Shows
ALAQA#12 Patient capital formula: Benjamin Le Pendeven on persistence as the missing ingredient of impactToday, we are happy to welcome Benjamin Le Pendeven, associate professor of entrepreneurial and responsible finance at Audencia Business School, where he leads the “Finance for Innovation” research chair focused on impact investing, innovation financing, and social impact bonds. He collaborates with public institutions, private investors, and NGOs and previously worked as an entrepreneur and impact investor.Key topics:Why experimentation isn’t the problem, scaling and persistence are.How persistence and stability in teams matter as much as patient capital.Why impact investing must think beyond pilots, metrics, and exits.How academia can act as a bridge between finance, policy...
2025-12-3041 min
ALAQA#12 Patient capital formula: Benjamin Le Pendeven on persistence as the missing ingredient of impactToday, we are happy to welcome Benjamin Le Pendeven, associate professor of entrepreneurial and responsible finance at Audencia Business School, where he leads the “Finance for Innovation” research chair focused on impact investing, innovation financing, and social impact bonds. He collaborates with public institutions, private investors, and NGOs and previously worked as an entrepreneur and impact investor.Key topics:Why experimentation isn’t the problem, scaling and persistence are.How persistence and stability in teams matter as much as patient capital.Why impact investing must think beyond pilots, metrics, and exits.How academia can act as a brid...
2025-12-3041 min
ALAQA#11 Patience as Powerful Lever: Benjamine Friderich on Long-Term Capital and Transformative Growth (FR episode) 🇫🇷Today's episode is a special one. We’re switching things up with a conversation conducted entirely in French.Consider it a linguistic detour from our regular programming.Alors… on y va, et bonne écoute en français.Aujourd’hui, nous sommes heureux d’accueillir Benjamine Friderich, Head of Investments chez Colam Impact, une filiale de Colam Entreprendre.Après avoir effectué un tour du monde à l’âge de 21 ans sur le thème du commerce équitable et de la microfinance, Benjamine Friderich rejoint le Groupe Crédit Coopératif, où elle accumule 12 ans d’exp...
2025-12-2355 min
ALAQA#11 Patience as Powerful Lever: Benjamine Friderich on Long-Term Capital and Transformative Growth (FR episode) 🇫🇷Today's episode is a special one. We’re switching things up with a conversation conducted entirely in French.Consider it a linguistic detour from our regular programming.Alors… on y va, et bonne écoute en français.Aujourd’hui, nous sommes heureux d’accueillir Benjamine Friderich, Head of Investments chez Colam Impact, une filiale de Colam Entreprendre.Après avoir effectué un tour du monde à l’âge de 21 ans sur le thème du commerce équitable et de la microfinance, Benjamine Friderich rejoint le Groupe Crédit Coopératif, où elle accumule 12 ans d’expérience dans différents services. En 2015, elle intègre la...
2025-12-2355 min
ALAQA#10 Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Constanza Robles on Finding Creative Adjustments for AgriFood Systems TransformationToday we are happy to welcome Constanza Robles Fumarola.Constanza is a systems change investor and designer focused on transforming food systems across Africa. She is the Founding Partner of Inanna, an investor and venture builder applying systems thinking to regenerative agriculture and food. With a background in social impact and futures design, she has worked with organisations such as the UN FAO, FCDO, and GIZ to shape strategies that bridge innovation, inclusion, and sustainability. Her work brings together modern finance and indigenous, community-led knowledge to build resilient, equitable agrihealth systems.Key...
2025-12-1639 min
ALAQA#10 Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Constanza Robles on Finding Creative Adjustments for AgriFood Systems TransformationToday we are happy to welcome Constanza Robles Fumarola.Constanza is a systems change investor and designer focused on transforming food systems across Africa. She is the Founding Partner of Inanna, an investor and venture builder applying systems thinking to regenerative agriculture and food. With a background in social impact and futures design, she has worked with organisations such as the UN FAO, FCDO, and GIZ to shape strategies that bridge innovation, inclusion, and sustainability. Her work brings together modern finance and indigenous, community-led knowledge to build resilient, equitable agrihealth systems.Key points:Why shifting investment logic is necessary...
2025-12-1639 min
ALAQA#09 Using public money to support change: Laure Blanchard-Brunac on when blended finance actually worksToday we are happy to welcome Laure Blanchard-Brunac.Laure is an expert in development finance and blended finance, with over 20 years of experience across leading European financial institutions and the European Commission. She has a proven expertise in EU financial instruments, budgetary guarantees and investment-related policies and regulations. Laure is currently a member of the InvestEU Investment Committee, and a Key Expert with the Trade and Private Sector Development Facility (TPSD) implemented by DAI on behalf of the European Commission. She is also a Senior Advisor with Rud Pedersen Public Affairs Brussels advising private companies on their E...
2025-12-0939 min
ALAQA#09 Using public money to support change: Laure Blanchard-Brunac on when blended finance actually worksToday we are happy to welcome Laure Blanchard-Brunac.Laure is an expert in development finance and blended finance, with over 20 years of experience across leading European financial institutions and the European Commission. She has a proven expertise in EU financial instruments, budgetary guarantees and investment-related policies and regulations. Laure is currently a member of the InvestEU Investment Committee, and a Key Expert with the Trade and Private Sector Development Facility (TPSD) implemented by DAI on behalf of the European Commission. She is also a Senior Advisor with Rud Pedersen Public Affairs Brussels advising private companies on their EU funding strategies.
2025-12-0938 min
ALAQA#08 Catalyzing possible futures during a messy present: Greg De Temmerman’s hybrid lens on Climate ActionToday we are happy to welcome Greg De Temmerman.Greg has about 20 years of experience spanning fusion and energy research, philanthropic funding, and climate solutions. Working at the intersection between science, innovation and climate action, he is passionate about building systems that enable bold and transformative initiatives to thrive. Until October 2025 he was deputy CEO and Chief Science Officer of the Quadrature Climate Foundation in London. He is currently advising philanthropists and entrepreneurs on high impact projects. He is a published author and TED speakerKey topics:- The importance of effective Communication...
2025-12-0244 min
ALAQA#08 Catalyzing possible futures during a messy present: Greg De Temmerman’s hybrid lens on Climate ActionToday we are happy to welcome Greg De Temmerman.Greg has about 20 years of experience spanning fusion and energy research, philanthropic funding, and climate solutions. Working at the intersection between science, innovation and climate action, he is passionate about building systems that enable bold and transformative initiatives to thrive. Until October 2025 he was deputy CEO and Chief Science Officer of the Quadrature Climate Foundation in London. He is currently advising philanthropists and entrepreneurs on high impact projects. He is a published author and TED speakerKey topics:- The importance of effective Communication in Climate & Energy- Funding, power dynamics and what...
2025-12-0243 min
ALAQA#07 Capital access and equitable wealth building: Eric Collins leveraging Urgency and JoyToday, I’m joined by Eric Collins, Co-Founder and General Partner of Impact X Capital Partners and a serial entrepreneur, investor, technology executive, host of award-winning Channel 4 business show,The Money Maker, which is based on the highly successful US show The Profit on CNBC, and author of the award winning book We Don’t Need Permission - How Black Business Can Change the World.In 2018 he co-founded Impact X Capital Partners, a UK domiciled VC fund that has closed 2 funds with 49 investments including Europe’s 2nd Black unicorn, insurtech innovator, Marshmallow. Impact X also invests in select cre...
2025-11-1146 min
ALAQACapital access and equitable wealth building: Eric Collins leveraging Urgency and JoyToday, I’m joined by Eric Collins, Co-Founder and General Partner of Impact X Capital Partners and a serial entrepreneur, investor, technology executive, host of award-winning Channel 4 business show,The Money Maker, which is based on the highly successful US show The Profit on CNBC, and author of the award winning book We Don’t Need Permission - How Black Business Can Change the World.In 2018 he co-founded Impact X Capital Partners, a UK domiciled VC fund that has closed 2 funds with 49 investments including Europe’s 2nd Black unicorn, insurtech innovator, Marshmallow. Impact X also invests in select creative projects with the a...
2025-11-1145 min
ALAQA#06 A Good Pension in a Livable World: Laure Wessemius-Chibrac on Rethinking Finance for the FutureToday, I’m joined by Laure Wessemius-Chibrac, a seasoned investment professional with nearly three decades of experience in the financial sector, specialising in sustainability, impact investing and the mobilisation of institutional capital. Based in the Netherlands, she has built a solid exposure to emerging markets. She currently serves as the Founding Managing Director / CEO of Netherlands Advisory Board on Impact Investing (NAB). In this role, Laure has been driving the agenda to scale up impact investments from pension funds, insurance companies and asset managers and alter structural investment patterns.In this episode we talk about:how culture is a ke...
2025-10-2847 min
ALAQA#06 A Good Pension in a Livable World: Laure Wessemius-Chibrac on Rethinking Finance for the FutureToday, I’m joined by Laure Wessemius-Chibrac, a seasoned investment professional with nearly three decades of experience in the financial sector, specialising in sustainability, impact investing and the mobilisation of institutional capital. Based in the Netherlands, she has built a solid exposure to emerging markets. She currently serves as the Founding Managing Director / CEO of Netherlands Advisory Board on Impact Investing (NAB). In this role, Laure has been driving the agenda to scale up impact investments from pension funds, insurance companies and asset managers and alter structural investment patterns.In this episode we talk ab...
2025-10-2850 min
ALAQA#05 Investing with trust: James Burrows on how experiments, time and proximity unlock new avenues for impactToday, I’m joined by James Burrows. James currently looks after the social lending team at Better Society Capital (BSC), which includes work on Blended Finance, Ethical Banks, and Social Outcomes Partnerships. These are all ways of connecting capital to communities that need it most. He is also actively involved in shaping and building out the practice looking at investing for more transformative systems change. Previously, he led on the Places strategy, looking at ways investment might play a role to support places and communities to thrive.In this episode, we’ll explore:Trus...
2025-10-1447 min
ALAQA#05 Investing with trust: James Burrows on how experiments, time and proximity unlock new avenues for impactToday, I’m joined by James Burrows. James currently looks after the social lending team at Better Society Capital (BSC), which includes work on Blended Finance, Ethical Banks, and Social Outcomes Partnerships. These are all ways of connecting capital to communities that need it most. He is also actively involved in shaping and building out the practice looking at investing for more transformative systems change. Previously, he led on the Places strategy, looking at ways investment might play a role to support places and communities to thrive.In this episode, we’ll explore:Trust and Stewardship in FinanceImpact Investing and...
2025-10-1447 min
ALAQA#04 Questioning mental models for a Just Climate Transition: Tess Dury on power dynamics in VC and the nature of capitalToday I'm joined by Tess Dury, Director of Impact and ESG at Extantia, a deep tech climate fund, known for not shying away from hardware tech, as well as first of a kind industrial investments. At Extentia Tess works with investors in climate startups to support them in the difficult journey of both designing and delivering sustainable growth that is part of the solution, not the problem. Today's episode is honestly quite surprising for me because not only did we explore the usual personal journey into sustainability and impact, but Tess managed to uncover so many difficult...
2025-10-0736 min
ALAQA#04 Questioning mental models for a Just Climate Transition: Tess Dury on power dynamics in VC and the nature of capitalToday I'm joined by Tess Dury, Director of Impact and ESG at Extantia, a deep tech climate fund, known for not shying away from hardware tech, as well as first of a kind industrial investments. At Extentia Tess works with investors in climate startups to support them in the difficult journey of both designing and delivering sustainable growth that is part of the solution, not the problem. Today's episode is honestly quite surprising for me because not only did we explore the usual personal journey into sustainability and impact, but Tess managed to uncover so many difficult and interesting questions...
2025-10-0735 min
ALAQA#03 Networks, Trust, and System Change: Krisztina Tora on Catalyzing Inclusive EconomiesToday, I’m joined by Krisztina Tora, a global leader in impact investing and impact markets, known for shifting capital flows toward real impact in over 70 countries.Krisztina has advised financial institutions, governments, and civil society on building inclusive impact economies, while also creating partnerships that help diverse stakeholders co-design systemic solutions. Her work is driven by a conviction that finance must serve equality, dignity, and sustainability — and by a willingness to challenge entrenched belief systems.In this episode, we’ll explore what it takes to transform finance from within, and why breaking out of ou...
2025-09-3036 min
ALAQA#03 Networks, Trust, and System Change: Krisztina Tora on Catalyzing Inclusive EconomiesToday, I’m joined by Krisztina Tora, a global leader in impact investing and impact markets, known for shifting capital flows toward real impact in over 70 countries.Krisztina has advised financial institutions, governments, and civil society on building inclusive impact economies, while also creating partnerships that help diverse stakeholders co-design systemic solutions. Her work is driven by a conviction that finance must serve equality, dignity, and sustainability — and by a willingness to challenge entrenched belief systems.In this episode, we’ll explore what it takes to transform finance from within, and why breaking out of our bubbles is essential for real syst...
2025-09-3036 min
ALAQA#02 From Banking to Biodiversity: Laura Ortiz on Redefining Capital for the Climate TransitionWelcome to Alaqa — a podcast about the relationships shaping systems, capital, and the climate transition.Today, I’m joined by Laura Ortiz Montemayor, Founder of SVX México and Managing Partner at Regenera Ventures Fund, where she works to finance regenerative transitions in Mexico and Colombia.Through SVX and Regenera, Laura has educated thousands of investors and entrepreneurs in Latin America, challenging conventional finance and promoting social entrepreneurship, gender lens investing, and nature-based solutions. Her mission is to ensure capital works in service of life — not the other way around.In this episode, we’ll dive in...
2025-09-2359 min
ALAQA#02 From Banking to Biodiversity: Laura Ortiz on Redefining Capital for the Climate TransitionWelcome to Alaqa — a podcast about the relationships shaping systems, capital, and the climate transition.Today, I’m joined by Laura Ortiz Montemayor, Founder of SVX México and Managing Partner at Regenera Ventures Fund, where she works to finance regenerative transitions in Mexico and Colombia.Through SVX and Regenera, Laura has educated thousands of investors and entrepreneurs in Latin America, challenging conventional finance and promoting social entrepreneurship, gender lens investing, and nature-based solutions. Her mission is to ensure capital works in service of life — not the other way around.In this episode, we’ll dive into why redefining success, rebuilding trust...
2025-09-2358 min
ALAQA#01 Dancing with Systems: Roberta Benedetti on Investing for Deep TransitionsToday, I’m joined by Roberta Benedetti del Rio, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Radia Capital, a specialised firm scaling industrial transformation and decarbonisation solutions in Europe.At Radia Capital, Roberta focuses on bridging the funding gap for scale-ups in hard-to-abate sectors like steel, cement, and heavy transport — industries that are both urgent and often overlooked. Her work, from co-chairing the Deep Transitions Lab to shaping climate impact standards, has influenced how investors think about systemic change and measure impact.In this episode, we’ll explore how systems thinking reshapes industrial decarbonisation — and why the future of inv...
2025-09-1631 min
ALAQAALAQA #01 Roberta Benedetti, Radia CapitalToday, I’m joined by Roberta Benedetti del Rio, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Radia Capital, a specialised firm scaling industrial transformation and decarbonisation solutions in Europe.At Radia Capital, Roberta focuses on bridging the funding gap for scale-ups in hard-to-abate sectors like steel, cement, and heavy transport — industries that are both urgent and often overlooked. Her work, from co-chairing the Deep Transitions Lab to shaping climate impact standards, has influenced how investors think about systemic change and measure impact.In this episode, we’ll explore how systems thinking reshapes industrial decarbonisation — and why the future of investing calls for humility, plu...
2025-09-1630 min
ALAQAALAQA Podcast - Teaser Season 1In Arabic, ALAQA means relationship — a word that invites us to look deeper at what connects (and sometimes disconnects) the parts of a system.In the age of climate urgency, economic uncertainty, and social fragmentation, relationships — between people, portfolios, institutions, sectors, and generations — are no longer soft infrastructure. They are the levers of change. And yet, they’re often overlooked in strategy rooms, investment decks, or governance models.ALAQA explores the structural, strategic, and human dimensions of relationships in the world of capital — particularly for those seeking to finance solutions...
2025-09-0801 min
ALAQAALAQA Podcast - Teaser Season 1In Arabic, ALAQA means relationship — a word that invites us to look deeper at what connects (and sometimes disconnects) the parts of a system.In the age of climate urgency, economic uncertainty, and social fragmentation, relationships — between people, portfolios, institutions, sectors, and generations — are no longer soft infrastructure. They are the levers of change. And yet, they’re often overlooked in strategy rooms, investment decks, or governance models.ALAQA explores the structural, strategic, and human dimensions of relationships in the world of capital — particularly for those seeking to finance solutions in a complex, interdependent world.Each episode unpacks a relation...
2025-09-0801 min
Mythological Africans PodcastAbayTo the people of Ethiopia, Abay (the Blue Nile) is the River of All Rivers. Abay is a friend, a stranger and an enemy. It is a healer, a unifier and a giver, as well as a destroyer, a scatterer and a taker. Much has been written and said about what Abay means to Ethiopians but nowhere else has this been better recorded than in the poems and songs that have been composed about the river.Ethiopia is our country, Abay is our river. The women are fine spinners [and] the men are brave warriors. — Ethiopian song....
2025-06-2314 min
Al Hakam INSPIRE PodcastEmbryology in the Holy Quran | Dr Hasham Ahmad | AHI Podcast #14Join Dr Hasham Ahmad, a Medical Doctor and Researcher, exploring an introduction into the process of Embryology as described in the Holy Quran.
The Holy Quran is a book of wisdom and was revealed in the 7th Century A.D. to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), with the commencement of the revelations during the blessed month of Ramadan. The Holy Quran is well known to contain knowledge and guidance pertaining to various specialities of life, both spiritual and of worldly nature. Embryology is the branch of science which studies the principles of pre-natal development o...
2023-03-1323 min