existences that are commensurate with their original architectural grandeur. The hotels, which are sustainable businesses, serve as our social enterprises- platforms from which we develop educational and economic programs for the local communities. We partner only with local governments and have taken on no private investment. The government supports us because of our social impact, not because of our desire to maximize profit for outside investors. We now have five sites and future sites are currently being planned and developed. We are constantly refining our social mission to ensure that we have a larger impact on our communities.
Website: https://www.linden-centre.com/

Host: Adina-Iuliana Deacu (China/Germany)

Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellow at Research Institute for Sustainability at GFZ (Germany)
Tianmei’s World Academy Founder\
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adinadeacu/

Tianmei’s World Academy is a decentralized “network of classrooms” cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary educational platform using environmental psychology knowledge with the aim to redefine where and how learning happens, while promoting personal growth, diversity and inclusion. By understanding what are the elements that combine to create a nurturing learning environment, Tianmei's World Academy is able to turn any available space (e.g. coffee shops, offices etc.) into an alternative learning environment. By experiencing the different learning environments the academy designs, individuals can better understand what kind of learning environments and methods are most suitable for their own learning and self-development needs, apply them in their daily lives and maximize their individual potential beyond a “one-size-fits-all” approach. In doing so, we aim to take high quality learning opportunities where the learners are and not have learners come to the so-called “school”. Our mission is to turn access to high quality educational opportunities into a right, instead of a privilege. 
Website: https://www.tianmeisworldacademy.com/