Regeneration Field Institute

What Regeneration Field Institute does

Regeneration Field Institute (RFI) is a private, Ecuador-based educational organization founded in 2016 by Lucas Oshun in the aftermath of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Ecuador's Manabí coast. It designs and delivers experiential, field-based programs covering three integrated disciplines: seismically safe bamboo construction using locally sourced Guadua angustifolia (caña guadua), syntropic (successional) agroforestry with mixed cacao, timber, and biomass species, and watershed and land restoration using bamboo and vetiver grass in a province where only ~2% of native forest remains. Since 2016, RFI has built 22 seismically safe homes and 60+ other structures, planted 500+ bamboo plants and 60,000+ trees historically, and established 3+ hectares of syntropic agroforestry across its 70–71.5 acre partner-operated base at Los Arboleros Farm in Chone plus a coastal hostel, Casa Gorda, in Bahía de Caráquez.

RFI's core product is a suite of 8-day to multi-week immersive programs for US university and high school students, priced from approximately $1,040 per student (e.g., UC Davis summer program), delivered ~5 months per year across spring and summer breaks. Programs are distributed via campus representatives embedded at 20+ US partner universities and high schools (UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UVA, UVM, Cal Poly, Georgetown, UW, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin–Madison, Redwood HS, among others), with direct website registration for self-serve enrollment. Revenue is generated primarily through student program fees, supplemented by a $100,000 Premio Verde national award (2023) from Ecuador's Development Bank, agricultural and bamboo product sales from Los Arboleros Farm, and farm rental arrangements with the separately owned farm entity.

RFI's customer base spans US university and high school students, local Manabí farmers (trained via Farmer Field School — 75 plots installed as of recent reporting, with 17 farmers and ~500 tree seeds in the first workshop), local community members receiving bamboo structures, and partner institutions including Ecuadorian universities (ULEAM, ESPAM, Universidad Católica Chone), municipal governments (GAD Parroquia de Ricaurte, GAD Cantón de Chone), and reserves (Punta Gorda, Jama Coaque). The organization operates year-round staff of 1–10 plus seasonal/trip leaders, with strategic consulting ties to INBAR's Construction Task Force via Jonas Hauptman of Virginia Tech's BioDesign Research Group.

Name

Regeneration Field Institute

Legal name

Regeneration Field Institute

Website

https://regenerationfieldinstitute.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Regeneration Field Institute runs field-based educational programs in bamboo construction, syntropic agroforestry, and watershed restoration from a 70-acre partner farm in coastal Ecuador, serving US university and high school students while training local farmers and building community infrastructure in Manabí province.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bahía De Caráquez

HQ country

Ecuador

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Student Educational Program Fees: Revenue generated through fees paid by university and high school students participating in 8-day to multi-week experiential programs in coastal Ecuador. Programs include bamboo building, agroforestry, and land restoration projects. Student fees fund year-round operations, staff, and community projects.
2. Agricultural and Bamboo Product Sales: Sales of sustainably produced bamboo and timber from Los Arboleros Farm. Crops include cacao, coconut, avocado, turmeric, and native timber species grown in syntropic agroforestry systems. Contributes to diversified revenue and demonstrates viable regenerative business models.
3. Grants and Competition Awards: RFI won $100,000 USD through the Premio Verde competition (Banco de Desarrollo del Ecuador) in 2023. This grant funds bamboo structure construction, reforestation projects on public land, equipment procurement, and green job employment over approximately 2 years.
4. Farm Rental and Educational Services: Los Arboleros Farm is a separate eco-agricultural business owned by Leo Avatar and Lucas Oshun. RFI operates as a client, renting the space for educational programs. The farm generates revenue through its own agricultural operations and hosting fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Regeneration Field Institute is a private educational organization based in coastal Ecuador that delivers hands-on, experiential learning programs focused on bamboo construction, regenerative agriculture, and land restoration. Founded in 2016 and operating with 1–10 staff, the institute immerses participants in field-based practices that combine traditional craft, ecological design, and ecosystem regeneration on a working coastal site.

Product overview

Regeneration Field Institute operates as an educational organization offering experiential learning programs focused on regenerative practices. The core product is a suite of Immersive Educational Programs for high school and university students conducted at their Los Arboleros Farm headquarters in coastal Ecuador, supplemented by professional development pathways. Programs integrate hands-on project-based learning across three main verticals: Bamboo Building (construction of seismically-safe structures), Regenerative Agroforestry (syntropic farming systems), and Land Restoration (watershed and erosion control). Students participate in building community structures, planting in syntropic plots, and restoring watersheds. The organization also offers a Campus Representative Internship for university liaisons and a year-long Program Associate position for recent graduates. Accommodations are provided at Los Arboleros Farm (70-acre inland farm) and Casa Gorda (coastal bamboo hostel). Programs run 5 months per year across spring and summer seasons, with university partnerships spanning multiple U.S. institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Experiential Learning Programs Immersive, hands-on educational programs delivered on-site in coastal Ecuador covering bamboo construction, regenerative agriculture, and land restoration, aimed at individual learners and practitioners seeking field-based sustainability training.

Quantifiable outcome

• 82 seismically safe structures built (22 homes + 60+ businesses/shelters) using Guadua bamboo
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Los Arboleros FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2017Los Arboleros Farm is a 70–71.5 acre eco-agricultural business co-founded by Leo Avatar and Lucas Oshun. RFI operates as a client, renting the farm space for educational programs. The farm provides all bamboo-built infrastructure, diverse crop and timber production, and serves as the primary demonstration site for regenerative agriculture practices.
• Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí (ULEAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerULEAM provides professors, researchers, and faculty support for developing and conducting occupational training programs and courses for university students and local community members, focusing on healthy soil development, organic agricultural practices, and sustainable green technologies.
• Reserva Natural Punta GordacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA 40-hectare protected tropical dry forest reserve located 9 miles down the coast from Bahía de Caráquez. A long-time collaborator with restoration projects, ecology research, and educational programs. Founded by Moncho, the reserve serves as a model for the research and restoration work RFI aims to replicate on its own land.
• Jama Coaque Reserve / Third Millennium AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA 2,000-acre reserve home to permaculture, conservation, and research projects. Part of the Third Millennium Alliance's plans to spread protection to the threatened coastal forest ecosystem of central Ecuador. Staff from the reserve attended RFI's first syntropic agroforestry workshop.
• ESPAM University of Calceta / Luis AndrademinorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Luis Andrade of the ESPAM University of Calceta in Manabí is a professor of tourism and geography. A native to Chone, he supports collaboration with Ecuadorian academic institutions and researchers and aims to bring recognition to the region's agricultural potential. He owns a primary forest property used for conservation education with Cal Poly students.
• GAD Parroquia de RicaurtecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Parroquial Government of Ricaurte is the local municipal government partner for RFI's Premio Verde application. RFI works with the municipality on community bamboo building projects and reforestation on public land, including constructing structures and maintaining equipment.
• Universidad Católica Extensión ChoneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA listed collaborator on the Premio Verde project, providing academic support for the restoration and reforestation campaign in partnership with Ricaurte municipality.
• Vivero GuambuminorOthersA local nursery in Manabí that collaborated with RFI on the Premio Verde reforestation project, supplying tree seedlings for planting across the Chagualu watershed restoration area.
• Bahia Beach Construction (BBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBahia Beach Construction was a construction movement formed as a branch of RFI to address post-2016 earthquake housing needs. BBC's mission included donating seismically safe bamboo houses to vulnerable families, demonstrating ecologically regenerative architecture, and training local builders to make green building a viable local industry.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bamboo U: Bali-based bamboo architecture and design school offering immersive courses for international students and professionals. Most directly comparable on the bamboo construction curriculum, training tourism, and field-school delivery model.
• Rustic Pathways: Service-learning and study-abroad provider running student travel programs across the developing world. Closely comparable on GTM (high school and university cohort programs), pricing tier, and experiential-learning positioning.
• The Monteverde Institute: Costa Rica-based nonprofit offering field-based experiential education programs in tropical ecology and sustainability. Comparable on location, target market (international students), and integration of conservation with education.
• Where There Be Dragons: Experiential education provider running immersive student programs in developing countries with a focus on cultural and environmental learning. Directly comparable on program duration, student demographic, and field-based curriculum.
• Global Student Embassy: Founded by Lucas Oshun (RFI's founder) and operates the same experiential model of US university student-led environmental programs in Latin America. Most directly comparable peer given shared origin, leadership, and student-ambassador recruitment model.
• Global Citizen Year: Gap-year fellowship sending recent high school graduates to developing countries for immersive leadership and impact programs. Comparable on recruiting through university networks and selling multi-week immersive experiences to the same demographic.

Broad incumbents

• Outward Bound: Large, established experiential education organization offering outdoor and wilderness programs. Comparable on outdoor, hands-on learning delivery and university/school partnerships, but operates at much greater scale and broader scope than RFI's niche.
• World Learning (SIT Study Abroad): Global study-abroad provider with experiential programs in developing countries including Latin America. Comparable on selling immersive semester/short-course programs to US undergraduates through university partnerships, but operates at much larger institutional scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/regenerationfieldinstitute
• Xx.com/RegenerationI
• Facebookfacebook.com/regenerationfieldinst
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/regenerationfieldinstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Regeneration Field Institute