We are the Leading Community for People Building the Circular Economy
We bring together founders, industry leaders, and investors to accelerate systemic change, drive innovation, and empower resilient supply chains.
We are a trusted community, a safe place to exchange experience, deal flow, and insight.
Global in reach. Local in presence. Intentional by design.
Our Belief
Transformation Is Driven by People
The Real Barrier to Circularity
We all know the circular economy can only be achieved through genuine collaboration. Yet in practice, this rarely happens. Corporates guard their opportunities. Startups compete for scarce capital and strategic partners. The incentives are misaligned, and the walls remain high.
Progress accelerates when the right people are connected in the right way — openly, deliberately, and without the noise of conventional networking.
What We Know to Be True
The leaders who will reshape industries are experienced and disruptive, long-term in their thinking, and willing to share openly. They are already out there — in boardrooms, on cap tables, and on factory floors. What they lack is a trusted space to meet as peers.
This community exists to create that space: where collaboration moves beyond titles and company logos, and into real, consequential action.
The Community
A Trusted Space for Leaders Who Want More Than Surface-Level Networking
This is not a directory. It is not a conference. It is a curated, living community of people who are genuinely building the future of circular and regenerative business — and who understand that doing so requires connection, openness, and collaboration.
Exchange Insights
Share lived experience and hard-won knowledge across industries and business models.
Open Your Network
Offer meaningful introductions and receive the same in return — based on trust, not transactions.
Explore Collaboration
Discover investment opportunities, strategic partnerships, and co-creation across sectors.
Shape the Future
Influence the direction of circular and regenerative business models at a pivotal moment.
Who Belongs Here
Built for the Builders, Leaders, and Investors Who Are Doing the Work
The community spans three core member profiles — united by purpose, distinguished by their role in the ecosystem.
Impact Founders & Entrepreneurs
Building or scaling circular or regenerative businesses. Looking for peers who understand the journey, investors who share the vision, and partners who can open doors.
Industry Leaders & Experts
Driving innovation and transformation from within large organizations. Seeking access beyond your own sector — to the founders, thinkers, and experts shaping what comes next.
Investors & Capital Partners
From business angels to institutional capital. Looking for trusted access to people, emerging trends, and high-quality deal flow in the circular and regenerative economy.
How It Works
A Global Community with Local Chapters
We are building a multi-layered architecture that connects members across geographies, industries, and roles — while preserving the intimacy and trust that make real exchange possible.
Every element of the structure is designed to reduce friction and increase signal: less noise, more meaning.
Global & Local Chapters
A worldwide network anchored in cities and regions where circular economy activity is concentrated.
Industry & Sector Groups
Focused communities within textiles, food systems, built environment, manufacturing, and beyond.
Role-Based Cohorts
Founder circles, investor roundtables, and corporate leader forums — structured for peer exchange.
Curated Gatherings
Intentional events, conversations, and salons designed to create genuine connection and momentum.
Our Principles
Four Commitments That Define How We Operate
These are not values on a wall. They are the operating principles that govern membership, curation, and every interaction within this community.
Quality Over Quantity
We will remain intentionally selective. A smaller, excellent community outperforms a large, diluted one every time.
Trust Over Transactions
Relationships here are built over time, not harvested for short-term gain. Every interaction is an investment in the long game.
Contribution Over Self-Promotion
The most valued members are those who bring generosity of knowledge, network, and perspective.
Long-Term Impact Over Short-Term Optics
We measure success in systemic change, not in vanity metrics or press cycles.
Membership
Exclusivity and Curation
To protect the integrity of the community, membership will be paid and curated.
We are currently exploring different membership models — from accessible annual memberships with paid local events, to all-inclusive models with no upsells and no noise.
Early members help shape what this becomes.
About the Founder
Built from a Experience
Carl Warkentin
Carl is the founder of CAWA Ventures, a venture platform investing, advising, and building across the textile and circular economy value chain. With roots in a multi-generational industrial family business, he has spent his career building and backing companies across manufacturing, technology, and infrastructure.
Carl co-founded Circular Republic within UnternehmerTUM — one of Europe's most prominent circular economy initiatives — and works closely with founders and investors globally, including as a Venture Partner at Regeneration.VC.
This community grows directly out of that network, those relationships, and a deep conviction that the right connections — made in the right context — change the trajectory of entire industries.
An Invitation
We Are Building the Founding Cohort — And We Want You In It
This is not about joining another platform. It is about building something meaningful — together, from the ground up, with the people who will shape the next chapter of the circular economy.
01
Share Your Perspective
Complete a short questionnaire so we understand who you are, what you are building, and what you need from a community like this.
02
Join the Early Access List
Be among the first to know when membership opens, and receive founding member consideration before the public launch.
03
Help Shape the Community
Early members influence the principles, structure, and culture of this community from its very first days. Your voice matters here.