Public Benefit Corporation
Noun · Startup & VC
Definitions
A legal corporate form that allows a company to pursue specified public benefits alongside shareholder value rather than treating profit maximization as the sole objective. Startups use it when mission commitments need structural backing, not just branding.
In plain English: A company structure that legally includes public-benefit goals alongside making money.
Example: "They converted to a public benefit corporation to formalize climate impact as part of the charter."