Saskia Bruysten’s Post

Saskia Bruysten, I am setting up neurodiverse teams to tackle worthwhile and difficult problems (#AI4good, #climate #neurodiversity and #inclusion). This allows me to use my network of connections built up over many years to suggest problems worth tackling and to provide expertise when it is needed.   To make a big impact it is better to create systems than to create organisations so I want to use methods that can be duplicated and built on by others around the world. Together we are stronger.   I deliberately sought a portfolio career long before I heard of the term. We only live once so it is good to experience life from several perspectives. More importantly, it gives you unique insights so that you can be truly creative. You can also help connect people that would otherwise never have known about each other.   Every day is different and I thoroughly recommend a #PortfolioCareer.

[INVESTOR WEEK - Impact Investors Pitch Night - 4th of September] We’re excited to announce that Giant Leap, a leader in impact investment, will be sponsoring Day 3 of Investor Week: Impact Investors Pitch Night (Sep 4th) 🌿 . This special event will be held at the state-of-the-art Greenhouse climate tech hub, located in Sydney’s Salesforce Tower, Australia’s largest dedicated climate tech co-working space. Giant Leap is an Australian VC fund investing in mission driven founders solving the world's most pressing problems across climate, health, and empowerment & education. Having invested in 32 portfolio companies to date across their two funds including Who Gives A Crap, Mindset Health, Amber Electric, Goterra and Conserving Beauty, Giant Leap is renowned for its commitment to investing in companies that deliver both financial returns and positive social and environmental impacts. Their sponsorship brings a wealth of expertise and support to our event, underscoring the importance of sustainable and responsible investment. Join us for Impact Investors Pitch Night, where visionary startups focused on social and environmental benefits will have the unique opportunity to gain valuable feedback, secure potential funding, and network with dedicated impact investors. We’re honored to have Giant Leap’s support and excited to welcome high-profile investors such as Patrick Sieb (Partner at Climate Tech Partner), Mick Liubinskas (Partner at Climate Salad), Ben Lindsay (Partner at Investible), and Katarina Throssell (Partner at Giant Leap). Don’t miss the chance to be part of an evening where investment meets impact, hosted at the forefront of climate tech innovation. 🎟️Hurry, register now to secure your TICKETS ("Sparkmates" special prices are going on right now): https://lnkd.in/gd8GdWrp By the way, you can still apply to pitch, or check out the other events during Investor Week right here : https://lnkd.in/gHxahepJ (1 WEEK LEFT TO APPLY TO PITCH) Learn more about Giant Leap : https://lnkd.in/gxgUJPXs Leo Denes Pooja Nair Romane Delvallee Celine W. Enora Bouget Reza Khosravi Liliane Ndour Mathilde Marriat Eleonore Zumbiehl #ImpactInvestors #SydneyStartups #InvestorWeek #SeptemberEvents #StartupandAngels

I can't believe a year has passed. Still buzzing from the incredible Climate First Roadshow event in London last year! As a startup Chief of staff and an angel, I'm deeply invested in sustainable solutions, I was blown away by the energy, collaboration, and commitment to tackling climate change head-on. A huge gratitude to the House of Lords for their amazing hospitality and for fostering such an impactful platform. The connections made, the ideas sparked, and the opportunities opened were truly invaluable. ✨ Beyond the networking, the core focus on climate-focused investments resonated deeply. It's clear that investing in climate solutions isn't just the right thing to do for the planet, it's a lucrative opportunity for forward-thinking investors. The potential for positive impact and financial returns is simply undeniable. If you're looking to be part of something bigger, something that has the power to shape a better future, then I urge you to come. It's a win-win for your portfolio and our planet. This isn't just another roadshow- it's a monumental movement. Join us in making a difference, one sustainable investment at a time! Thanks, Dor Nadav and Guy #ClimateFirst #ClimateAction #SustainableInvesting #StartupLife #ImpactInvesting #TogetherWeCan

Applaud Pivotal Ventures and Melinda French Gates for highlighting this chronic gap. The opportunity is even more transformative if leaders support the value and importance of diverse advisors on the most significant strategic decisions #ceos make which includes #mergersandacquisitions where there are virtually no diverse experts engaged. Independence Point Advisors is proving world class expertise and diversity are not mutually exclusive and can lead to better outcomes.

#StockholmImpactWeek is an amazing warm bath of social entrepeneurs, impact investors, accelerators & financial institutions who want to change our world for the better. For me almost unreal to see how fast this field has developed in recent years, compared to the empty space we encountered when we started in 2014 with Rubio Impact Ventures. It’s a joy to see all the new impact funds that started in recent years, like Revent WakeUp Capital Giant Steps Capital AENU 4impact Norrsken22 and many others, that have great teams and are super amitious and really want to create change. And we’re all waiting for mainstream capital to join this movement, and they love us ;-) but are afraid its an impact bubble that will burst (like the bubble of cleantech in early 2000) so they are dipping their toes into impact capital very very cautiously. As impact investors we need to prove that we are robust in our ambitions and results on both quantifiable impact and good returns, as that is only way we bring this movement to the mainstream and really create a #justtransition Events like #StockholmImpactWeek are super important to have these conversations and to make sure we support each other and work side by side to change the industry! A big shout out to Norrsken Trill Impact & Nordea for organizing this amazing week. Will miss the last day including the #TheImpact100, but we will be back next year! Special thanks Funda Sezgi, Alex Bakir Agate S. Freimane Niklas Adalberth Jan Ståhlberg !!

Let‘s chat about ESG x Innovation! 💥

On Friday night a gaggle of Maslow® minded, social-impact-obsessed folks went along to hear Melanie Rieback talk about how to build businesses that don’t extract from society. It was incredible to be around people who are committed to building solutions for society, and not just for a few investors. The global community that’s committed to using business for (non extractive) good is very very very small. I’d guess it makes up just hundreds of significant leaders out of 8 billion of us here on earth. It’s very new, it’s very progressive, and it’s growing. Albeit that maybe just a dozen people are talking about it here in Australia at this point (unlike in Europe where it was born). One of the things discussed was the extractive revenue model of impact investors in Australia, which undermines all that they say they’re committed to, and the highlighting of alternative global models that represent true impact because it doesn’t look for carried interest and performance based remuneration which wildly dilutes impact. Without extractive finance, it is not impact investing - It’s just venture capital wrapped up in disguise. It was nice to hear those words from people other than myself!! Big thanks to Antony McMullen, FGIA, FRSA and his team of co-op warriors for putting on the night at The Kelvin Club. So nice to bump into Désirée L., Caitlin Robinson and Karen Monaghan. Bit of a shame Nigel Bradshaw couldn’t make it. He would have been salivating at the conversation!! Erinch Sahan, Marjorie Kelly & Kate Raworth - Melanie did the movement proud downunder! 💪💪💪💪 #doughnuteconomics #nonextractivebusiness #systemschange