What:
Community-owned enterprises (COEs) are owned and controlled by members of a community. They engage in commercial activity through the enterprise to generate benefits for that community. Unlike conventional privately owned businesses, COEs tend to focus on community needs and social, economic or environmental objectives, with profits or surpluses often reinvested to support these aims.
There are different models of community ownership. These relate to whether community members are individual shareholders in the business and the degree of direct involvement they have in the governance and operation of the enterprise. In the United Kingdom, COEs tend to be small, volunteer-led organisations that tackle local challenges and meet the needs of community members. In global contexts, community enterprises may also be owned and governed by Indigenous and First Nations peoples, supporting community-defined priorities.
Example:
Although there are not necessarily examples of deep tech ventures operating as community-owned enterprises, there are some example organisations working in relevant fields such as renewable energy infrastructure and energy storage. In Australia, the organisation Hepburn Energy is the country’s first community-owned wind farm. It was founded when local people opposed the development of a corporate wind farm, and instead created a community-owned and run alternative. Local people now own the renewable-energy infrastructure and participate financially in its benefits
Considerations for Deep Tech
- For a deep-tech venture to align with the goals of a community-owned enterprise, it would need to demonstrably serve that community. Considerations would need to be made as to the involvement of community members in this process, the availability and accessibility of outputs, and how to ensure they align with the priorities of COE and the community it is part of.
- Similarly, there would be a need to be considerations regarding capacity and knowledge building within communities. For community members to be able to engage in managing and scaling research outputs, they may need support to develop specialist technical and entrepreneurial skills and expertise.
- There may be questions regarding who owns and controls research outputs and intellectual property (IP), e.g., who owns the knowledge, data, technologies or products generated from research? For COEs involving vulnerable groups, Indigenous communities, or other local stakeholders, clear agreements may be needed to ensure ownership and benefits remain aligned with community interests.
More information:
Community Economies Institute (n.d.) ‘Community enterprises’. Community Economies. Available at: https://www.communityeconomies.org/community-partnering/community-enterprises (Accessed: 14 July 2026).
Co-operatives UK (2020) ‘Different types of community ownership’. Co-operatives UK, 28 October. Available at: https://www.uk.coop/start-new-co-op/convert-existing-business-co-op/what-community-buyout/different-types-community (Accessed: 14 July 2026).
Community First Development (2024) ‘The true value of First Nations’ community-based enterprises’. Community First Development, 8 August. Available at: https://communityfirstdevelopment.org.au/stories/stories/the-true-value-of-first-nations-community-based-enterprises (Accessed: 14 July 2026).