Shaping change.
Growing thriving places.
Helping communities, governments, enterprises and funders shape economic transitions and build thriving regional economies.
Across Australia, communities are navigating significant and fast-moving changes in climate, energy, technology and their local economy. These changes bring challenges, along with opportunities to create new businesses, local jobs, community wealth, resilience, wellbeing, and lasting prosperity.
At Regen Labs, we bring communities and partners together to make the most of these opportunities.
We help communities and their partners shape a shared direction, develop practical innovations and solutions, and build the capability, partnerships and investment needed to make change happen
What we do
We shape economic transitions, grow community wealth, develop regenerative enterprise ecosystems and create the conditions for long-term change. To do this we blend research & strategy, collaboration & capability, and innovation & investment, to help people and partners in regional places move from ideas to action.
Research & Strategy
Understand what's happening. See what's possible.
We help communities, government and regional bodies to understand the changes affecting their region, identify opportunities and develop strategies for a more prosperous and resilient future.
What this looks like:
Regional economic strategies
Opportunity mapping
Research and feasibility studies
Community wealth-building options
Collaboration & Capability
Bring people together. Build the capacity to act.
We connect people across communities, business, government and philanthropy, creating the relationships, shared direction and practical capabilities needed to work together for change
What this looks like:
Community organising
Community engagement and co-design
Regional enterprise development
Leadership and capability programs
Learning networks
Community benefit sharing from data centre developments
Excited to know more?
Innovation & Investment
Turn promising ideas into practical initiatives.
We help develop and test new enterprises, business models, partnerships and investment approaches that create lasting value for communities and places.
What this looks like:
Enterprise incubation
Local food hub development
Business model innovation
Community ownership and asset stewardship
Catalytic investment and finance pathways
Who we work with
Transitions involve many people. We work with those who want to help shape them.
Government and regional organisations
Shape economic transition strategies, support genuine community participation, and develop new approaches to regional development and sharing benefits.
What becomes possible: Community support, social licence, better investment decisions, lasting local benefits.
Government and regional organisations
Shape economic transition strategies, support genuine community participation, and develop new approaches to regional development and sharing benefits.
What becomes possible: Community support, social licence, better investment decisions, lasting local benefits.
Communities and First Nations orgs
Strengthen local economies, sovereignty, develop enterprises, build local ownership and support economic self-determination.
What becomes possible: Greater trust, community influence, meaningful work, locally owned assets and enterprises, community wealth, connection to culture and Country.
Government and regional organisations
Shape economic transition strategies, support genuine community participation, and develop new approaches to regional development and sharing benefits.
What becomes possible: Community support, social licence, better investment decisions, lasting local benefits.
Shaping change
Energy, climate and technology
Protecting what matters whilst growing local value means regional communities and enterprises must get to the table early enough to set the terms – so that the opportunities these transitions offer can genuinely deliver ongoing community benefit.
Whether it’s renewable energy infrastructure, regenerative data centres, or climate-adaptive food systems and landscapes — investment and transformation can either repeat the extractive patterns of past booms, or be built place-first from the outset.
What we offer
The moment
For councils and government agencies facing major transitions
Community-led economic development strategies
Opportunity mapping - energy, land, food, tourism, wellbeing
Local collaboration platforms for collective action and community buy-in
The bridge
For community groups, enterprises, and regional bodies building fairer models
Benefit-sharing frameworks
Business model support
Facilitated negotiation
Communities of practice
Excited to know more?
A thriving future
For funders and policymakers shaping what the whole sector looks like in five years
Governance design
Catalytic investment structuring
Long-term community ownership arrangements
Growing thriving places
Transformational Adaptation and Community Wealth Building
Adaptation managed defensively just delays decline. Done as transformation, it's a new business model, an innovation, or a more robust local system. For regions already living through disruption, there is a narrow but significant opportunity to rebuild local economies to be even stronger than before.
Our research, strategy and capability-building services help local communities, enterprises, and governments manage today’s risk whilst adapting to create inclusive, prosperous, and viable new models.
What we offer
The moment
For enterprises and regions managing acute climate and economic exposure today
Business transformation diagnostics
Readiness assessments
Opportunity mapping
The bridge
For funders and government partners who want to support communities to localise value, and own local assets
Local food hub feasibility studies
Enterprise ecosystem convening
Learning collaborations
Capability-building programs
Excited to know more?
A thriving future
For funders and governments backing long-term, place-based transformation
Catalytic investment design
Long-term governance structures
Community-led economic development strategy
Core team
Reece Proudfoot
Co-founder and Director -
Regenerative InnovationReece is the former Head of Innovation and Impact Investment with WWF-Australia and founder of Panda Labs. Capability areas include: Strategic Design, Partnerships, Business Model Innovaiton & Impact Investing, Engagement and Community Organising
Dr Dimity Podger
Co-founder and Director -
Regenerative Enterprise ProgramsDimity is the former Regenerative Communities Lead with WWF-Australia, following 10 years leading her own purpose-driven business advisory firm. Capability areas include: regenerative business and leadership, capability building program design and delivery, community engagement, sustainability, and impact measurement.
Phil Freeman
Co-founder and Director -
Regenerative FinancePhil is the Co-founder & Director of Impact Venture OpenSC. He has a background in corporate law and climate advocacy (building alliances). He is a board member of social venture Grow Your Mind and Montessori East School.
Partners in place
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Matthew Wright-Simon
Local Associate - South Australia
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Liz Sanders
Food Systems Activator
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Dave Booth
First Nations Cultural Advisor
Places we work across Australia
Partners and clients
