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Is Venture Capital the Right Tool for Climate Innovation?
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Is Venture Capital the Right Tool for Climate Innovation?

Insights from one of Europe’s first venture capitalists: Sir Ronald Cohen

Two episodes this week, starting with an audio-only special. 🎧


Listen now: Apple // Spotify

Sir Ronald Cohen is not your average climate investor.

In 1972, he co-founded one of Europe’s first VC funds, which became Apax Partners, now with €80B+ deployed in private equity and venture capital.

At 60, he had a realization:

“I didn’t want my epitaph to read: ‘He delivered a 30% annual return.’
I had always known that life should have a greater purpose.”

Since then, he’s spent two decades reimagining what finance can be, and asking what it should become. And so I asked him:

Is venture capital the right instrument to solve climate change?

Listen now: Apple // Spotify

In this conversation:

  • Why risk–return–impact outperforms traditional investing

  • How impact accounting could reshape global portfolios

  • Why public markets are shrinking (and what that means for climate exits)

  • How to measure impact in dollars, not just KPIs

  • …and much more

Whether you’re an investor, founder, or just curious about the future of finance, this is one you won’t want to miss.


Links:


Episode guide:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:23) The case for impact VC

(09:23) Fund structures and patient capital

(16:40) What makes a company truly impactful?

(24:04) Portfolio rotation is coming

(33:28) This will change all of finance

(35:12) Closing: Are you optimistic?


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What’s next?👀

One last episode before we launch a new format and a new brand.

Stay tuned! 👋

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