🌟 Event Recap: Insights from the event “How to Start an Impact Startup from Italy w/ FI & Impact Hub Milan” 🌟
Our recent event on 12 November brought together industry leaders to discuss how impact-driven startups can build effective stakeholder relationships, communicate their sustainability goals authentically, and navigate investor expectations. Here’s what each expert shared:
On Effective Stakeholder Engagement, Camilla Barlocco, emphasized that startups should first understand why and who they are engaging with to ensure their message resonates. Sustainability should be integrated into the core value proposition, not just as an add-on. By mapping stakeholders and aligning sustainability with business goals, startups can create authentic stories that foster meaningful commitment from employees, partners, and investors. 📊
Regarding Defining Impact and Operational Feasibility, Camilla reassured founders that extensive reporting isn’t necessary early on. Instead, they should demonstrate how sustainability is embedded in their product lifecycle. 📈
On Communicating Impact Goals, Francesco Gia highlighted the importance of startups authentically integrating sustainability into their core mission, focusing on positive cultural, environmental, and economic impacts. To align with investors, startups need to communicate how these goals resonate with their values, ensuring sustainability is more feasible if embedded from the start. 🌱
On Support for Impact Startups and Overcoming Generational Gaps, Francesco highlighted the value of accelerators and incubators specializing in impact, offering best practices, a global network, and feedback. True innovation often comes from starting with sustainability at the core. 🌐
Rajel Khambhaita, shared key insights on impact due diligence for investors, emphasizing the need to evaluate a business’s impact thesis thoroughly, ensuring it’s clearly defined and integrated into operations. He pointed out that red flags include vague strategies, inconsistent use of impact management systems, and reports focusing more on marketing than on genuine impact outcomes. 🔍
Rajel also spoke on avoiding Greenwashing. He emphasized that founders should make truthful, evidence-based impact claims and avoid exaggerating benefits. He highlighted the importance of transparency, especially around environmental impacts like emissions, and advised founders to avoid unqualified or broad claims to prevent accusations of greenwashing. 🚫♻️
These insights highlight that startups embracing authentic sustainability are primed for positive impact and growth. Successful impact investing relies on alignment between founders and investors, focusing on genuine sustainability and clear, data-driven goals.
Unfortunately, Marco Nannini and Valerie Harrington could not make it to this event, but we are looking forward to having them again at one of our future sessions. 💛💚
#FounderInstitute #ImpactInvesting #italianinnovationecosystem
