Hello Sustainable World, Sustaira is live!
It’s the Summer of ‘21 and I know that the time has come...The time has come to go back to the roots of entrepreneurship and truly follow through on the passion to make something out of nothing. For those who grew up or have worked with me, this doesn’t come as a surprise. For those of you who have only recently met me, you might have seen the passion and eagerness in me to do something different. Here we are, not even two months later and it’s game on…
I’ve been fortunate to have experienced several very successful entrepreneurial ventures and valuable acquisitions with amazing teams and above all, inspiring leadership. Those journeys have always been extremely satisfying and I’ve learned a lot over the years. That said, the beautiful part of being in your 30s is that not only are you constantly reminded of how fragile life is with these highs, but also that you are truly aware of and have perspective on the lows. Ultimately, it’s about turning the negatives and lows into positives and highs, and doubling down on positivity.
With that in mind, thinking about the next Chapter to come, I went back to my roots. My internal drive and intrinsic motivation. The bigger picture. I asked myself, what am I ultimately going to leave behind and how will I actually have an impact with the people around me? Realizing that what you leave behind, goes above and beyond monetary value. Experiences and having a meaningful impact on others and future generations to come, is what truly counts.
I knew at that moment that kicking off a new venture and starting a global journey in a domain that goes further than the traditional business focused capital gain was the way to go. Two domains came into mind... I passed on starting a software company within Healthcare given there are still so many barriers to succeed and have a differentiating impact due to all the regulations and restrictions of handling data. That's where the second domain comes into play: Sustainability. Born and raised In the Netherlands - before I made the move to Boston almost 16 years ago back in 2006 - I fear what it could mean if we don’t make drastic changes, given almost a third of the Netherlands is below sea level.
After reading more about Sustainability and talking to thoughtful people about this domain, it inspired me to not only look at the impact organizations have from an environmental perspective, but much broader from a social perspective as well. There is a bigger shift happening where organizations will be held accountable for their actions and the impact they (will) have on the environment and its ecosystems. Now, more organizations also start to focus on the positive impacts and not only on offsetting the negatives. There are amazing brands and companies, like Cotopaxi and Patagonia, that are truly making a difference combining the greater good with corporate missions and growth. There are examples of how to do it, the issue is that there are so few. That has to change. That change starts with having clear goals, measuring, and monitoring KPIs. However, it doesn’t stop there, it goes much further with actions, rewarding and reporting. I believe that we have a tremendous opportunity to do the right thing. To connect the dots…To combine our entrepreneurial app and technology expertise within the Sustainability domain, so we truly make a difference and accelerate the Sustainability journey organizations are taking.
Change starts with a mindset and then taking a step in the right direction. It's about doubling down on those activities you are comfortable with and know you can crush. Then you dive into the deep end and explore new territories. That’s what we’re doing here and this is where Sustaira comes in.
I’m very excited, pleased and thankful to announce the start of Sustaira.
The company name, Sustaira, is a strong feminine name where Sustainability and Era come together. The Sustaira logo represents a colorful flower and consists of many circles coming together. The circle stands for fertility. Life. Rebirth. Regeneration. The circle is the perfect symbol of Sustainability and used throughout Sustaira’s branding to provide cohesion and purpose.
We are going to do this right from the start. A strong foundation with the right purpose, people, and mindset. Sustaira’s journey starts with a combination of trusted people I’ve collaborated with before and new people as well. We will directly have an international presence in the USA with Boston (MA), Denver (CO) and Austin (TX) and in Europe in the Netherlands.
For those not familiar just yet with the Sustainability domain, I highly recommend looking into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are targets for global development adopted in September 2015, set to be achieved by 2030. All countries of the world have agreed to work towards achieving these goals and many organizations and enterprises are adopting this framework.
Therefore, Sustaira adopts the definition of Sustainability of the UN with the nuance that we have added ‘mindfully’ as we will aim to work with organizations and people who are conscious and proactively aware of their actions. For us, sustainability is mindfully meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
With that in mind, Sustaira will do the right thing out of the gate by giving back. We will put 1% of our revenue separate to donate and support Sustainability foundations. On top of that, we will also give 1% of our most valuable asset - our Sustaira team’s time - and will volunteer to make a difference. It’s a commitment and core principle we fully believe in. It’s simply doing the right thing. We will keep everyone inside and outside the organization up to date around these initiatives and how we structure these. At the moment we’re in conversation with several foundations to collaborate and see how we can contribute and give our fair share. For instance, have a look at the B Corp certification and 1% for the Planet foundation.
Sustaira’s Purpose and Mission
The core team of Sustaira - both on the business and technical side - has a tremendous amount of (low-code) application experience with a focus on developing and launching innovative web and mobile apps. We believe that combining and focusing all of our resources, expertise, ideas, knowledge, passion and excitement towards Sustainability, ultimately leads to an acceleration of digital Sustainability initiatives and success. Out of intrinsic motivation, Sustaira is going beyond profit and shareholders. Beyond the short term. Not only for this generation, but for generations to come.
We fully believe that organizations will ultimately be held responsible for their impact on the environment and their stakeholders. Gathering data and measuring KPIs will provide transparency to foster accountability. It’s inevitable that change is coming where the profitability is directly impacted and translated into the Profit & Loss sheets of organizations. This change is a real opportunity to differentiate and to be proactive, demonstrating and proving that actionable Sustainability initiatives offer direct value.
This is where Sustaira comes in. Imagine a world where cutting edge technology and Sustainability domain expertise are combined. Where Sustaira enables and empowers Sustainability leaders in making a difference within and for their organization and ecosystems with innovative and interactive software. Our mission is to become the all-in-one sustainability platform for not only those leading Sustainability within organizations, but for all stakeholders involved, including Finance, HR, Operations, IT and many more. Sustaira, as the 360-degree software platform that enables, inspires, and unites everyone in an organization and its ecosystem to make a difference. We accelerate Sustainability initiatives with innovative web and mobile apps to make organizations more Sustainable. Quickly.
What do we do
So how do we get there? How do we fulfill our mission and purpose?
For Sustaira, it starts with a concept we initiated to go above and beyond the status quo: the Sustaira Sustainability Circle. Allow me to elaborate; Existing and more traditional Sustainability software is focused on one domain: reporting. An important domain, however restricted, isolated and just one piece of the puzzle. We believe there are more domains and all are interconnected: From goal setting, to data aggregation and monitoring (awareness), to taking action and rewarding and sharing results. Sustaira can help you wherever you may be within your sustainability journey. Sustaira goes beyond Sustainability reporting and offers innovative apps within and between all of the Sustainability domains: Sustainability Goals/KPIs, Awareness, Actions, Rewarding/Gamification and Reporting.
Besides our (app delivery) services, we offer three type of solutions:
1. Sustaira all-in-one Sustainability App Platform
Sustaira offers an online platform solution which covers automated features within all of the Sustaira Sustainability Circle domains. As a customer, you can pick and choose which components/modules you would like to activate. You can even add fully custom (templated) apps or existing Sustainability applications to the Sustaira launchpad to create a unique and single-view Sustainability platform for your organization.
2. Sustainability App Templates & Quickstarts
Fully customizable Sustainability Apps / SaaS. Examples include Sustainability Goals & KPI; Carbon Footprint Calculators; Carbon Offsetting Employee Program; Gamification App; Diversification tracker. And more...
3. Custom Sustainability Web and Mobile Apps
Unique and valuable custom Sustainability projects where Sustaira takes an idea and brings it to life using an agile app delivery approach. Without being able to share too much in detail just yet, one of the largest hardware and software companies in Canada is leveraging Sustaira for an innovative solar, smart building software and e-car charger project. More examples to come!
For whom?
Sustaira will enable and empower Sustainability Directors to accelerate the journey to make their organizations sustainable. However, Finance Directors, Operations Directors, IT/Architecture and Managing Directors/CEOs all benefit from a Sustaira collaboration. Sustainability touches every single person in the organization to have an impact, if the right platforms and technology reach them. Ultimately, all employees should be engaged and empowered.
In terms of partnerships and collaborations, the first one is - not surprisingly - with Siemens and low-code platform leader Mendix. It has been 14 years since starting the North American office of Mendix, 3 years since the Siemens-Mendix acquisition, and 4 months since the Siemens/Mendix - TimeSeries acquisition. We have a tremendous amount of experience, a beautiful ecosystem and network to rapidly make a difference together. More to come here as well!
We will soon also announce a broader proposition to go deeper into the value chain from a cross section between sustainability and technology perspective. This includes academia, software leaders, foundations and other organizations. The question is not if we’re going to take off. We are. The question is, how fast are we going, where exactly will we go, and with whom?
Do you want to join our journey and follow us in making a difference? Here are a few items you can set in motion already:
Sign-up for the newsletter here
Connect the dots and reach out to your organization and ask ‘What are we doing around sustainability and can Sustaira help us?’
Become a Sustaira Ambassador and become part of our community: contact us
Join the team - see positions
If you’re a VAR and/or software/solutions provider, you can join our Partner-to-Partner program.
Network and share...Everything starts with an open conversation
I can’t wait for what’s to come with this amazing team and our rock-solid foundation based on purpose, drive and intrinsic motivation! Sustainability starts with Sustaira. How do you want to make a difference? Have an impact?
Let’s talk!
