Impact People

Continuing our trip into Egypt, we talk to some of the many people making impact happen in the region during the Green Growth Summit, organized by our regional partner, Hivos. Social entrepreneurs, support organizations and incubators provide their views on a just transition in the MENA-region, while also sharing some of the mistakes that have made them grow.

MENA's impact people flocked together in Cairo for the second leg of the Green Growth Summit, hosted by our partner Hivos. It's a prime opportunity to take you on a two-part journey through Egypt. Before heading to the event, we met up for a warm encounter with our local partner Enroot, digging deeper into the bustling region they serve.   Give Enroot a follow via:  https://www.linkedin....

Impact Transformers goes live on June 12-13 at Titaan, a new hub for impact in The Hague. But before impact funds, financial institutions and corporate impact actors join forces at the event, we’re giving the mic to some of Titaan’s residents. On this episode, it’s Isha Rostamkhan and Jesse Casters, two young people leveling up their impact with the help of Unknown University. Tune in to hear thei...

As Paris gears up for the Olympic Games, we ask: what’s the impact? In this mini episode, guest host Juli speaks with those who have the answer. Athletes and sports organisations get the mic to explain how they tackle climate change and make an impact on society's most pressing problems. 

Back in 2022, Impact Europe helped launch Actio, the first impact fund in Georgia. How successful has it been so far? And what kind of impact has it generated in the past few years? Kristine Kandelaki (Head of CSRDG/Fund Manager at Actio) and social entrepreneur Maka Dvalishvili (Istoriali) join to share their perspectives on achieved results, the overall impact investing ecosystem in Georgia, and...

In part 2 of our special episode live from ChangeNOW in Paris, we spoke to  Sandrine Dixson-Declève (The Club of Rome), Carine de Meyere (Women of the World), Valeria Ramundo Orlando (Greensquare Ventures) and Aglaé Touchard-Le Drian (RAISE Impact)!  Join us to hear stories for a better future and what really lasts after such temporary conferences. (And why does it smell of horse?) Learn more:  ht...

Guest host Nazareth Seferian takes the mic and hits the road for this special episode. Engage Armenia was a whirlwind tour of Armenian diaspora communities in Europe, and Nazareth was there to dive deep on diaspora engagement in impact investment. But he was also there to record, reflect and interview. Featuring Heiko Jessayan , Mike Donikiyan ,  André Gumuchdjian and Vartan Marashlyan .   Learn m...

15 impact funds pitched at the Funds for Change event, co-organized by Impact Europe during ChangeNOW in Paris. We spoke to the impact people behind the funds about their work, the challenges they face and the way forward. Join us live, in the middle of the Circle Stage at ChangeNOW. Stay tuned for part 2!

Good Deed Foundation doesn’t just do good for Estonians; the knowledge they share with the greater impact ecosystem is a good deed in itself. Join Pirkko Valge (CEO at Good Deed Foundation) and Ben to find out what the Estonian impact space has to teach the world.   Read Good Deed Foundation’s Impact Report:  https://bit.ly/gooddeedimpactreport   https://heategu.ee/   https://www.impacteurope.net/...

The financial and mental well-being of young people – that's the issue at stake for NN Group and Young Impact. Lonneke Roza (Head of Community Investment, NN Group), Wendy Kakebeeke (Director, Young Impact) and Erben Oosting (Advisory Board Member, Young Impact; WEF Global Shaper, World Economic Forum) join us for perspectives from three layers of impact – investor, investee and a young perso...

Past. Present. Future. The needs of the market have pushed impact people to respond in ways we never could have predicted in 2004, when some dreamers came together to found EVPA – now Impact Europe – The Investing for Impact Network. Join Chris West (Partner, Sumerian Partners; Board Member, Impact Europe), Roberta Bosurgi (CEO, Impact Europe) and Eleni Theodorou (Managing Director, We Share Forwa...

The Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) and their investment vehicle Pluralis invest in independent media, aiding the free flow of news, information and debate that keeps democracy running – especially important in 2024, an election year. Max von Abendroth (Senior Advisor Europe & Germany, MDIF) joins Ben to explain how it works and why it matters.   https://www.mdif.org/   https://www.pl...

The EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) seeks to enhance transparency in the financial markets about sustainability-related claims, prevent greenwashing and channel capital flows toward sustainable economic activities -- but it could also use a bit of tailoring. Jana Bour, Impact Europe’s resident policy expert, sits down with Ben to take us through the advocacy around SFDR and t...

Sound Funding x Impact People = this episode! Join Ryan Grant Little and Ben as we build a bridge between Sound Funding, Impact Europe’s podcast for impact funds, and Impact People. Ryan takes us through the many hats he wears (founder, investor, consultant, podcast host), the lens through which he sees the world and advice for podcast hosts who mix metaphors.   Like and subscribe to Ryan’s new po...

Steps away from the bustling OGR, a Torino neighbourhood goes about its business in the sun of a late November afternoon. It was the perfect place to stroll and chat with Rana Eltanbadawy , whose work as Enterprise development manager at Enroot brought her to Impact Week. Come take a walk with us!

Nineteen young people from Torino, assembled by Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, have now learned the basics of investing for impact. They are the Impact Generation. Now, their mandate is clear: establish a Youth Impact Agenda. They joined Ben at Impact Week to share their perspectives in this special live episode.

Courage. Vision. Resilience. Care. What does it take to make an impact when your context is crisis? We found out with this live recording at Impact Week in Torino, featuring Myrna Atalla (Executive Director, Alfanar), Gevorg Poghosyan (CEO, Impact Hub Yerevan) and Anna Gulevska-Chernysh (Chair, SILab Ukraine; Chair, Ukrainian Social Venture Fund). Stay tuned for more live episodes from Impact Week...

Strengthening impact finance in Morocco: that’s one of happy smala ’s key activities, as they just proved at their Impact Together! kick-off event. But what does that mean in practice? What is the role of crowdfunding? And what is a smala? Eric Asmar, happy smala’s CEO, has the answers. Join Eric for a conversation here – and at Impact Week , where he’ll be speaking at a panel on Resilient Cities....

In part 2 of our special episode on EIB Institute’s Social Innovation Tournament, we have a winner! Several winners, in fact. Join us as we investigate what the SIT means for its finalists ("we're like a family"), featuring clips and interviews from the innovators behind Sophia Chatbot , Gribouilli ,  BrainTrip and Fibsen .    

We’re back to the projects of Impact Together! and MENA’s impact people! Mariam AbdelKarim calls in from Cairo to talk about how Hivos helps build a green economy in the region; we discuss barriers, opportunities and an upcoming VC Summit where it’s all coming together. Plus, find out some top reasons to join Mariam and Ben at Impact Week !  

The EIB Institute’s Social Innovation Tournament was THE place to be for Europe’s impact entrepreneurs. Live from the event in Stockholm, Impact People presents a special 2-part episode on the thriving community that’s built up around SIT, delivering the tournament’s sounds and sensations directly to your earbuds. In part 1, we hear from alumni of the program, Hugo from Dreamwaves , Eefje from Cok...

What does impact investing have to do with the Apollo 14 moon mission? Find out on this very special episode of Impact People! Last week, at ImpactCity in the Hague, Europe’s leading impact funds gathered to join hands and join forces at an invite-only event: Capital Ideas. Lucky for us, Juli was on the guest list to gather perspectives, hear insights and share the microphone with the people behin...

New season, new Impact People! For the next months, we’ll be talking to people from the Middle East and north Africa’s most impactful organisations: members of EVPA’s Impact Together! project. We kick things off with two guests from BuildPalestine, Besan Abu-Joudeh, CEO and Co-Founder, and Lama Amr, Executive Director. Join Besan and Lama at their summit event on 7-8 October!   Learn more: https:/...

A totally fictional episode of Impact People.  https://www.gamcare.org.uk/ https://www.begambleaware.org/self-exclusion   https://safergamblinguk.org/  

What makes a good impact neighbour? We set out to find out – live at the Impact in the Neighbourhood conference in Tbilisi, Georgia. This event marked a culmination point for many of the impact people previously featured on the podcast – a moment for unexpected connections and breakthrough moments, but also reflections on the state of impact throughout Europe’s east. And, with the perspectives of...