Business for life: stories of pioneers giving back to the earth
In this video series, created in collaboration with The Green Times and We Are The ReGeneration, we meet entrepreneurs brave enough to rewrite the rules. They’re building companies that don’t take from the planet but give back to it. Stronger, richer, and more alive. From mushroom coffins enriching the soil, to seaweed as a sustainable food source, and spices restoring biodiversity, these are stories that inspire, challenge, and give hope.
Their mission goes beyond sustainability. This is regeneration. This is business for life.
EPISODE 01
Loop Biotech: life after death
Loop Biotech creates coffins from mycelium – the root network of mushrooms – that nourish the soil instead of polluting it. While traditional wooden coffins take decades to decompose, their mushroom coffin returns to the earth in just 45 days.
“We are nature. We’re compost, not waste,” says co-founder Bob Hendrickx. Together with Lonneke Westhoff, he founded Loop Biotech in 2021. Their mission? To see death not as an end, but as part of life’s circle – and to become a source of new life.
With over 2,500 coffins sold, €4.5 million in funding, and a team of 20 pioneers, Loop Biotech proves that sustainability isn’t just ethically right – it makes commercial sense too. For Lonneke and Bob, it’s deeply personal: “The greatest legacy we can leave? A planet worth living on for future generations.”
EPISODE 02
The Seaweed Company: the superpowers of seaweed
When Joost Wouters left his corporate career in the soft drink industry in search of meaning, he stumbled upon an unassuming but powerful organism: seaweed. It grows without land, fresh water or fertilizers – and restores ecosystems while strengthening our food systems.
Together with Stefan Kraan and Edwin Sneekes, Joost founded The Seaweed Company to create a food system that doesn’t deplete but nourishes. Their seaweed is now used in meat products, animal feed and even sustainable packaging. Their mission? A planet that doesn’t just consume but gives back.
Building a seaweed industry takes courage and vision – qualities that The Seaweed Company and their strategic investors have in abundance. The result? A growing movement towards a regenerative economy, powered by the humble plants of the ocean.
EPISODE 03
Grounded Ingredients: more life is more value
Where agriculture often depletes the earth, Grounded takes a different path. Founded by Thekla Teunis and Gijs Boers, the company invests in processing factories for spices, coffee and tea that empower farmers to practice regenerative agriculture.
The result? 40,000 farmers restoring nature while earning more. Superior products that compete on the global market. And a business model proving that sustainability and profitability don’t have to be opposites – they can amplify each other.
With a growing investment fund and a mission to establish 50 regenerative factories by 2027, Grounded shows that agriculture can be a force for a richer, more resilient planet. “We’re turning a global crisis into a global opportunity,” says Thekla.
We’re building an ecosystem for regenerative business
The entrepreneurs in “Business for Life” show us a new way forward: businesses that don’t just do less harm but give back to life. Restoring soils, empowering communities, and regenerating ecosystems.
At Impact Hub Amsterdam, we believe this is the future of business. But regenerative pioneers need more than vision and grit. They need an ecosystem to help them scale with integrity, access aligned funding, and connect with others walking the same path.
That’s why, together with our partners DOEN Foundation, We Are Stewards, HvA Centre for Economic Transformation, We Are The Regeneration, Triodos Foundation, Rabo Foundation, Regeneratie Coöperatie and Food Hub – we’re building an Ecosystem for Regenerative Business.
A platform for collective action, long-term support, and the kind of bold thinking this transition demands. Open by design, built to grow through shared ownership, creativity, and collaboration.
Want to get involved?
Are you a funder, founder, policymaker, or part of a corporate ready to play a role in the transition towards a sustainable, regenerative economy? We’d love to connect with you.
Click the button below, or send us an email at amsterdam@impacthub.net.
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