What Flourishing Enterprise Institute does

The Flourishing Enterprise Institute (FEI) is a Canadian non-profit research institute founded in August 2019 in Waterloo, Ontario, organizationally housed within the Viessmann Centre for Engagement and Research in Sustainability (VERiS) at Wilfrid Laurier University with a secondary affiliation at OCAD University's Strategic Innovation Lab (sLab) in Toronto. It functions as an applied research network developing and disseminating "systemic management innovations" (SMIs) — knowledge, methods, and tools that apply systems theory to strategic management — for organizations seeking to transition beyond sustainability toward "flourishing." Its core portfolio includes the Flourishing Business Canvas (a visual collaborative business modeling tool, freely available under Creative Commons since 2023 after 10+ years of testing with 320+ organizations in 47 countries), the Enterprise Evolution capability development program for senior municipal and business leaders, the MultiCapital Scorecard, the Context-Based Sustainability Method, The Compass, and the Flourishing Startup Method. These are supported by the Community for Flourishing Enterprise (C4FE), a community of practice with nearly 3,000 LinkedIn members, monthly online sessions, and a Knowledge Hub archiving session resources.

FEI primarily serves three customer segments: senior municipal/government leaders (e.g., City of Kitchener, City of Nanaimo), enterprise leaders and social entrepreneurs, and academic institutions/researchers. Its go-to-market is hybrid — community-led through C4FE sessions, event-driven through academic conferences such as the Relating Systems Thinking and Design (RSD) Symposium, and enterprise field sales via the Enterprise Evolution program delivered through the MARC partnership. Revenue comes primarily from research grants (notably SSHRC Partnership Engage Grants) and community/membership participation, with no commercial product pricing disclosed. The institute operates with a core team of approximately 4-5 individuals led by Executive Director Randy Sa'd (also Executive Director of partner organization REFOCUS) and Academic Director Dr. Peter Jones.

Name

Flourishing Enterprise Institute

Legal name

Flourishing Enterprise Institute

Website

https://flourishingenterpriseinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Canadian non-profit research institute developing systems-theory-based management tools and programs—including the Flourishing Business Canvas and Enterprise Evolution program—for municipalities, enterprise leaders, and researchers pursuing flourishing beyond sustainability.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Management Research & Consulting

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers (EDAHAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Resources, Organizational Behavior & Leadership Institutes (EDAHAHAG), Social Entrepreneurship & Impact Business (EDAMAHAK), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Enterprise Architecture & IT Operating Model (BPAHAEAB)

Keywords

• Sustainability management research
• Systems thinking consulting
• Organizational transformation programs
• Regenerative business design
• Leadership capability development

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Grants: Primary funding from research grants including SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada) Partnership Engage Grant and other research council funding for applied research projects.
2. Membership/Community Participation: Community for Flourishing Enterprise (C4FE) sessions and Knowledge Hub access, with open membership for practitioners and researchers.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Flourishing Enterprise Institute is a non-profit research and innovation network that develops and disseminates Systemic Management Innovations (SMIs) - management knowledge, methods, and tools grounded in systems theory. It sells/disseminates the Flourishing Business Canvas (a visual collaborative business modeling tool), the Enterprise Evolution capability development program for senior leaders, and related toolkits/methods (e.g., Flourishing Enterprise Innovation Toolkit, Flourishing Startup Method), and convenes the Community for Flourishing Enterprise (C4FE) community of practice and Knowledge Hub for applied research sharing.

Product overview

The Flourishing Enterprise Institute operates as a research and knowledge network offering a portfolio of interconnected products, tools, and community platforms focused on enabling organizational flourishing beyond sustainability. The core offerings include the Flourishing Business Canvas (a visual collaborative business modeling tool) and the Flourishing Enterprise Innovation Toolkit for business design; the Enterprise Evolution Program for leadership capability development; the Context-Based Sustainability Method for performance measurement; and Systemic Management Innovations (SMIs) as an umbrella concept for systems-theory-based management approaches. Related tools include the MultiCapital Scorecard and The Compass. These are supported by community platforms including the Community for Flourishing Enterprise (C4FE) hosting monthly sessions, a Knowledge Hub for archived resources, and the Strytegy online collaboration platform. The institute positions these products as an integrated ecosystem enabling enterprises to transition toward systemic, strategic management practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• C4FE (Community for Flourishing Enterprise): Official community of practice catalyzing the movement for flourishing enterprises with monthly sessions, knowledge sharing, and collaboration opportunities
• SMI (Systemic Management Innovations)
• MARC (Municipalities Adapting in Response to Complexity)
• Enterprise Evolution (EE)
• CBS (Context-Based Sustainability)

Products and services

• Flourishing Business Canvas A visual collaborative business modeling tool that helps leaders design businesses which are socially beneficial, environmentally regenerative, and financially rewarding by incorporating full social, environmental, and economic context into business model design. Available freely under Creative Commons since 2023.
• Flourishing Enterprise Innovation Toolkit An innovation toolkit that enables leaders to close their innovation gaps to sustainable flourishing by empowering innovators to apply the latest science, ethics, and traditional wisdoms effectively and gracefully.
• Enterprise Evolution Program A capability development program enabling senior leaders to respond to increasing complexity by transitioning toward systemic, strategic management practices through a tailored, dialogic, and reflexive experience. Co-developed and facilitated with REFOCUS as part of the MARC partnership.
• Community for Flourishing Enterprise (C4FE) A community of practice catalyzing a movement for flourishing enterprises, hosting monthly 60-90 minute online colloquia featuring talks on applied research and systemic management innovation, with session resources shared via the Knowledge Hub.
• Knowledge Hub An online archive of C4FE session resources, presentations, and materials shared by speakers and presenting organizations, supporting the planetary movement for flourishing enterprises with searchable content from past sessions.
• Flourishing Startup Method (FSM) A methodology that blends Lean Startup principles with sustainability-as-flourishing, providing scaffolding to create enterprises that enable people, communities, and the planet to thrive, helping early-stage ventures align personal values with systems thinking.

Quantifiable outcome

• Enterprise Evolution program applied with municipalities to develop 20-year visions and strategic plans
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wilfrid Laurier University - VERiScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Viessmann Centre for Engagement and Research in Sustainability (VERiS) is home to FEI as an organizational member of Wilfrid Laurier University. VERiS is governed by a board of community and university leaders led by Dr Manuel Riemer. VERiS partnered with FEI to secure SSHRC funding and support the transition from SSBMG to FEI.
• OCAD University - Strategic Innovation Lab (sLab)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal home of the Strongly Sustainable Business Model Group founded in 2012 at sLab. Peter Jones is an associate professor at OCAD University. Continued collaboration on systemic design research and education.
• Tec de MonterreyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership with Tec de Monterrey's human flourishing initiative, expanding FEI's reach in Latin America.
• ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability World SecretariatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding partner of the Municipalities Adapting in Response to Complexity (MARC) partnership. ICLEI World Secretariat co-developing research and frameworks for municipal transformation with FEI.
• REFOCUScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit co-operative and co-founder of MARC partnership. Randy Sa'd serves as Executive Director of both FEI and REFOCUS. Co-developed and facilitates the Enterprise Evolution Program.
• Community for Flourishing Enterprise (C4FE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFEI's official community of practice developed from 101 meetings of the original Strongly Sustainable Business Model Research Group. C4FE reflects the vision for the next 1000 conversations, attracting practitioners, innovators, and academics.
• Centre for Public Impact (CPI)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-hosted July 2025 webinar on how cities successfully innovate, exploring creative and innovative approaches to pressing challenges across North America.
• Quest CanadaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerClimate action NGO serving municipalities; partnered on presentation about Enterprise Evolution Program at Prairies Net-Zero Communities Accelerator Working Group meeting.
• University of GuelphminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in Context-Based Sustainability Community of Practice, hosting joint C4FE sessions with r3.0.
• Flourishing Enterprise Co-labcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by Antony Upward, generates collaborative business design tools including the Flourishing Business Canvas for developing 21st century business models.
• ProSocial WorldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by David Sloan Wilson, provides toolkit for enabling cultural evolution and fostering cooperation within and between groups. Presented at C4FE sessions.
• r3.0coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal common good not-for-profit platform crowdsourcing transformations in sustainability. Co-presenting Context-Based Sustainability sessions with FEI and working on UN collaboration projects.
• Innovation NorthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch-practice collaborative led by Dr. Tima Bansal, applying systems thinking to design thinking. Created The Compass tool for solving complex problems.
• Public Service Transformation AcademyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted October 2025 webinar featuring Randy Sa'd on the Enterprise Evolution Program for municipal sector leaders.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Natural Step: A Swedish-origin non-profit that pioneered the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. Strongly comparable to FEI given shared focus on systems-based approaches to sustainability, strategic management methods, and organizational transformation.
• Capital Institute: A non-profit research and advisory organization focused on transforming finance and economics to support a just, regenerative, and sustainable future. Comparable to FEI's regenerative capitalism and multi-capital frameworks (MultiCapital Scorecard).
• Forum for the Future: An independent non-profit working on systemic change for a just and regenerative future, with programs in sustainability transformation and leadership capability building. Direct peer to FEI's work on systemic management innovations, municipal transformation, and applied research for flourishing enterprises.
• Doughnut Economics Action Lab: Founded by Kate Raworth to advance Doughnut Economics as a framework for regenerative and distributive economies. Directly comparable given FEI's City of Nanaimo engagement implemented the Doughnut model with FEI's Context-Based Sustainability method.
• r3.0: A global common good not-for-profit platform crowdsourcing transformations in sustainability. Direct collaboration partner of FEI on Context-Based Sustainability sessions and UN-related projects, making it both a peer and active partner in the regenerative economics space.

Broad incumbents

• Ashoka: The world's largest network of social entrepreneurs, focused on systems change through pattern-changing solutions. Comparable to FEI's mission of supporting social entrepreneurs (e.g., Flourishing Startup Method) and shift toward regenerative business models.
• B Lab Global: The global non-profit network behind the B Corp certification, focused on using business as a force for good. Highly comparable to FEI's mission of advancing enterprises that benefit society, environment, and stakeholders, though B Lab operates a formal certification standard whereas FEI is a research and knowledge network.

Emerging players

• Regeneration.org: Aims to catalyze a planetary regeneration movement by shifting culture and economy. Comparable to FEI's emphasis on 'flourishing beyond sustainability' and tooling to help enterprises design regenerative models.
• Society for Organizational Learning (SoL): A global non-profit dedicated to fostering a more sustainable world through systems thinking and learning organizations. Comparable to FEI's emphasis on systems theory applied to strategic management and capacity-building for systemic change.
• Presencing Institute (Otto Scharmer): Founded at MIT, focused on Theory U and systems transformation for individuals, organizations, and systems. Comparable to FEI's focus on systemic management innovations and leadership capacity for addressing complexity, though more oriented to consciousness-based change.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/flourishingenterpriseinstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Flourishing Enterprise Institute