A New Standard? Why 100% For-Purpose is the Future of Innovation

When Humanitix’s Global General Manager, James Humpherson, stepped onto the stage at SXSW 2026 alongside Greg Curtis, Executive Director at Holdfast Collective (Patagonia), and Alexandra Amouyel, President and CEO of Newman’s Own Foundation, with Newsweek Editor-in-Chief Jennifer H. Cunningham moderating the conversation, it wasn't just a panel; it was a glimpse into the future of a new kind of economy.

While the world still tries to pit 'making money' against 'doing good,' the conversation between these three organizations proved that the future belongs to those who do both simultaneously. Our origins may differ (Newman’s Own started with salad dressing, Patagonia with outdoor gear, and Humanitix as a ticketing non-profit), yet we all operate on the same radical wavelength. We aren’t just "social enterprises"; we are proof points for a new economic operating system.

Left to right: James Humpherson (Global General Manager at Humanitix), Greg Curtis (Executive Director at Holdfast Collective - Patagonia), Alexandra Amouyel (President and CEO at Newman’s Own Foundation), Jennifer H. Cunningham (Editor-in-Chief at Newsweek).

Hard-coding the mission

The SXSW discussion made one thing clear: there is no single blueprint for this model, but there is a shared requirement for structural integrity. Whether it’s a private foundation owning a business, like the Holdfast Collective owning Patagonia, or a non-profit ticketing platform like Humanitix, the goal is to hard-code purpose into the DNA of the company.

As Alexandra Amouyel highlights, while this feels new, we are actually surrounded by quiet giants using this exact model:

“100% for Purpose companies like Newman’s Own and Patagonia are still the exception, but there are more of us than you think: ticketing platform Humanitix, search engine Ecosia, browser Mozilla, consumer brands like The Good Store and Thankyou, and more.”

These organizations aren't just outliers, they are part of a growing coalition that proves profit and purpose can be unified. You can explore the full ecosystem of companies committed to this new standard at 100forpurpose.org.

This shift is more than just a moral choice; it’s a strategic one. By removing the pressure of traditional shareholder returns, the 100% for-purpose model gains the freedom of long-term stewardship, allowing it to build deeper customer loyalty and a more durable brand than those chasing short-term wins.

As James Humpherson notes:

“Success shouldn't be measured by what we take, but by what we leave behind.”

An operating system, not a marketing feature

We are currently witnessing a massive shift in the corporate landscape. Many companies that treated social impact as a marketing hook are now pivoting away as soon as the PR value fades. For a 100% for-purpose company, there is simply nothing to pivot to, given it is the operating system, not a feature.

As Amouyel notes, this structural shift creates a powerful change in perspective for everyone involved:

“You have created a philanthropic annuity. But more than that, you have given your business, employees, and customers a gift as well. Every product they make, sell, or buy is now a product whose profits go to support good causes.”

By hard-coding purpose in this way, the business is strengthened from the inside out. When employees and customers know that every dollar of profit is permanently dedicated to a cause, the level of commitment and brand trust becomes a massive competitive advantage. It turns a "transaction" into a "contribution," making the business far more resilient in the long run.

Left to right: Greg Curtis (Executive Director at Holdfast Collective -Patagonia), James Humpherson (Global General Manager at Humanitix), Alexandra Amouyel (President and CEO at Newman’s Own Foundation), Jennifer H. Cunningham (Editor-in-Chief at Newsweek).

The power of compounding philanthropy

Traditional philanthropy has inherent limits; it often relies on the finite generosity of donors or the static nature of endowments. The 100% for-purpose model breaks that ceiling by generating compounding returns. Newman’s Own, for example, turned a $40,000 USD investment into over $600 million USD, a 15,000X philanthropic return that no traditional charity could match. At Humanitix, we apply this same logic to the ticketing world. By running a high-performance, profitable business, we create a self-sustaining engine for change.

Amouyel highlights that this model turns every customer into an active participant in the mission:

“We're not reliant on an endowment, a rich donor, or the constant stress of fundraising. The donors, in that sense, are the consumers, they are the philanthropists.”

At Humanitix, instead of waiting for a donation, we generate it through every ticket sold, proving that business can be a far more powerful lever for social impact.

Profitability as a mission requirement

There is a unique tension that comes with being a "proof point" for this movement. The challenge isn't just about being "good," it’s about being better than the competition. We must be profitable to fulfill our missions, which means competing with the world’s largest players while balancing reinvestment and giving. The real fear isn't just a business failure, it's the weight of knowing that if we fail, we risk setting the entire movement back. This pressure drives an "excellence-only" mindset. It forces us to be sharper and more innovative, because we aren't just building a company; we are proving that this radical model is the most effective way to run a business in the 21st century.

The real takeaway from the stage at SXSW wasn't that the 100% for-purpose model is just a "nice" way to do business, it’s that it is a smarter way to build for the long haul. When you strip away the pressure of short-term shareholder returns, you gain the ultimate competitive advantage: the freedom to focus entirely on the product and the mission.

As James Humpherson reflected:

“The greatest irony of the modern era is that we’ve treated 'profit' and 'purpose' as opposing forces, when in reality, one is the fuel and the other is the destination. We aren't here to play a different game, we’re here to show that when you stop optimizing for a few shareholders and start optimizing for humanity, you unlock a level of innovation that a traditional company simply cannot reach.”

We are moving into an era where customers and talent can smell "purpose-washing" from a mile away. They aren't looking for a mission statement on a website, they are looking for a mission built into the very foundation of the company.

At Humanitix, we aren't just here to sell tickets, we’re here to prove that the most innovative companies of the next decade won't be measured by their exit strategy, but by the compounding impact they leave behind.