Krisos: A New Kind of Investment, A New Kind of Company

This blog post is part of 80+ case studies of progressive organizations we created for the ZeroDX awards 2025. These organizations embody the principles of RenDanHeYi in their work structures:

• Zero Distance to customer: Decision what to build is based on insights from the marketplace

• Autonomy: Small teams with full decision-making autonomy enable speed in execution

• Shared Rewards: Everyone in the micro-enterprise participates in its financial success.

The project was co-founded by five individuals who bring complementary perspectives. Pim de Morree and Joost Minnaar, founders of Corporate Rebels, had spent years researching and writing about organizations that challenge the status quo. Dunia Reverter, Jabi Salcedo, and Xavier Costa brought hands-on experience, having led dozens of organizational transformations. Together, they set out to prove that companies can succeed by prioritizing people, not just profit.

Krisos acquires small and mid-sized businesses that are ready for change. These companies often have 30 to 100 employees and a history of solid performance, but they’re held back by outdated hierarchies or looming successionproblems. Transformation only starts if the people inside are on board. “We require at least 80% support from employees,” explained Dunia. “Without that, we don’t move forward. It has to be their choice.”

Once inside, Krisos works closely with employees to redesign how the company functions. The approach is based on the Nuevo Estilo de Relaciones (NER) model, a proven method focused on self-management, transparency, and shared governance. Power is decentralized. Teams manage themselves. Decision-making is distributed through clear,elected structures. Financials and salaries are made transparent, and profits are shared with employees.

Xavier Costa, who coordinates the transformation at Alumipres and leads other transformation processes through his company Full Circle, described the work this way: “We’re not here to make tweaks. We’re here to co-create somethingthat feels alive, an organization where people feel responsible, connected, and free to grow.”

Krisos also refuses to follow the usual private equity playbook. Rather than extract value through short-term sales or financial engineering, it is now transitioning toward an evergreen, foundation-owned structure. Once complete, this will allow profits to be reinvested into future transformations and ensure that the values introduced in each companyare safeguarded over time. Ownership of each business will eventually be transferred to employees or steward-ownership models that lock in purpose and protect against backsliding.

The first company to go through this process was Indaero, an aerospace components manufacturer in Seville. At thetime of the acquisition, the company had five layers of hierarchy, and decisions were concentrated at the top. Dunia Reverter, Indaero’s Leading Coordinator, guided the transition. Within the first twelve months, the team created seven self-managing teams, introduced financial transparency, and shifted to distributed decision-making.

According to internal reports from Indaero’s first year of transformation, the company saw significant growth in both revenue and profitability. Salaries were increased across the board, a new profit-sharing model was introduced, and more employees began participating directly in governance. Leadership became more inclusive, with a marked rise in the number of women taking on key roles. These changes were not just structural. They reflected a deeper shift in how power, information, and opportunity were shared across the organization.

Beyond the numbers, the transformation sparked a cultural shift. In a company-wide survey conducted after the firstyear, 77% of respondents reported that the changes had improved their experience at work. Many cited increased trust, greater alignment, and a stronger sense of personal responsibility. Others mentioned challenges, including stress linked to the new autonomy and concern about the company’s long-term path once Krisos steps back. These reflections are now shaping the second phase of the transformation, including targeted training in self-leadership, facilitation, and team dynamics. The road ahead is still unfolding, but Indaero now moves forward with stronger teams, shared leadership, and a renewed belief that people can shape not just what they do, but how they work together.

In May 2025, Krisos launched its second transformation at Alumipres, a 48-person manufacturer near Barcelona that specializes in high-pressure aluminum die casting. As with Indaero, the process began with a company-wide vote. 87% of employees said yes. The transformation is now underway and coordinated by Xavier Costa.

From the beginning, the approach at Alumipres was defined by open dialogue and shared commitment. Krisos invited all employees to co-create the future of the organization and made clear that this was not a top-down restructuring. There would be no layoffs, no rigid templates, and no imposition of structure from the outside. Instead, the company would be reshaped together through transparency, gradual change, and care. “We don’t come with all the answers,” the team explained. “What we bring is a full commitment to listen, to take care of this process, and to do it with you, not for you.”

At Krisos, transformation is not just about systems. Personal growth is at the heart of the journey. “You can design a beautiful system,” Dunia said, “but without emotional intelligence, it won’t hold. We focus a lot on training, coaching,and helping people learn to navigate conflict as adults. That shift from parent-child to adult-adult dynamics is where the real change happens.” Joost Minnaar, co-founder of Corporate Rebels and part of the founding team at Krisos, added: “We often say we’re transforming companies, but in reality it’s people who are transforming themselves. And that is intentional. We want to build organizations where personal growth isn’t a side effect. It is the point. Because when people grow consciously, companies evolve in ways that no structure or strategy could ever engineer.”

Although Krisos does not follow the RenDanHeYi model directly, there are meaningful parallels. Like Haier’s system, Krisos emphasizes decentralization, autonomy, and the belief that value is created closest to the customer. Both models share a conviction that people on the front line should have the freedom, information, and trust to makedecisions. While the contexts and scale are different, the underlying logic is strikingly aligned: build businesses around human responsibility, not control.

For Pim de Morree, co-founder of Corporate Rebels and one of the initiators of Krisos, this project feels like anecessary evolution. “We used to write about these organizations. Now we’re helping build them,” he said. “When employees tell us this has changed their lives, not just their jobs, it confirms we’re doing something that matters.” Hesees Krisos as more than a fund. It is a practical answer to the question of what capitalism could become. “This isn’t charity. This is what the future of business looks like, where purpose, people, and performance are not in conflict but in harmony.”

For Jabi Salcedo, a long-time transformation expert and co-founder of Krisos, what sets this initiative apart is its depth. “A lot of organizations want change, but few realize what it really requires. Transparency isn’t a slogan. Self-management isn’t a workshop. These are cultural shifts that take years and demand full commitment.” He emphasizesthat real change comes not just from adopting new practices but from building a supportive ecosystem that helpscompanies stay the course. “If we want these models to last, we can’t just transform and leave. We need networks, shared learning, and long-term vision. That’s what we’re trying to build with Krisos.”

Krisos is part of a broader shift that echoes the values of RenDanHeYi: trust, transparency, and distributed leadership. It may follow a different path, but the destination is shared. This is a future where work empowers, ownership includes, and business serves people, not the other way around.