Published Jun 2025
Regen Labs: WEAVE regenerative economy systems lab
Led by Regen Labs, WEAVE is a 12-month, place-based innovation collaboration. It is designed to learn how to support regional social enterprises to play a catalytic role in accelerating the shift to regenerative, inclusive, and climate-resilient economies.
About the learning community
WEAVE brings together enterprises, funders, governments, and system actors to test, learn, and build together. It is:
- A learning community exploring how regenerative enterprises can shift systems.
- A real-world lab running place-based experiments.
- A platform for storytelling, insights, and shared infrastructure.
Current systems of business support, economic development, finance, and policy design are not working for regional communities. They’re built for a different kind of economy — one that’s extractive, centralised, and outdated.
This moment in time offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity: the global shift toward net zero, circularity, wellbeing economies, and regenerative business. There is a growing recognition in Australia of the value of place-based, community-led approaches.
Regional social enterprises are uniquely placed to lead this transformation. But they need the right models, funding, and enabling ecosystems to do so. WEAVE is a response to that opportunity and that gap.
About the convenor
Regen Labs is a strategic design and innovation lab working at the intersection of enterprise, finance, and place to unlock the benefits of a regenerative economy.
They partner with communities, governments, funders, and enterprises to co-design the systems, tools, and support structures that enable regenerative transformation towards just, inclusive, and resilient local economies.
Their current focus is on supporting regenerative social enterprises in regional Australia to lead the shift toward just, climate-resilient local economies — by unlocking fit-for-purpose finance, future-fit business models, and catalytic ecosystem support.
How will this learning community work?
The WEAVE learning community will explore:
- Business model innovation - what kinds of business models are regenerative, viable, and impactful in regional contexts.
- Finance innovation - innovative ways social enterprises can be resourced and supported through regenerative funding flows and governance models.
- Social infrastructure for regeneration - the conditions, capacities, and processes that enable regenerative enterprises to be truly catalytic.
WEAVE’s place-based experiments are taking place in Southern Highlands NSW, Northern Rivers NSW, Hills and Coasts SA, and Melbourne VIC.
This innovation collaboration will include learning sprints, design experiments, peer learning gatherings, and storytelling.
Who is involved?
Place-based partners include:
- Regenerating Hills and Coasts (SA)
- Northern Rivers Regen Food Systems Coalition (NSW)
- Southern Highlands Home Grown Economy (NSW)
Learning partners include:
- Regen Melbourne
- Ready Communities
Critical friends are:
- Dr Katherine Trebeck, The Next Economy
- Dr Joanne McNeill, The Good Shift
- Liam Flanagan, Yinhawangka Aboriginal Corporation
- Dr Jarrod Ormiston, UTS
Digital learning platform:
- Business for Good Network
How to get involved
Help shape a regenerative economy with WEAVE.
- Visit Regen Labs website to learn more or complete this form to express your interest in joining the learning community.
- Email WEAVE Convenor, Dimity dimity@regenlabs.au to discuss:
- Partnering on an experiment
- Co-designing a learning moment
- Hosting a conference panel
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