Venture Sustainability: Business and operational models
What became apparent through the course of the LEVERS project is that the design of the Learning Ventures as vehicles for action was as important as the actions themselves.
They were designed and iterated through the course of the project, developing differently in each location in response to local need. The design parameters by which we can examine them become a of checklist for anyone embarking on their own learning ecosystem initiative.
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The development of business and operational models across the nine Learning Ventures was both a strategic and reflective exercise. The process involved tools including Problem Tree and Objective Tree analysis, combining them with the Business Model Canvas (See Appendix 1). It provided a structured yet participatory framework for partnerships, and sustainability plans. While this methodology ensured coherence and comparability across ventures, it also revealed critical insights into what enables, and constrains the longevity of ventures in reality.
A central theme was financial resilience. Most Learning Ventures began with public or philanthropic support, which enabled experimentation but also exposed long-term vulnerabilities. In response, several ventures explored diversified pathways, from fee-based services and cooperative models to integration into municipal or educational systems. These approaches highlight a shift from dependency toward locally embedded and mixed funding strategies as the foundation of durable sustainability.
The Business Model Canvas was revealed to be an effective and inclusive design tool. Its visual clarity encouraged multidisciplinary collaboration and clear communication of value. However, its simplicity sometimes risked reducing complex systemic relationships. Ventures that treated the canvas as an iterative learning tool, and revisited and refined as insights deepened, gained the greatest strategic value from it.
Governance and partnership emerged as another defining factor. While inclusivity was a shared aspiration, practical realities often required a lead-organisation model. Over time, several Learning Ventures developed hybrid arrangements balancing shared ownership with operational agility. The “invisible work” of trust-building, dialogue, and coordination proved as vital to sustainability as formal structures.
Across the consortium, a redefinition of scale emerged: from replication toward contextual adaptation. The most resilient ventures understood sustainability not as institutional self-sufficiency, but as embeddedness within a wider learning ecosystem, one capable of evolving and supporting ongoing community-based climate learning.
Key insights
- Long-term sustainability requires diversified financial strategies extending beyond grants.
- Governance evolves through trust, shared responsibility, and adaptive collaboration.
- Scaling should prioritise local adaptation over replication.
- Relationship-building and reflection are foundational to operational durability.
- Business models should be regarded as iterative frameworks for learning, not fixed plans.
Illustrative examples
Ireland
Food Forests on Public Land
By embedding community planting initiatives within municipal planning , the Irish Learning Venture demonstrated how integration into existing institutions can transform short-term projects into enduring public assets. This approach provides a replicable model for policy linked sustainability.
Cyprus
From Activism to Entrepreneurship
The Cyprus Learning Venture reframed climate activism as social enterprise development. Through training and mentorship, young activists translated advocacy into market-oriented environmental ventures. The model demonstrated promise for financial autonomy, though continued reliance on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) sponsorships highlights the need for stronger self-financing mechanisms.
Serbia
Urban Beekeeping
This Learning Venture illustrates how environmental education can intersect with local enterprise. Workshops on pollinator conservation and urban beekeeping generated modest revenue streams through honey sales and hive-adoption schemes, while also exposing regulatory gaps in urban biodiversity governance.
Slovenia
The Future of Food
A youth-driven initiative blending art, design, and agricultural innovation, the Slovenian Learning Venture achieved strong engagement and public visibility. Its next challenge lies in translating cultural and educational value into financially sustainable structures, potentially through partnerships with educational and creative industries.
Reflections and Recommendations
Looking ahead, the next phase should emphasise capacity-building in financial strategy, governance, and adaptive management to consolidate gains from the cocreation process. Establishing cross-Learning Venture learning exchanges could help ventures share models for revenue diversification and partnership development. Funders and facilitators should prioritise ecosystem thinking supporting ventures not as isolated projects but as interconnected nodes within a broader learning and innovation network.