For the first time, we did a panel about the intersection of impact investing and venture capital at ECO15 London as we believe it is a very important topic and a great opportunity for startups to tap into more sources of capital. A lively discussion emerged between Andreas Spiess (Solarkiosk), Mike Mompi (ClearlySo), Daan Lameris (DOEN Foundation) and Rene Savelsberg (SET Ventures). Most people agree that impact investing is about supporting startups that create environmental, social and economic impact in parallel. Still, there are different personal and and corporate preferences when it comes to putting an impact investing strategy into practice. Some entrepreneurs and investors focus on social impact while others want to create impact by supporting founders in the early stage when less fundraising alternatives are available as the risk is still too high. Agreement was reached that scale plays an important role as we want to create big impact with big startups. At any rate, impact investors and financially driven VCs may actually complement one another very well as they bring different values and skill sets to the table. The founders just have to make sure that values are aligned and the same growth strategy is supported by all investors.
- 12. The Orange Economy in Latin America by Felipe Buitrago. Alas Conference 2015
- Shikshan padhat/शिक्षण पद्धती