As the world faces mounting environmental and social challenges, a new generation of entrepreneurs is redefining what business success looks like – and Ivey and Western’s Regenerator program is helping them lead the way.
Launched in fall 2024, the Regenerator is a partnership between the Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship Powered by Ivey and the Ivey Centre for Building Sustainable Value (BSV). The first-of-its-kind accelerator helps entrepreneurs build companies that regenerate rather than deplete – restoring ecosystems, communities, and economies along the way.
“The world is coming apart at the seams – business as usual is seen as depleting the Earth,” said Oana Branzei, co-founder of the Regenerator and a professor of strategy and sustainability at Ivey. “The new generation is attuned to doing business in a net-new way, and the Regenerator ensures they are well-prepared to deliver on that.”
Branzei describes regeneration as a mindset shift – moving beyond sustainability to create ventures that restore, renew, and strengthen the systems they touch.
Laying the foundation for sustainable growth
Among the entrepreneurs embracing that challenge is Shirley Zhong, an HBA/Engineering ’26 candidate and co-founder of Xatoms, which develops water purification technology. She joined the program’s inaugural cohort last fall to explore how sustainability could be built into every part of the business.
At an early stage of development, Zhong was looking for a program that could help Xatoms to grow.
“There aren’t that many accelerators with an education component focused on sustainability – seeing real businesses that have sustainable business models and embrace regeneration,” she said.
As part of the program, each founder receives a $12,000 stipend over the four-month period, giving them crucial financial support at a stage when resources are often tight. The funding allows participants to focus more fully on building their ventures and developing sustainable solutions with real-world impact.
From values to venture design
Through the program, Zhong learned to view sustainability as something built into every decision.
“It’s about thinking early on – how do we actually set up our supply chains? What are some of the matrices that we can use to validate or vet our partners from a sustainability angle? Which types of clients do we want to work with?” she said. “As we start hiring, we also look for people with a shared vision who want to make an impact in the world.”
The integrated approach stood out from other accelerators.
“We did other clean-tech accelerators before, and those programs assume the company is already making an impact because of the nature of what they do,” she said. “But this program [the Regenerator] helps you build frameworks from academia – on circularity, on setting up supply chains – and bring them into startup practice.”
Learning by doing: regeneration in practice
Zhong said some of her favourite parts of the program came from learning outside the classroom. Participants visited local enterprises, including Proof Life Farms and Growing Chefs! Ontario, to see regenerative business models in action.
“I definitely loved the field trips the most because that’s the moment you get to connect with founders. You see real examples – how they sustain their values, from farm to table and community-building,” she said. “Seeing the iteration of how founders build products, sell, and find their niche – that’s the scrappiness of running a startup.”
Equally impactful was the sense of community she found within the accelerator.
“You get to be part of a cohort with other startups and that builds community and energy,” she said. “Being in the accelerator together really motivates us to build more with that sense of shared purpose.”
Branzei said that kind of energy is exactly what the program is meant to inspire.
“The Regenerator holds open several doors for ventures that want to do business in a new way – in a way that’s more climate-friendly, more regenerative, more circular, more impactful,” she said.
(Photo above) Western alum Katherine Festeryga, founder of Edie Farming, Ontario’s first urban commercial rooftop greenhouse, and Shirley Zhong. Both were in the inaugural Regenerator cohort.
Mentorship and collaboration
Each venture is paired with mentors – many Ivey alumni – and gains access to a network of Western professors, researchers, and labs.
Zhong said being part of a university-run accelerator opened new doors for collaboration and research. Through the program, she connected with Western professors and labs, including one engineering professor who supported Xatoms in securing Mitacs research funding. She also credited Western’s alumni network for linking the cohort to “incredible opportunities.”
Branzei said cross-campus collaboration is central to the program’s design. The Regenerator bridges two of Western’s strengths – entrepreneurship and sustainability – while creating new learning opportunities for Ivey students. Through its four core modules – impact, circularity, carbon, and regeneration – ventures gain practical tools for building viable, climate-ready businesses.
Shaping Canada’s regenerative future
Now in its fourth cohort, the Regenerator has supported six ventures – including Xatoms – through its full-time programming and stipend, and will do the same for two more before the current cycle concludes. Several other ventures have also drawn on the program’s mentorship and training. Branzei said the initiative reflects Ivey’s growing leadership in sustainable entrepreneurship.
“It doesn’t take hundreds of businesses – just a couple of success stories can change the orientation of investors and the blueprint of the future,” she said.
For Zhong, the experience reaffirmed her optimism about the next generation of founders and Canada’s role in leading the charge.
“A lot of climate-focused startups in the U.S. are dying because of the lack of sustainable business models,” she said. “That gives a very unique opportunity for Canada – and for Western – to continue building sustainable, climate startups that don’t rely on carbon credits, but rather on selling real products and services that incorporate values in a meaningful way.”
Inflecting the future of entrepreneurship
Branzei emphasized that programs like the Regenerator are catalysts for long-term change – not just for students and founders, but for the entrepreneurial ecosystem itself.
“It’s not the Regenerator that gives them hope – it’s vice versa,” she said, referring to the young entrepreneurs driving the program. “They can envision and amass a radically different future, and our programming makes sure they are well-prepared to deliver on that. It’s about inflecting the trajectory – bending toward a future that’s more regenerative.”
That sense of possibility is what continues to drive the work.
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