Impact assessment matters less than you think – Raphaele Leyendecker (Techstars)

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

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Raphaele Leyendecker, a Managing Director at Techstars Sustainability Paris, where she has invested in 70+ climate tech startups, joins the podcast to discuss early-stage impact assessment and the french ecosystem as it compares to the global landscape.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why early-stage impact assessment is often a myth

• The biggest challenge for climate startups in France

• How investors should really measure impact

• The role of technological readiness levels (TRLs) in deep tech investing

• How France’s climate tech ecosystem compares to the US and Nordics

• Why founders should focus on revenue before certifications

• And more...

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TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00 – Introduction:

• 01:14 – Why Impact Assessment is Overrated for Early-Stage Startups

• 04:45 – Defining Impact Metrics That Matter

• 07:32 – Revenue vs. Impact: What Should Startups Prioritize?

• 12:10 – Tools & Frameworks for Impact Investors

• 18:25 – The Role of TRLs in Deep Tech & Hard Tech Startups

• 22:40 – The Strengths & Weaknesses of the French Climate Tech Ecosystem

• 30:15 – Why France is Slow to Scale Climate Innovation

• 35:50 – Comparing France to the US, Nordics & Germany

• 40:10 – Rapid-Fire Q&A: Advice for Founders & Investors

• 48:00 – Closing Thoughts

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CONNECT WITH RAPHAELE

▶️ Raphaele Leyendecker - https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaeleleyendecker

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CONNECT WITH ME

▶️ Newsletter - https://climateventuresvco2.substack.com/

🔗 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugorauch/

📧 Email - climateventuresvco2@substack.com

🔴 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@VCo2_HugoRauch

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INVESTORS MENTIONED

• Citizen Capital

• Wind Capital

• Racine2

• Techstars Sustainability

• Bpifrance GreenTech

• Pale Blue Dot

• Planet A Ventures

• World Fund

• Revaia

• ETF Partners

• 2150 VC

• Norsken VC

ASSESSMENT TOOLS AND FRAMEWORKS

• CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive)

• SFDR Article 8 & 9 (EU impact fund classification)

• Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

• SDGs (UN Sustainable Development Goals)

• Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions tracking

• Impact Business Model (Dutch framework)

• Mouvement Impact France (French tool)

STARTUPS MENTIONED

• Kumulus

• Miners AI

• NDB Technologies

• BiB Batteries

• Pelikan Mobility

• CarbonBright

• SustainSoft

BOOKS MENTIONED

• Ralentir ou Périr by Timothée Parrique

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PAST EPISODES YOU’LL LOVE

• Heidi Lindvall on Impact Assessments (Pale Blue Dot)

• Eric Gossart on Impact VCs vs Traditional VCs (Racine2)

• August Solliv on cleantech 1.0 lessons (Impact Supporters)

• Tim Schumacher on selling to climate deniers (World Fund)

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💜 Apple Podcasts - https://shorturl.at/HIDcg

🟢 Spotify - https://shorturl.at/yDTfR