Financing Impact Differently: Looking Back on Our Journey with LITA

In 2021, raising €135,000 felt like climbing a mountain.

At the time, Entropy was still a young project driven by a simple ambition: to demonstrate that it is possible to build a restaurant model that actively fights food waste while creating social and environmental value.

The idea was there. The conviction was there too.

But, as is the case for many entrepreneurs, one essential question quickly emerged: how could we finance the development of the project?

Beyond the idea: convincing others

Creating a business or developing an impact-driven project is not just about believing in your vision. It is also about convincing others to believe in it.

Convincing them that the idea is viable. That the assumptions are solid. That the project leaders have the resilience to face challenges. That the organization will be able to navigate uncertainty, including the kind that cannot be anticipated.

On top of this comes another challenge: building a balanced financing structure capable of supporting growth without weakening the project itself.

A challenging context

Our situation had several particularities.

We had chosen to develop our project as a non-profit organization, with very limited equity at the outset. Our model relied on a restaurant activity designed to support our social mission, in a sector that inspired little confidence among traditional financiers at the time. And we were emerging from the COVID-19 crisis.

In this context, a traditional bank loan did not appear to be the most suitable solution.

We needed a partner capable of understanding the specific realities of an impact-driven project and willing to look beyond financial indicators alone.

Discovering participatory finance

It was during this search that we discovered LITA.

The platform allows citizens and businesses to invest directly in projects with social and environmental impact. It was an approach that immediately resonated with us.

Why? Because it creates a connection between project leaders and the people who finance them. Because it brings transparency. And because it enables savings to contribute directly to the ecological and social transition.

Through a fundraising campaign conducted with LITA, in partnership with Hearth Project, we raised €135,000 in just three weeks from 87 investors.

Beyond the funding itself, the campaign helped build a community around our mission.

An adventure with a positive outcome

Five years later, the results are particularly encouraging.

At the beginning of 2026, we successfully closed this financing operation. The loan was fully repaid, including interest. The monitoring objectives were achieved, and the impact indicators met expectations.

But beyond the numbers, what we remember most are the encounters, the trust that was placed in us, and the feeling that we built something larger than a simple financing mechanism.

Rethinking our relationship with money

This experience reminds us that there are other ways to finance the economy.

Models that are more transparent. More connected to the realities on the ground. More aligned with the social and environmental challenges we seek to address.

For investors, this means gaining visibility into the real-world impact of their savings. For entrepreneurs, it offers the opportunity to surround themselves with partners who understand their mission and genuinely want to contribute to their success.

At Entropy, we are convinced that the food transition will not be built solely in kitchens or on our plates. It also depends on the way we choose to finance the projects that make it possible.

Are you interested ? https://entropyrestaurant.be/fr/reservations