Gen B Corp Unlocked 2026: The Day We Handed the Keys to the Next Generation
Every March, B Corp Month fills up with posts, badges and celebration. This year, we did something different with it. On 19th March, we opened our doors to students from Leyton Sixth Form College for the second edition of Gen B Corp Unlocked - a full day inside December19 exploring what purpose-driven business actually looks like, and a challenge to design their own.
By 2:15pm, we'd watched four student teams pitch business concepts sharp enough to make our judging panel sit up. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Why We Do This
The B Corp movement is brilliant at talking to itself. Every March we celebrate our certifications, share our impact reports, and congratulate each other, and all of it is deserved. But the people who will actually run businesses in 2040 are sitting in classrooms right now, and most of them have never heard of us.
Gen B Corp Unlocked exists to change that. First launched in 2025 alongside fellow B Corps Canopy Media and Mobsta, the initiative invites students into certified businesses to learn what B Corp means, meet the people who live it, and create their own B Corp concepts. This year, we partnered with Leyton Sixth Form College and social mobility charity MyBigCareer to bring a brilliant group of students into our world for the day, with every cost covered, because access shouldn't have a price tag.
The Morning: B Corp Unlocked
The day began with introductions, an ice-breaker, and the question at the heart of everything: can business be a force for good?
Our team walked students through what B Corp certification actually involves - the five impact areas, the B Impact Assessment, and December19's own journey to our score of 104.3 (against a median of 50.9 for ordinary businesses). No jargon, no lecture. Just an honest look at the policies, trade-offs and culture behind the badge, from the people responsible for maintaining it.
Then we handed over the brief: design your own B Corp business concept. What problem will you solve? Who are your stakeholders? How will you create impact across the five impact areas?
The Afternoon: Over to Them
What followed - a working lunch, 105 minutes of teamwork with our staff mentoring, and a lot of flip chart paper, produced four business concepts we genuinely didn't expect.
CHERYSH: a self-care brand built around mental health and radical accessibility, offering hobby kits and "Plain Jane" hygiene essentials designed for disabled, mentally ill and neurodivergent customers. Ethically sourced, vegan-friendly, and rooted in a simple belief: everyone deserves to feel comfortable in their own skin.
Swift: a safety-first transport service for women and young people, born from a statistic the team refused to accept: 90% of women feel unsafe getting home on unreliable transport. Pre-bookable by app or on the spot by QR code, with vetted drivers, fair hours and worker protections built in. Their tagline says it all: Swiftly there, safely home.
Grow and Thrive: a green housing concept tackling inaccessible, unsustainable urban development through repurposed buildings, rooftop gardens and accessibility designed in as standard, not afterthought.
40Umbrella: a sustainable fashion brand taking aim at fast fashion and sweatshop labour, with monthly ethical clothing subscriptions, in-store recycling incentives, e-van deliveries and apprenticeships to bring young people into the industry.
Each team pitched to our panel of "B Corp sceptics", who asked exactly the kind of challenging questions real founders face. The students didn't flinch.
"The moment students got their brief and realised they were being asked to design something real, not a classroom exercise, something shifted. The questions they asked during the pitches were sharper than most boardrooms manage."
Paul Carolan, Co-Founder, Continua Coaching and event facilitator
What We Learned
Here's the thing that struck us most, and it's the same thing that struck us in 2025: these students didn't need convincing that business should prioritise people and planet. They were surprised it isn't already the default.
Their baseline expectation is higher than the one our industry celebrates having achieved. Our job isn't to persuade the next generation - it's simply to show them that a framework for the change they already expect exists, and that there are careers to be built inside it.
"What December19 has built isn't a tick-box education initiative. It's a thoughtfully designed experience that takes young people seriously... The experience sparked real engagement, students asked thoughtful questions and began to see themselves in this space. That's what meaningful impact looks like."
Francesca Wood, Fundraising Executive, MyBigCareer
Do this. Seriously.
Hosting Gen B Corp Unlocked took 4.5 hours of staff time, some lunch, and a willingness to open the door. That's it. What we got back - energised staff, new school and charity partnerships, and a room full of young people who now see themselves in this industry - is worth many times that.
We've built a free toolkit so any B Corp (or any business, frankly) can run their own event: structure, materials, safeguarding guidance, the lot. If you'd like it, email us at hello@december19.co.uk.
Huge thanks to Leyton Sixth Form College, MyBigCareer, Paul Carolan, and above all the students — the CHERYSH, Swift, Grow and Thrive and 40Umbrella founders of the future.
We're certifying businesses for the future. It's time to tell the future about it.
Same time next March?
Hear from December19’s Co-Founder, Dave Barnett, on ‘Taking collaboration from talk to action this B Corp Month’ in The Edie: https://www.edie.net/beyond-the-echo-chamber-taking-collaboration-from-talk-to-action-this-b-corp-month/