Steward-ownership: transfer voting control to a purpose foundation via a "golden share", making "never sold, profits never extracted" legally binding and irreversible

Location

Berlin, Germany52.5200, 13.4050

Description

Ecosia is a Berlin-based search engine founded in December 2009 that uses advertising profits to fund tree-planting and climate initiatives. In autumn 2018, founders Christian Kroll and Tim Schumacher—concerned about mission continuity in the event of death or sale—converted the company to steward-ownership with help from the Purpose Foundation. Kroll transferred his shares to the Purpose Foundation, which holds a golden share (~1% stake with binding veto). Two restrictions were made legally binding and irreversible: (1) shares cannot be sold at a profit or owned by anyone outside the company, and (2) no profits can be extracted from the company. Control rights remain with active stewards; economic upside is locked to the mission. Ecosia has published monthly financial reports since the transition, making profit allocation externally verifiable. It has been a certified B Corp since April 2014. By 2025 it had planted over 230 million trees and remained independent and unsellable.

Metrics

4

Trees planted0 (2009)230 million+ (2025)trees

Profit committed to climate / tree planting~80–100% of profit

Purpose-foundation golden share~1% with binding vetovoting rights

Own solar generation vs. search energy use~200% of consumption

Funding

Search advertising revenue (self-funded; no external investors)

Lessons learned

A golden share of ~1% with binding veto—rather than a full foundation buyout—is sufficient to enforce the lock, making the structure cheaper and lighter to implement.
The two legally binding restrictions (no share sale for personal gain, no profit extraction) have held through continued company growth since 2018, demonstrating durability across a multi-year horizon.
Steward-ownership locks where profits go, not how much there is: Ecosia's revenue still depends on search/advertising economics outside its control, so mission-lock does not eliminate business risk.
Pairing the legal lock with mandatory public monthly financial reports makes the 'profits to mission' claim externally checkable rather than merely asserted—critical for credibility.
Founders must forgo any future sale proceeds or dividends, which rules out conventional venture capital; replicators must plan for growth funded entirely from operating cash flow.

Sources

3

Documented Jun 29, 2026

Arnaud Gissinger