How to get more entrepreneurs building in the regeneration space? If you are a regular listener of this podcast, you have heard us discuss this so many times you probably lost count. No, we are not saying entrepreneurs and companies are the solution to all our problems. But entrepreneurial people who set up companies, but also non-profits and movements— basically people who don’t accept the status quo and get to work to change it—are always the ones who change the world.
So how do we get more of those started in the biggest challenge of all: how to regenerate a severely degraded world? And when people get bitten by the “soil” bug, how do we give them all the support and resources to make sure the chances of them succeeding against most odds are as high as possible? Or, in the words of Bart, how do we create the best enabling conditions for them and others to succeed?
Enter the venture studio. We have had Bart van der Zande, co-founder of the Fresh Ventures Studio, on the show twice before, and it really was time for a check-in. They have run three cohorts now, built 10+ regen-focused companies, and are gearing up for their fourth cohort. We talk about the venture studio and what is holding back the sector: more early-stage funding, but also why it is so difficult to get early-stage funding in. Everyone who has done a quick back-of-the-envelope calculation on starting a fund to focus on “early” stage quickly figures out that small tickets don’t really make a lot of sense. So how does Bart think they can make it work?
We also talk about the best place to look for real regen innovations: on a leading regen farm. But what usually happens? The super-forward regen farmer invents something that works for him or her (e.g. a special bio-tea compost extract sprayer that fits on the existing cover-crop planter, etc.) and then? It stops there. Maybe she or he will make a few for neighbours, and that is pretty much it. How do we commercialize and, more importantly, spread these super context-specific but super relevant innovations? Again, the answer is entrepreneurial people who set up companies around the inventions, where the farmers can choose how involved they want to be.
THE VENTURE STUDIO MODEL FOR REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE
We sit down with Fresh Ventures co-founder Bart van der Zun to unpack a venture studio model that matches purpose-fit founders with farmer-proven problems, then backs them with stage-gated capital, shared infrastructure, and the kind of leadership work that creates durable companies instead of fragile hype.
Fresh Ventures operates as a talent and venture-building studio focused on transforming the food system. Bart explains their core model of actively creating new, steward-owned businesses by bringing together committed, experienced individuals.
“So, we are a talent and a venture-building studio. We’re on a mission to transform our food system, and we build new businesses that, as much as possible, are steward-owned or alternatively structured… Very simply put, we bring together great people.” — Bart van der Zande
CHALLENGES IN EARLY-STAGE FUNDING
There is a critical gap in financing for very early-stage regenerative ventures. Bart details the inefficiency and high transaction costs of raising small, essential amounts of capital, which is a major burden for founders.
Across three cohorts and ten-plus companies, the team learned what the ecosystem is missing: tiny checks delivered fast, not months of fundraising for 30–50k pilots; legal and ownership templates that let farmers choose their role in scaling their own innovations; and explicit funding for enabling conditions like education, regulatory navigation, and buyer alignment. We explore how to make big money small without losing rigor, why unicorn hunting warps agri-food portfolios, and how a pipeline designed by system maps—rather than slides—gets better outcomes.
“Getting these types of amounts, if you are not having it yourself, will take the same amount as 300K, right? Or 350, same time. So, for funders these amounts are also impossible, basically.” — Bart van der Zande
IMPORTANCE OF REGENERATIVE MINDSET AND LEADERSHIP
A significant part of the discussion focuses on the need for founders to operate from a regenerative paradigm. The character and mindset of the founder fundamentally shape the culture and impact of the venture they build. We highlight the traits of regenerative founders- humble, precise, collaborative- and how a three-month pressure cooker cultivates them through farm immersions, systems thinking, and a supportive alumni network.
“We do really believe that the intervener has a high impact on the intervention. We also believe that founders have a huge impact on the culture of the company that’s being built.” — Bart van der Zande
FARMER-LED INNOVATION AND ENABLING CONDITIONS
Farmers are pivotal but under-supported innovators. Creating new structures and financial mechanisms to support farmer-led innovation and build the necessary enabling conditions for systemic change is key.
We go deep on farmer-led innovation transfer: a low-compaction electric tractor that works but can’t find a home in corporate R&D; compost extract sprayers that solve real issues but never leave the farm; virtual herding that gets cows back outside and needs careful hardware iteration. The through line is practical: pay pioneers, productize what already works, and build ventures that respect context while scaling through repeatable playbooks and steward-ownership where possible.
“But can we look at how technology transfer in that sense but do it very simply, right? So, we have farmers; we recognise farmers now as the actual innovators, but how do we build a structure for them?” — Bart van der Zande
LINKS:
LINKED INTERVIEWS:
- Bart van der Zande – Thanks to the learning of the 1st, the world 1st regenerative venture studio gets ready for the 2nd cohort
- Bart van der Zande on building the world’s first regenerative startup studio
- Zuzanna Zielińska – Women’s hormonal health starts with regenerative agriculture and the focus on quality and nutrient density food
- Chris Bloomfield and Daniel Reisman – We need animals outside to feed the planet sustainably
- Frederik Lean Hansen – Double-purpose chickens and the regen dating agency matching landowners with land seekers
- Alfred Grand – Why an Austrian farmer and researcher trained by earthworms is very excited about AI
- Matteo Mazzola – Walking the land of Iside Farm with a regenerative farmer
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The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.