How Nest Is Building the Business Infrastructure the Global Artisan Economy Never Had

About this episode

Rebecca Van Bergen discusses Nest's efforts to build business infrastructure for the global artisan economy.

Rebecca Van Bergen, founder of Nest , joins Causeartist to discuss 20 years of building business and financial infrastructure for artisan and maker economies across 123 countries. The conversation covers how Nest supports micro and small creative businesses, the structure of their accelerator programs, the Makers Future Fund in partnership with Etsy and Pinterest, and why the handmade economy may be more durable than most people assume. Guest Rebecca Van Bergen is the founder of Nest, a nonprofit organization that provides business development support, financing, and market access to artisan and maker businesses globally. Nest operates in 123 countries and supports over 4,000 micro and small businesses through its Artisan Guild, e-learning platform, and cohort-based accelerator programs. Topics Covered The founding of Nest in 2005 and its connection to the early microfinance movement Why loans alone are insufficient without business education and market access The scale and data challenges of the global handcraft economy How the Artisan Guild works and who it serves The structure of Nest's business accelerators, including the sustainability-focused cohort and the UNHCR refugee…

People in this episode

Host: Causeartist

Guest: Rebecca Van Bergen

Topics covered

• artisan economy
• business infrastructure
• micro and small businesses
• accelerator programs
• financial literacy
• sustainability
• women empowerment

Keywords

• artisan
• business development
• financial support
• market access
• Makers Future Fund
• handmade economy
• microfinance
• accelerators
• education
• community impact

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Nest, Etsy, Pinterest, UNHCR

Places: 123 countries

More episodes of Disruptors for GOOD | Social Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprises

• New Report: AI Is Creating More Tech Jobs in Europe Than It's Eliminating · June 9, 2026 · 9 min
• A Causeartist Announcement · May 27, 2026 · 3 min
• How Givebutter Grew From a College Dorm to $9B in Donations - Max Friedman, CEO of Givebutter · March 17, 2026 · 33 min
• Inside Impossible Metals and the Push for Responsible Deep-Sea Mining · March 10, 2026 · 34 min
• Grove Collaborative: Impact Business Case Study · March 7, 2026 · 23 min
• B Corp Certification: What It Is, What It Costs, and Whether It's Worth It · March 4, 2026 · 12 min