Shows
New Wave.Scaling Europe’s Most Active Impact Angel Club - Tina Dreimann (better ventures)Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.***This week, we’re joined by Tina Dreimann (thank you, Tim Schumacher, for the introduction), founder and General Partner of better ventures. Instead of following a traditional VC model, better ventures operates as a community of entrepreneurs investing in and supporting the next generation of impact-driven founders.In this episode, we explore:* Why community investing could outperform traditional VC* The formula: Community + Tech = Impact + Returns* The biggest challenges for impact entrepreneurs today* Why climate is just one piece...
2025-03-0640 min
New Wave.How to Use LCAs for VC Investments - Dr Benedikt Buschpies (Planet A Ventures)Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.***This week, we’re joined by Dr. Benedikt Buchspies, a scientist at Planet A Ventures, one of Europe's leading climate-tech VC funds. Benedikt has been pioneering the use of lifecycle assessments (LCAs) in venture capital for years and is showing that science + VC = impact.In this episode, we cover:* What an LCA is and how it measures climate impact* Why most VCs ignore environmental data (and why they shouldn’t)* How impact and financial returns align in early-stage startups...
2025-02-2746 min
New Wave.When VC Meets Nonprofit - Marion Schuppe (makesense)Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.***While traditional VC prioritizes financial returns, makesense invest is proving that social and environmental impact can be at the core of investing, without sacrificing performance. Marion Schuppe, an Investment Director at makesense Invest, joins the podcast to discuss their unique model that integrates a VC fund inside a non-profit. In this episode, we cover:* How makesense balances nonprofit with venture capital* Raising a first-time impact fund: lessons from securing LP commitments* Why their team takes zero carried interest, and where...
2025-02-2053 min
New Wave.Impact assessment matters less than you think – Raphaele Leyendecker (Techstars)Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.***Raphaele Leyendecker, a Managing Director at Techstars Sustainability Paris, where she has invested in 70+ climate tech startups, joins the podcast to discuss early-stage impact assessment and the french ecosystem as it compares to the global landscape. In this episode, we discuss:* Why early-stage impact assessment is often a myth* The biggest challenge for climate startups in France* How investors should really measure impact* The role of technological readiness levels (TRLs) in deep tech investing* How France’s...
2025-02-1351 min
New Wave.Investing €300M in climate-tech that can sell to climate deniers - Tim Schumacher (World Fund, Ecosia)Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.***Tim Schumacher, General Partner at World Fund, joins the podcast to share insights on building Europe's largest climate-tech VC and what it takes to back companies that even climate deniers would buy from.In our conversation, we explore:* World Fund's investment and fundraising strategy* Assessing startups with the climate performance potential (CPP) * Climate-tech that can sell to climate deniers * The founding of Ecosia* … and more!***TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction01:22 Tim's Jo...
2025-02-0458 min
New Wave.Lessons from cleantech 1.0 - August Solliv (Impact Supporters)Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.***August Solliv, a former climate VC, and author of the newsletter Impact Supporters joins the podcast to dive into the learnings from the first wave of cleantech startups and what it means for today’s climate-tech companies.In our conversation, we explore:* The reasons behind the rise and fall of Cleantech 1.0* The lessons learned for Climate Tech today.* The future of Climate Tech investments* ...and more! ***TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction 01:15 Defining Cleantech 1.0 0...
2025-01-2852 min
New Wave.Aligning Climate Impact with Venture Success - Heidi Lindvall (Pale Blue Dot)Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.***Heidi Lindvall, a general partner at Pale Blue Dot, a climate-focused venture capital fund from the Nordics, joins the podcast to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities in building a VC firm centered around climate impact.In our conversation, we explore:* Her approach to assessing impact as a climate-tech VC * Why intentionality is the most important criteria for impact * What we can learn from traditional startups and VCs * And more.. ***TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction03:18 Why Invest...
2025-01-2155 min