Generous Ventures

What Generous Ventures does

Generous Ventures is a New Zealand registered charity, formerly Thankyou Charitable Trust (founded 2013), dedicated to promoting and enabling steward ownership in Aotearoa. It provides research, case studies, international networks (notably anchored in Denmark), and how-to documentation to business owners considering succession or exit options that preserve company mission. Its core offerings are the Generous Ventures Trust Structure (a charitable foundation acting as steward owner) and the Golden Share Model (a governance mechanism with veto-class shares protecting a company's social purpose). It does not develop proprietary technology products and operates a community-led, content-driven go-to-market with no fees charged for services.

The organisation's defining activity is executing and demonstrating steward ownership transitions. In November 2023, it completed New Zealand's first exit to a Perpetual Fund via investor buyout, with 99.8% shareholder approval, taking ownership of Thankyou Payroll (a payroll SaaS serving ~7,500 organisations, 25 staff). Generous Ventures is now in a 4–6 year transition to become the full charitable owner of Thankyou Payroll, creating an ongoing operational stewardship engagement. It serves three primary segments: founders/business owners seeking mission-preserving exits, impact-driven organisations seeking governance protection, and charitable foundations exploring commercial ownership as a sustainable funding model. Revenue, in the conventional sense, does not exist; income derives from dividends on owned entities and is fully redistributed for community outcomes.

Name

Generous Ventures

Legal name

Generous Ventures

Website

https://generousventures.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Generous Ventures is a New Zealand registered charity that promotes steward ownership by advising founders, publishing case studies, and stewarding operating businesses — notably acquiring Thankyou Payroll in NZ's first exit to a Perpetual Fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Steward Ownership Advisory and Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC), Philanthropy & Foundations Advisory (Donor-Advised Funds, Endowments) (FSAAABAH)

Keywords

• Steward ownership advisory
• Charitable foundation services
• Stewardship education
• Ownership transition consulting
• Golden share governance

Headquarters

HQ city

Patearoa

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic foundation model: Generous Ventures operates as a registered charity. They receive dividends from owned entities (such as Thankyou Payroll) and distribute funds for community outcomes. Historically, they operated as Thankyou Charitable Trust, donating to charitable causes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Generous Ventures is a registered charitable foundation that promotes and operates steward ownership models in Aotearoa New Zealand. It provides advisory services, research, case studies, international networks and how-to documentation for companies considering steward ownership, and acts as the charitable trust owner of operating businesses (such as Thankyou Payroll) to preserve mission and redistribute profits for community outcomes.

Product overview

Generous Ventures is a registered charity that promotes and champions steward ownership in Aotearoa New Zealand. The organization offers advisory services centered around steward ownership models, providing research, case studies, international networks, and how-to documentation for companies. The core offering includes the Generous Ventures Trust Structure, where the charity acts as steward owner for companies like Thankyou Payroll, and the Golden Share Model—a governance mechanism with special veto powers to protect company missions. Related initiatives include Fundsorter (an AI grant-finding tool) and The Share Collective (a non-profit share-holding vehicle), though these are co-founded ventures rather than direct Generous Ventures products. The organization serves as both a philanthropic foundation and an advocacy body for alternative ownership models.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Steward Ownership Advisory Services Advisory services providing research, case studies, international networks, and how-to documentation for companies looking to establish or exit to steward ownership; targeted at founders, owners and organisations evaluating mission-preserving ownership transitions.
• Generous Ventures Trust Structure Charitable trust ownership model where Generous Ventures acts as the steward owner for companies, ensuring long-term mission preservation and profit redistribution for community outcomes; currently applied to Thankyou Payroll.
• Golden Share Model Governance mechanism that safeguards a company's mission or social purpose through a special class of shares (typically 1%) with specific veto powers, held by an independent entity; for purpose-led organisations seeking to lock in mission protection.

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies with steward ownership show 60% survival rate versus 10% for traditional companies
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Thankyou PayrollcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThankyou Payroll is the primary organisation Generous Ventures is acquiring. In November 2023, Thankyou Payroll completed its exit to steward ownership, buying back shares from nearly 200 shareholders and transferring ownership to Generous Ventures. Generous Ventures is in the process of becoming the charitable owner of Thankyou Payroll over 4-6 years.
• Greaterthan CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreaterthan Collective is a case study partner demonstrating the Golden Share governance model. Founded in 2018, they became a purpose-driven organization through adoption of the Golden Share governance model, serving as a role model for clients seeking alternative management systems.
• Toi Foundation / TSB BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerToi Foundation is a case study partner showcasing foundation ownership. The Foundation has owned TSB Bank since 1988 and diversified assets by acquiring Fisher Funds, distributing over $200 million to Taranaki through dividends. Provides lessons on governance and collaboration for organisations aiming for foundation ownership.
• For Good StudiominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWebsite development partner credited for creating the Generous Ventures website.
• MinterEllisonminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal firm that partnered with Thankyou Payroll to develop the legal structure and framework for the steward ownership exit process.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Toi Foundation (TSB Community Trust): New Zealand foundation that has owned TSB Bank since 1988 and diversified into Fisher Funds, distributing $200M+ to Taranaki; a documented case study and direct NZ precedent for foundation ownership of commercial assets.
• Aotearoa Foundation: New Zealand philanthropic foundation previously led by Lani Evans; shares the founder lineage and NZ community-philanthropy orientation with Generous Ventures.
• Pub Charity / Mainland Foundation: A long-established NZ gaming-derived grantmaking foundation; comparable in the Aotearoa grantmaking ecosystem and to Generous Ventures' intended dividend-funded philanthropic deployment.

Emerging players

• The Share Collective: Aotearoa non-profit share-holding vehicle that acquires and stewards company shares to distribute dividends for good; co-founded by Lani Evans and tightly linked to Generous Ventures' mission.
• Fundsorter: AI-driven grant-finding tool co-founded by Lani Evans; closely aligned with Generous Ventures' mission of making philanthropic capital more accessible to NZ community organisations.

Others

• Philanthropy New Zealand: The sector body for NZ philanthropy and grantmaking; provides industry coordination, advocacy and capability building adjacent to Generous Ventures' foundation-led advocacy work.

Direct peers

• The Purpose Foundation: Australia-based foundation that promotes and structures steward ownership transitions for purpose-driven businesses, operating as the closest regional equivalent to Generous Ventures' advisor-plus-foundation model.
• Greaterthan Collective: A purpose-driven consulting collective operating across 11 countries that adopted the Golden Share model; functions as a documented steward-ownership case partner and movement ally.

Broad incumbents

• StewardOwnership (Denmark movement / Purpose network): The Denmark-rooted international steward ownership knowledge and advocacy network; the source of much of the research and case material Generous Ventures disseminates in Aotearoa.
• The Purpose Foundation (UK): UK arm of the Purpose global steward-ownership movement with longer operating history than Generous Ventures; an international reference point drawing on Denmark's research base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/generous-ventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Generous Ventures