Regeneration.VC’s Post

Phew! I mentioned in my last post that I had a bit of a rough start back in Germany. I have the feeling we have lost our belief in the #greenTransition and instead ended up in a #GermanGreenDepression - 🥊 beating ourselves up, 👉pointing fingers at politicians, rather than actually getting up as individuals and doing something about the issue. Luckily, earlier this month Bits & Pretzels in Munich and DIE ZEIT für Unternehmer in Hamburg felt like a breath of fresh air! Why❓These events were mainly around entrepreneurs who are shaping the #future, rather than people leaning back and complaining about the status quo. (Disclaimer: my own optimist eco chamber - but hope we can spread the word!) I loved hearing the entrepreneurial stories of great climate tech startups like 1KOMMA5°s Sophia Rödiger or CMBlu Energy, with Constantin Eis. But also the stories of Anne-Marie Großmann from GMH Gruppe who are showing how Mittelstand is still producing cutting edge green steel in Germany against all odds. I also loved my chat with Verena Pausder from Startup-Verband who shared their #InnovationAgenda2030. It was totally up my alley: Let’s be optimistic and use the strength that Germany has today, to make things happen for the future.  My main highlights:  1️⃣ More Venture Capital 💶:  ▶️ The Verband is aiming to 3x venture capital investments in Germany by 2030 to close the financing gap of 30bn€ for startups. That would bring VC to 1% of GDP!  ▶️ For that we will need to mobilise more private capital and particularly fresh capital not yet invested in this sector. ▶️They are also calling for fund of fund structures that make VC investing less risky due to broader diversification.  ⏩ So agree!! At Carbon Equity we help pool capital of mass affluent (so people who have a good salary) and HNWI(wealthier individuals) who currently don't have access to this asset class and allow them to invest in the top climate tech innovations alongside literally the Bill Gates of this world. This unlocks fresh capital and helps diversify the risk through our fund of fund approach. 2️⃣ More climate 🌎 companies:  ▶️According to the Verband already 30% of German startups are climate startups, though only 20% of venture capital is flowing into them.💡 they are structurally underinvested ▶️Their aim is to 2x the number of climate unicorns in Germany and establish a leading capital provider for climate tech as well as a top 3 university in climate innovation!  We are all in: And are trying to contribute our part with already 12 climate tech startups in Germany alone of our portfolio of 150+ worldwide  3️⃣ More female entrepreneurs:  ▶️Startup Verband is aiming at 30% of founders being female.  And are of course we are convinced: at Carbon Equity we have 3 female co-founders: Jacqueline van den Ende, Lara Koole, Liza Rubinstein Malamud + me as new female co-founder international, next to our wonderful Jeff Gomez! What are your ideas for more #optimism & #action in Germany? 

❓Everyone’s talking about “purpose-orientation in business” nowadays. But have you ever considered what it would mean to take this literally – and secure purpose-orientation in the long term and on legally binding basis? 🌟 With this question in mind, join us at the Startups for Tomorrow Festival on September 3rd in Munich, where we will get together with many innovative companies aiming to shape an economy that can tackle the challenges of our time! 🎤 Our colleague Maike Kauffmann will be speaking on an inspiring panel alongside Elisa Naranjo (Founder & CEO, zweihorn ENERGY) and Alina Friedrichs (Founder & CEO, guud - benefits for a better future), in which they are going to roll out the topic "Simply Giving Away the Company? New Paths to Steward-Ownership" (“Einfach so die Firma verschenken? Neue Wege zum Verantwortungseigentum”). Join them on a deep dive into #stewardownership and how various companies are filling the concept with life – including renowned names like Bosch or Patagonia (the panel will be held in German). 🚀 We're eager to exchange ideas and listen to panels from other thought leaders and founders, also from other steward-owned companies like Ecosia, soulbottles • soulproducts GmbH, and Patagonia. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with inspiring people and discuss innovative ways into the future. 🎟️ Special Offer: Use the discount code MAIKESFT for €30 off your ticket! Find the festival and ticket link in the comments below. #SFTFestival #StartupsForTomorrow #Leadership #Stewardownership #Verantwortungseigentum #PurposeEconomy #PurposeDriven

Insightful and super excellent, truly the compounding impact of these shared initiatives in the vision paper will birth long-term sustainable Macroeconomics upward shifts, with higher chances of accomplishing SDGs 8,9,11, and 17. Sir (Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani), a possible order of strategic partnerships could lead to cross-continental leverage based on mutually shared interests driven by both countries.

The name and theme of the conference - "Sustainable Capitalism in the Nordics?" - is utopian and naive. Capitalism is an economic system built on the assumption that eternal growth is possible and something to actually strive for. But eternal growth on a planet with finito resources is neither possible nor something we should strive towards. We need another and more sustainable economic system that is tailored to people's needs - not companies needs for profit.

Bonus-Material from the SensAbility - The WHU Impact Summit Pitchbattle: Jaffrey Hudson I. from UGOBEL While the Jury was discussing the pitches of the startups outside of the main stage, the charismatic moderator Laurent-Frederic Lohmann from 4P CAPITAL had a brilliant Idea. Let other founders do a spontaneous pitch on the stage being judged by a jury consisting from members of the audience. Jaffrey Hudson I. took on this challenge with hesistation at all and presented a very interesting Idea which helps exhchange students to feel home and be properly equipped for their short-term stay: UGOBEL focuses on making home setup sustainable through #circular economy. When you move to a new apartment lots of small appliances are still missing. So then you go shopping to get them and try to buy them as cheap as possible to then throw them away after your stay (or before, because they break due to bad quality). UGOBEL focuses on small articles like bedsheets, pans etc. Their service brings convenience for short term stays, as they deliver all the required articles in a box and give the customer the option to resell back to the company for a fixed price within 9 months. In short, Jaffrey aims to stop the the throw-away culture for bedroom and kitchen articles and focuses on international students and residents that only stay in Germany for a short-term. If you’re interested to get more information about don’t hesistate to contact Jaffrey Hudson I. from UGOBEL

“Startups are fertile ground for #innovation, acting as sandboxes and experimental ecosystems. The inherent agility of smaller organizations allows for a greater sense of impact and purpose, which can be harder to achieve within the structured confines of larger, established companies. This distinction creates a fundamentally different social contract for those working in #startups than their counterparts in more traditional settings. As the architect of this unique environment, the entrepreneur is responsible for shaping the organization's social fabric and guiding its cultural direction.” A combination of demographic, cultural, and technological change factors marks the evolution of the role and meaning of #work in our society. Last Friday in Trento, our co-founder Massimiliano Magrini engaged in an interdisciplinary dialogue moderated by Bologna Business School dean Max Bergami that raised and sought to answer questions on how to integrate sustainability with personal values and how to build future-proof organizations. The discussion was enriched by the perspectives of sociologist Francesca Coin, physics professor luciano pietronero (president of Centro Fermi), and Future Food Institute founder Sara Roversi. From the micro level to the larger scale of societal aggregation, a further challenging question emerges: how can we balance the drive for profit and our society's ability to regenerate its social capital? For those interested in exploring this topic further, the full panel discussion (in Italian) is available on demand here: https://lnkd.in/dSS4ViJ8 #FestivalEconomiaTrento

**Reflections on the MyWay Strategy Summit for Family Businesses in Berlin** I had the opportunity to attend the second MyWay summit in Berlin, a two-day event dedicated to the future of family businesses. Accompanied by my colleague Florian Österle, we found ourselves in a number of enriching conversations. However, many of the presentations were tainted by what I can only describe as excessive pessimism—something I find quite typical in these settings. **Key Themes:** - 🌈 The summit was colorful, diverse, and future-focused, with plenty of exciting ideas and forward-looking discussions. - 🏭 Many attendees represented major industrial companies from Southern Germany and the Ruhr area, adding weight to the dialogue. - 🚨 Concerns about Germany’s competitiveness were front and center, focusing on education, migration, integration, and *Enkelfähigkeit* (sustainability for future generations). - 📱 Digitalization took the spotlight, while sustainability was largely framed by concerns over overwhelming regulation. - 😔 Despite the innovative content, there was a lot of defeatism – a very German trait. The motto of the event, *“Zukunft kommt von Zuversicht”*, reflects this mindset. *Zuversicht*, for me, lacks the curiosity, excitement, and playfulness that should come with looking towards the future. Historically, progress has been continuous, but the German interpretation of *Zuversicht* feels more like resigned hope, burdened by nostalgia and a fear that the best days are behind us. **What’s Missing:** This summit showed that while we recognize the challenges, we often overlook our capacity to solve them. A more forward-looking, optimistic mindset would be refreshing—and perhaps more involvement from startups could inject that much-needed “can-do” attitude 💡💪🚀 #MyWay2024 #FamilyBusiness #Innovation #Digitalization #Zukunft #Sustainability #Leadership #CanDo #Zuversicht #BusinessSummit #Startups

🚀 #ThrowbackFriday to the 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗮 𝗦𝗕𝗘 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿!   Looking back, we're reminded of the power of collaboration and innovation. This program was all about walking the talk of an ecosystem approach for innovation, bringing together students, early-stage entrepreneurs, researchers, startups, and SMEs to create a dynamic space for bold ideas and visionary action. Today, we take this moment to send a huge thank you to our amazing partners who played a crucial role in making this possible: Banco Primus Câmara Municipal de Cascais GRUPO ACA Grupo Brisa LTPlabs Morais Leitão Pingo Doce/Jerónimo Martins Schréder Hyperion SIBS ZEISS Group Together, we converged the worlds of Smart Cities, Green Economy, Sustainable Service Providing, and more. By leveraging the power of applied research, knowledge transfer, and diverse perspectives, we created a space for future-forward innovation that explored both citizen and customer journeys. This initiative was a prime example of how collaboration between academic institutions and businesses can foster systemic change. It’s not just about incremental progress—it’s about reimagining the future, and these partners were at the heart of it all.   Check out the video below to learn more about our amazing partners!   🌱 Here's to driving impactful change, supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs, and creating a more sustainable and inclusive future for cities and communities. #InnovationEcosystem #FutureCitiesFutureCommunities #OpenInnovation #SmartCities #Sustainability

In the heart of innovation and cultural heritage, Amsterdam is home to a new generation of entrepreneurs ready to make their mark in 2024. From tech disruptors to sustainability pioneers, these leaders are at the forefront of shaping our future: - Micky Chen & Linky Chen - The dynamic duo behind Minite, revolutionizing the gig economy with their Students-as-a-Service model. - Konstantinos Kouzelis - Steering Coolset towards a greener future with his decarbonization automation tool. 🌱🔧 - Moodi Mahmoudi - Transforming product discovery with AI through NEXT, Moodi is at the cutting edge of tech innovation. 🤖💡 - Joris Oudejans - With BASH, Joris is redefining social connectivity and event discovery in digital spaces. 🎉📲 - Frans Walter Biegstraaten - Driving sustainability with BIYU, offering an eco-friendly alternative to buying seldom-used products. 🌍♻️ - Anastasia Kuskova - At the helm of Sirius, Anastasia is pioneering sustainable solutions in the mining and metals industries. ⛏️🌿 - Steef Fleur - Founder of Billie Wonder, Steef is championing the shift towards washable diapers for a sustainable future. 👶🌎 - Laurie Lancee - Through Vini Mini, Laurie is tackling the rise of food allergies with innovative food supplements for babies. 🍏👼 - Rens Doornbusch - Leading Roboat, Rens is navigating the future with autonomous sailing models for Amsterdam’s canals. 🚤🤖 These entrepreneurs are not just building businesses; they're crafting a future where innovation meets sustainability. Keep an eye on these game-changers as they continue to drive Amsterdam's status as a global business powerhouse in 2024 and beyond. Full article here: https://lnkd.in/dDYt9FuH #AmsterdamEntrepreneurs #Innovation #Sustainability #Startups #Europe #Netherlands

Last week was Oslo Innovation Week (OIW), perhaps the most dynamic week in our capital’s entrepreneurial world. The opening ceremony, this year held in the medieval castle grounds of Akershus Festning, was – as ever – full of energy and verve. Founders/entrepreneurs remain my favourite group of people – passionate, driven, idealistic (many are!) and full of can-do spirit. During OIW, this group of people gets to mingle with big hitters from politics, industry and finance. A big thanks to Tom Miskin for inviting me, and hats off to the formidable Lauga Oskarsdottir for expertly holding the reins on stage! It was great to meet some people for the first time, like Øystein E. Søreide and Geir Førre, and to see old colleagues, associates and friends again. A special shout-out to Bjarne Melbye, Daniel Caetanya Fossum, Daniel Döderlein, and Marcus Winnfors Ravik - always a pleasure to catch up with you! My 4 key takeaways from this week were: ·         The entrepreneurial ecosystem struck me as less empowered than before, and I do wonder if this is due to the anti-entrepreneurial policies currently enacted, such as exit tax on those who go abroad; wealth tax on unrealised gains (a disaster on founders’ personal budgets and a dampener on investors’ desire to invest), and other putative own goals that this post is too short to address.   ·         The dearth of available investment capital was probably the most repeated story I heard the whole week. ‘Everyone’ seems to be scrambling for funding. The investors I met last week must have felt besieged! But what stayed with me the most was the advice given by two nestors of entrepreneurship on stage on the first day (the witty repartee of Håkon Haugli could actually merit its own bullet point, but I’ll stick to business): ·         There is currently an unprecedented concentration of capital. We must all take our cues from the leaders of AI, and Ravi Belani shared some eye-opening things about what that means for whoever wants to prosper in this space.   ·         There is currently also a big knowledge gap between those who want to spread the use of AI and those who are supposed to use it. Despite the vast resources and ultra-heavy media coverage poured into AI over the last two years, this is still the case! That really hit home what an uphill road we have ahead of us with Quantum Technology (QT) awareness building!   I believe that QT will have such massive B2B impact that B2C relevance may not even emerge as a key driver. The differences in advantages between the “haves” and the “have nots”, industrially and societally, will be so huge, that “selling it” to mass market recipients may not be necessary. This could lead to a new level altogether in the seemingly never-ending arms race between the empowerment vs the disempowerment of ‘Joe Bloggs’. The latter is really not aware of this!