Michael van Cutsem founded BeeOdiversity to preserve bee biodiversity and food diversity by growing bee colonies. BeeOdiversity's goal is to cover 10% of Belgium with "bee biodiversity" by leveraging partnerships across various sectors. BeeOdiversity's social business model generates revenue through biodiversity packs sold to individuals and companies, as well as by leasing bee colonies to companies and public institutions.

1. Michael Van Cutsem – Bee odiversity

2. I am…
• Michael van Cutsem – Founder/director of BeeOdiversity
• Master in law (UCL), finance (ICHEC) and management (Solvay)
• Career
Lawyer,
Business development director for a real estate development
company
Founder of a legal and operational consultancy company
BeeOdiversity SPRL

3. BeeOdiversity
• BeeOdiversity preserves beeodiversity and food diversity by
growing bee colonies.
•1 bee colony preserves 700ha of beeodiversity = 1.000 soccer
fields
•30% of our food directly depends on bees
•Issue: bees are disappearing – Mortality rate above 30%
•Objective: cover minimum 10% of Belgium with “bee biodiversity”

4. BeeOdiversity

5. BeeOdiversity

6. Social impact
•BeeOdiversity’s social approaches:
BeeOdiversity’s goal: preserve and regenerate bees, biodiversity and food
diversity;
BeeOdiversity’s method: create a cycle involving all actors (farmers,
beekeepers, individuals, companies, public institutions, scientists)
BeeOdiversity’s HR: work with underprivileged people
BeeOdiversity’s “social” partnerships: schools, parcs, resto du coeur,
underprivileged childrens associations
• BeeOdiversity’s drive
We don’t sell a product/service, we sell a meaning ! Business has to make sense
A real change requires the involvement of all actors

7. Business model
Business model based on social and
economical synergies:
Biodiversity packs: individuals
and companies
Leasing colonies: companies and
public institutions
Honey and cosmetics: companies
and retail

8. Innovation
• At first, part of the revenues deriving from the sale of products (honey)
was reallocated to our initial social goal: preservation and regeneration of
bees
•Innovation: Increase the social impact by:
Defining a wider social goal: create and preserve biodiversity;
Social finality becomes the center of the business model: BeeOdiversity
sells the preservation of biodiversity
⇒Integration of social and economical aspects => leverage both.
• Innovation with products/services
Bees as a “creator” of biodiversity
Bees as an indicator of biodiversity
New market

9. Profitability
•Influence of social entrepreneurship on profit?
Social and financial “profits” shall be linked
•Financial advantages of being a social entrepreneur?
Investors >< NGOs
Lower return on investment required by investors >< classic companies
Customers’ interest: social impact might justify a higher price?
•Financial disadvantages of being a social entrepreneur?
Subsidies >< NGOs
Public institutions still tend to work with NGOs
Companies: lower budgets for CSR >< other departments
Common idea: Business >< “save the world”

10. Challenges
• Specific challenges relating to social entrepreneurship
First challenge: Strong business model including social impact.
Requires innovations and a clear value chain (clients’ needs)
Second challenge: Convince clients to invest in social actions with
no, lower or indirect profit
Third challenge: develop your business without forgetting your
social purpose
•Specific difficulties relating to social entrepreneurship
Timing issue: time required to create the clients’ need &
convince => cashflow issue
Financing issues

11. Evolution
•Evolution in social entrepreneurship: Increasing interest for social
entrepreneurship from:
Private and institutional investors
Entrepreneurs
Clients
Challenge: increase the interest from the government & public
institutions

12. Vision about social
entrepreneurship
• Similarity btw social and classical entrepreneurs
Passionate & determined
Inclined to take a risk
Innovative
Commercial
• Difference btw social and classical entrepreneurs
Vision: social and economical
Importance of profit
Does my business have a meaning?

13. Advantages
• What are the benefits of being a social entrepreneur?
It makes sense => Rewarding

14. Conclusion
Being an entrepreneur is an
exciting experience
Being a social entrepreneur is a
valuable experience
What about you ?