RURBAN

(formerly Roots Studio) is reimagining cultural sustainability onto new formats through IP licensing for the world’s Creative Unseen. Described by TechCrunch as the “Shutterstock for Cultural Art,” they lead the largest Cultural Assets Exchange, an archive of over 20,000 endangered art and crafts, traceable back to a portfolio of 42 communities globally. Partnerships include Patagonia, Chanel, Cartier, A24, NOAH, National Geographic, REI, amongst others, with over 5.1 million products in distribution over multiple seasons, increasing their artists’ annual income by 23% – 300%. Roots Studio has been featured in The Business of Fashion as “The Antidote to Cultural Appropriation”, Forbes Under 30, and Vogue Business 100 “Champions for Change”.

Rebecca is the founder of RURBAN (formerly Roots Studio), a Cultural Arts Exchange facilitating IP protection and royalty licensing for 42 Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities globally. Over a decade, they’ve partnered with Patagonia, National Geographic, REI, A24, Chanel Foundation, NOAH, bridging art and Indigenous knowledge onto 5.1M + products and increasing artists’ incomes by 23%-300% annually. The Business of Fashion called RURBAN “The Antidote to Cultural Appropriation.” Rebecca is a fellow of Echoing Green, Cartier Women’s Initiative, Vogue Business 100, Forbes Under 30, and WEF.

Previously, she designed map technologies for conservation, leveraging satellite data for climate resilience with MIT, The World Bank, WFP, and the Indian Government. A Fulbright Scholar and National Geographic Explorer, she studied human-animal coexistence across Indigenous communities. Her children’s book, Old Enough to Make a Difference (Abrams), inspires kids to be social entrepreneurs.