Celebrating a Growing Community: Approaching 2,500 B Corps in the U.S. and Canada

B Corp Businesses Tap Into Collaborative Framework for Innovation and Support

Since its start in 2007, the Certified B Corporation community has grown to include almost 2,500 companies in the United States and Canada, and more than 8,400 around the world. That growth has been especially strong in the last three years, as the B Corp movement doubled in size.

A combination of factors are driving this growth. They include growing interest among consumers and workers in purpose-driven companies. Increasing numbers of business leaders also see a need to do better for people and the planet in the face of social and environmental crises. Running businesses built around positive impact involves unique challenges. That’s when it’s most important to tap into the B Corp network and connect with other leaders who are exploring new ways of doing business. 

At Champions Retreat 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia, B Corp leaders from the U.S. and Canada gathered to discuss the issues and opportunities they face in their work to shape a more inclusive and resilient economy. They also took time to celebrate a nearing milestone for the U.S. and Canadian B Corp community: 2,500 businesses strong and growing! The celebration included a video featuring leaders of the three B Corps highlighted below who share what B Corp Certification means for their businesses and the communities they serve. 

Les Affûtés: ‘We Feel We Are Not Alone in Trying to Make a Difference’

Michael Schwartz, Founder of Les Affûtés in Montreal, says the breadth of the B Corp community presents new opportunities to learn and act. “It’s incredible to meet other B Corps from all kinds of industries, from law to the environment to marketing,” he says. “We feel we are not alone in trying to make a difference.” 

Les Affûtés is a makerspace with workshops on woodworking, sewing, leatherwork, and other fields. At Les Affûtés’ collaborative workshop, people can find tools and coaching to build or repair objects.

It’s a learning experience that also aims to fight the current throwaway culture through the creation of durable, useful objects.

“Impact is nothing if it’s not long-lasting,” Schwartz says. “We take care of our people, we take care of our clients, we take care of our environment.”

Les Affûtés joined the B Corp community in 2020 to build on its mission and join forces with other impact-minded businesses. “The impact we have is within the long-lasting nature of collaboration inside the B Corp movement,” Schwartz says.

SoLo Funds: ‘Everyone in This Community Is Looking to Have a Positive Impact’

SoLo Funds was created to meet the financial needs of underserved communities. Founders Rodney Williams and Travis Holoway tapped into their personal experiences as they reimagined the financial industry. Originally, SoLo Funds launched as an on-demand marketplace where members can request and fund loans for emergency needs. SoLo Funds is now building a community-driven financial technology company to further serve the needs of the underrepresented.

“The financial system has been pretty discriminatory to marginalized communities,” Williams says. “If we’re going to live and breathe this, it has to be throughout the organization.”

By joining the B Corp community in 2021, SoLo Funds reinforced its mission to provide financial products that are inclusive and accessible. “What we’ve created is a community that is the best possible opportunity for borrowers to get access to the capital that they need as well as lenders to be able to drive really, really strong returns,” Holoway says.

Now, SoLo Funds aims to build on that mission and shape a more inclusive B Corp community. “Everyone in this community is looking to have a positive impact,” Holoway says. “You can drive a really profitable, strong, stable business and still be doing good to the world.”

Learn more about SoLo Funds on B The Change. 

Umalia: ‘Profit and Societal Engagement Can and Should Go Hand in Hand’

Like Les Affûtés and SoLo Funds, Umalia had a mission to create positive impact from its start. The Quebec B Corp supports organizations from all sectors in harnessing the potential of their societal engagement to create a powerful and sustainable impact on societal issues and their own performance. 

Working with clients around the globe — from Belize to Ireland, Morocco to Canada — Umalia imagines, designs, implements and activates strategies, multi-sector partnerships and ecosystems that create sustainable economic, social, environmental and governance impact.

“Umalia helps organizations of all types reimagine their business model and rethink their collaborations to have a positive impact on sustainable development,” Founder Lucie Bourgeois says. “Profit and societal engagement can and should go hand in hand.”

The opportunity to connect with other B Corps can help smaller firms like Umalia amplify the reach of their work. 

“We have the potential as a company to contribute to society and contribute to the planet. It’s important for us to be part of the B Corp community,” Bourgeois says. “It doesn’t have to be big. I look at Umalia. We are small but we manage to do something.”