B Lab U.S. & Canada Officially Supports Steward Market's Mission

B Lab U.S. & Canada Officially Supports Steward Market's Mission

B Lab U.S. & Canada, the nonprofit network behind B Corp Certification, officially supports Steward Market's mission.

For a platform built on the idea that values claims should be visible and verifiable, recognition from the organization that wrote the standard for verified business accountability means almost more than we can say. We want to take a moment to explain what B Lab is, what this official support covers, and why it matters for the people our platform serves.

What B Lab Is

B Lab is the nonprofit organization that created and administers B Corp Certification, a rigorous standard for verified social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Since 2006, B Lab has certified thousands of companies across more than 100 countries and 160 industries, building a global movement of businesses that measure success by their impact on workers, communities, and the environment alongside their financial results.

Beyond certification, B Lab develops the standards, policies, and tools that help companies operate as a force for good. Its frameworks have shaped how businesses define responsibility, and how workers, buyers, and communities evaluate whether a company's stated values hold up in practice.

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B Lab U.S. & Canada supports the mission of Steward Market to help businesses navigate impact-focused ownership transitions. Steward Market helps B Corps and values-led companies find aligned buyers, advisors, capital partners, and ownership pathways that can protect and amplify purpose, people, and long-term impact beyond the founder.

— B Lab U.S. & Canada

Why This Matters

Every founder eventually transitions. For decades, the industry has measured that moment by asking what a company is worth. We built Steward Market to take another question equally seriously: what happens to what was built. The people, the culture, the mission, the impact.

Workers and communities absorb the outcomes of an ownership transition. A change in ownership can protect everything a founder built, or it can dismantle it.

Our platform connects mission-driven Sellers with values-aligned Buyers, intermediaries, and capital partners by making values, intent, and fit visible from the start. It standardizes how intentions and constraints are shared, protects anonymity until consent is given, and preserves dignity when conversations pause or end. We call this stewardship fit, and it sits alongside financial fit as a real basis for finding the right match.

Steward Market does not assess or endorse stewardship claims. We design systems that make those claims visible. B Lab's support affirms that this design philosophy is credible to the organization that has spent nearly two decades setting the standard for verified business accountability.

Here is what this means for each of the communities we serve:

For Sellers, added assurance that this platform was built to respect your values, your timeline, and your agency. Exploring an ownership transition here means entering an environment designed around your dignity and control.

For Buyers, a signal that the businesses you encounter here are participating in a marketplace recognized by the leading authority on values verification. Fewer dead ends, faster trust.

For intermediaries and capital partners, a stronger case for spending your time on aligned deals, where early context and clear intent reduce misalignment before it becomes a problem.

For the broader Community, a step toward a credible, shared standard for what values-aligned business transitions should look like.

A Relationship Rooted in Practice

This support builds on a long relationship with B Lab's standards. Our founder, Hannah Sandmeyer, also founded Up & Over Advisors, a certified B Corp and 1% for the Planet business member that partners with Steward Market on off-market deal sourcing. The values B Lab verifies have been operating principles across this work from the beginning.

That continuity matters to us. Stewardship, as we define it, is a disciplined approach to protecting people, culture, and institutional knowledge through a transition. It shows up in how a platform is designed, how incentives are structured, and how participants are treated when a conversation ends. Steward Market charges no commissions, so our incentives stay aligned with what is best for the business.

What Comes Next

This recognition arrives as we continue to grow our community of Stewards: the Sellers, Buyers, intermediaries, and capital partners shaping the platform in its earliest chapter.

If you are a business owner exploring an ownership transition, you can do that here on your own terms. Exploration on Steward Market is private, unpressured, and fully within your control. You can pause, step back, or walk away at any time.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Steward Market?

Steward Market is a values-first marketplace designed for ethical business transitions. It connects mission-driven Sellers with values-aligned Buyers, intermediaries, and capital partners by making values, intent, and fit visible from the start.

What does support from B Lab mean?

The official support from B Lab is for Steward Market's approach to ownership transitions, including its commitment to transparency, seller dignity, and long-term stewardship. It comes from the nonprofit organization that created B Corp Certification and sets widely recognized standards for verified business accountability.

Is Steward Market a broker?

No. Steward Market does not broker deals, provide advice, manage transactions, or guarantee outcomes. The platform standardizes how values, intentions, and constraints are shared so participants can find fit on their own terms. We design the environment. Participants own the decisions.

Does Steward Market charge commissions?

No. Steward Market never charges commissions, so its incentives stay aligned with what is best for the business.

Who is Steward Market for?

Steward Market serves mission-driven business owners exploring an ownership transition, values-aligned Buyers seeking businesses they intend to build up, and the intermediaries and capital partners who support aligned deals.