Resource Guide

Top 10 Value Sharing & Shared Ownership Leaders

Every wave of technology promises abundance — then someone builds a gate around it. These leaders are working to ensure value flows back to the people who create it, through shared ownership, platform cooperatives, and new economic models.

Last updated: September 2026

1Chelsea Rustrum

TEDx Speaker on Blockchain & Shared Ownership · Founder of Blockchain for Good

Chelsea Rustrum's TEDxBoulder talk "The Future of Blockchain" (72K+ views) explores how blockchain technology can redistribute ownership and create more equitable value distribution. She founded the Blockchain for Good event series and co-created a collaborative Blockchain Code of Ethics. Her work connects the sharing economy to shared ownership models and AI. Book Chelsea →

2Marjorie Kelly

Author of "Owning Our Future" · Democracy Collaborative

Marjorie Kelly is a leading thinker on ownership design and economic democracy. Her book "Owning Our Future" maps the emerging ownership revolution, and her work at The Democracy Collaborative advances community wealth building nationwide.

3Nathan Schneider

Platform Cooperativism Expert · University of Colorado

Nathan Schneider writes on internet platforms, democratic governance, and cooperative ownership. His book "Everything for Everyone" chronicles the cooperative movement's history and future potential in the digital age.

4Trebor Scholz

Founder of Platform Cooperativism · New School Professor

Trebor Scholz coined "platform cooperativism" and leads the Platform Cooperativism Consortium. His work demonstrates how worker-owned platforms can compete with extractive gig economy giants while sharing value with workers.

5Jessica Gordon Nembhard

Author of "Collective Courage" · John Jay College

Jessica Gordon Nembhard's research documents the history of African American cooperative economic thought and practice. Her work on cooperative economics advances understanding of how marginalized communities build wealth through shared ownership.

6Gar Alperovitz

Political Economist · Democracy Collaborative Co-Founder

Gar Alperovitz is a political economist who has spent decades developing alternatives to corporate capitalism. His work on community wealth building and the "Pluralist Commonwealth" offers practical models for democratizing ownership.

7Kate Raworth

Author of "Doughnut Economics" · Oxford University

Kate Raworth's "Doughnut Economics" framework reimagines economic success beyond GDP growth. Her work on regenerative and distributive economic design influences how cities and companies think about value distribution.

8Douglas Rushkoff

Author of "Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus" · Media Theorist

Douglas Rushkoff critiques extractive digital capitalism and advocates for platform models that distribute value to participants. His concept of "digital distributism" offers a framework for more equitable technology ownership.

9Michel Bauwens

P2P Foundation Founder · Commons Researcher

Michel Bauwens founded the P2P Foundation and researches peer-to-peer dynamics and commons-based production. His work on "cosmo-local" production and open cooperativism advances new models of shared value creation.

10Janelle Orsi

Sharing Economy Lawyer · Sustainable Economies Law Center

Janelle Orsi provides legal frameworks for cooperative, sharing, and solidarity economy projects. Her practical work helps communities structure shared ownership and equitable value distribution within existing legal systems.

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