Deep Dive #1 / The Sustainability Issue
We still have time,
but we need to go the extra mile
With the arrival of spring, we bring you in this special edition, a look at how sustainability is entering the dynamics of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The good news is that we still have time to make a difference, that there is a lot of market potential and that impactful solutions pay off. The other news is that we all need to work for change - not just impact economy players but the whole ecosystem.
For this edition, we talked to MAZE, a European investor for impact, and to It's About Impact, an organisation that works on impact content and events, to find out what drives this economy and what we can all do in the sphere of the entrepreneurial ecosystem to intrinsically change our habits and work towards a more socially and environmentally sustainable future.
We have also highlighted some startups that are making a name for themselves in our ecosystem, in the area of sustainability, and essential information for us to know the actual dimension of the solutions that are being created and the financial potential of this sector that is solving such significant problems.
See you soon!
CAN WE DO IT?
The conclusion is simple: impact pays off, and businesses that solve humanity's grand challenges have a competitive advantage, but real change does not depend on them alone.
Any business needs to account for its impact, be transparent and act on it when it's negative. The good news is that it's not that complicated: Curious to know how, then can read the last article of our blog that explains the reasons why it is impossible to leave impact KPIs out and what we can do to have a more sustainable ecosystem, with inputs from a conversation with Jwana Godinho (It's About Impact) and Rita Casimiro (MAZE).
Get involved.
📍 All CEO's committed to making their startups more sustainable can look to B-Corp certification to show their stakeholders an independent seal of compliance with the most critical KPI's in this area.
🧠 Norrsken Impact Accelerator is one of the world's largest accelerators for the impact economy. Applications have closed, but 'late applications' are still being accepted.
🔎 In Portugal, the Santa Casa Challenge is a reference with regards to the development of startups in the impact economy. Applications for the next edition are open for businesses that solve problems related to mental health.
The innovators.
Trigger.systems
Our alumni, Trigger.systems has created an irrigation algorithm that acts based on the weather forecast. Temperature, humidity, wind, evapotranspiration, sun exposure and other 510 weather parameters can be used in decision making.
Find out more here
RNTERS
To counteract consumerist logic, Rnters has created a marketplace for the rental of objects we use little. How many times in our lives do we use a drill? Or a tent? Why not monetize the time when these objects are stopped instead of encouraging their purchase?
Food for thought.
💸Founders Future, a French investment firm, launched in February a new fund focused on supporting the next generation of impact entrepreneurs. More information about this fund here.
💪🏽The third edition of Maze X starts in June, but the 10 projects that the impact investment firm will accelerate were already announced on Monday. We can meet them all here.
👥 We don't want the conversation to stop there: on Thursday, at 21h, we'll talk about sustainability at the Clubhouse with Marta Cerqueira, executive editor of Magg and founder of Peggada, Pedro Andrade, CEO and founder of Hunter Boards, Jwana Godinho, founder of It's About Impact, and with the moderation of Marta Carvalho, d'A Mensagem, and Maria Guimarães, Head of Content at Startup Lisboa.
Are we heading towards a future in which, as a principle, all businesses will be socially and environmentally sustainable? But what are we really talking about when we talk about sustainable businesses? How to follow the change and measure its impact? We count on you in this conversation.