ABOUT US
Our vision is to enable the possibility
for all life to flourish on our planet.
Modified from John Ehrenfeld
Flourishing Startups (formerly Lean4Flourishing), was founded in 2015 by Ondine Hogeboom and Antony Upward.
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We walk alongside our future entrepreneurial leaders and the important enablers that support them. Our approach integrates new science-backed, evidence-based business design methods and tools with a new generation of entrepreneurial competencies.
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We support the design of Flourishing aligned enterprises.
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We have had the amazing privilege of working with diverse community-based organizations, academic institutions, youth organizations and entrepreneurship supporters across North America, Europe, South America and Africa.
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Our multi-disciplinary team and associates have designed and delivered dozens of entrepreneurship programs, delivered training in 14 countries to over 8000 entrepreneurs, run over 30 train-the-trainers with enabling institutions, and coached over 300 entrepreneurs one-on-one.
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To check out some of our published work, click here.
Ondine Hogeboom
I believe that the most courageous and
necessary act that any entrepreneur or leader can do
today is to start an enterprise with flourishing goals.
Ondine (she/her) is a settler in Canada and was born and grew up in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, the original home of the Koi San people.
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Ondine has launched seven successful social enterprises across three countries! Currently, she’s the Co-founder and Director of Flourishing Startups.
She co-developed the Flourishing Startup Method, an innovative framework designed to help entrepreneurs thrive. Ondine also leads a global train-the-trainer program and a Community of Practice that focuses on putting this methodology into action.
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Having coached over 300 entrepreneurs and with over 8,000 startups from 14 countries participating in programs she’s helped create, Ondine’s global impact is truly global.
She has worked as a lead expert in Flourishing Business Model Design for the European Union’s Climate KIC and is a fellow at the Georgian College Research & Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RIE) Centre.
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As an author of "Lean Startup for Social Enterprise" and "Lean Startup Supporting Sustainability-as-Flourishing during the Early Stages of Enterprise Development," Ondine brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. She holds an MBA and is a certified coach and Mindfulness facilitator.
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Antony Upward
We need a world where business no longer only attempts
to do less harm, but instead sets as its goal the
flourishing of humans and all other life.
Antony (he/him), a settler in Canada, was born and grew up in the United Kingdom, and is a pracademic - a practising academic.
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As an academic, he is a Visiting Professor in the Business Model Innovation group at the Centre for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Learning, Halmstad University, Sweden and a former adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Design, OCAD University, Toronto, Canada.
As a practitioner, Antony is a Certified Management Consultant, Flourishing Enterprise Designer and member of the Systemic Design Association.
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Antony originated the Flourishing Business Canvas through his research and practice, a fit-for-the-21st-century business modelling tool. This is now being used by over a 1000 organizations and individuals around the world, including EIT-Climate-KIC, Innovation Norway, the Centre for Social Innovation (Toronto), Georgian College, and two initiatives he helped to co-found Flourishing Startups and Enterprise Evolution.
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Antony holds a Master of Environmental Studies in Business Model Design and Sustainability and a Graduate Diploma in Business and the Environment from York University. He has several increasingly well-cited papers about his research and practice, along with a recent book chapter on flourishing strategy design.
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Sarah Naylor
Sarah (she/her) is a settler in Canada.
Sarah is the Program Designer and Community Specialist at Flourishing Startups. Prior to joining Flourishing Startups, Sarah has been working in non-profit space focusing on youth development and entrepreneurship. She brings with her over 5 experience in project management, operations and program development. Sarah is passionate about creating impactful learning experiences for everyone and building a culture where people feel supported and heard.
In her free time, you can find Sarah either travelling the world, walking among the trees, or curled up with a hot cup of tea and a good book.
