They are characterised by long time-horizons, philanthropic goals and the absence of personal profit motives.
Many of the best known foundation-owned companies are publicly listed, while the enterprise foundation retains a controlling ownership position, commonly through voting rights via different share classes.
Several big international companies are owned by enterprise foundations, including the Indian Tata Group, the Swedish Wallenberg businesses, the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, US Hershey, German Robert Bosch, Swiss Rolex and IKEA.
[2] Many enterprise foundations are non-profits without a personal profit motive, which sets them aside from other ownership structures.
Instead, they are legally bound by their purpose, which typically is to secure the longevity and independence of the companies that they own and to contribute to society by philanthropy.
[2][3] The Nordic country of Denmark is an outlier due to its tax regime and enterprise foundation laws.