The Importance of Impact Entrepreneurship

Timestamps:

09:49 - How Nathalie got into climate entrepreneurship

12:02 - The tipping point: How close is it?

15:25 - How can richer countries like Switzerland play a role?

27:54 - Simultaneously being an investment and impact firm 

34:08 - How can the economy adapt to climate-centered frameworks?

About Nathalie Moral:

Nathalie Moral is the founder and CEO of Clima Now, a foundation that finances and invests in climate solutions She received a degree in business administration from the University of St. Gallen and a certification in business and climate change, from both ZHAW and Cambridge. She followed a career in consulting, working at companies like PwC, but soon realized she felt like she had a bigger purpose and wanted to make an impact, and to do something she would be proud to tell her children about one day.

Born in Switzerland, her family unconventionally spent the first few years of her life in India, and upon moving back to Switzerland, she was confronted with how different the experiences were between the two places. She gained awareness early on in life of the privileged bubble that Switzerland can be and  became cognizant of the experiences of others. That is what got her interested in helping to fight climate change, and her optimistic outlook has often infectiously inspired other people. She tries not to focus on the pessimistic aspects when thinking about climate change but rather to be aware of the fantastic work people are doing around her to make a difference in this pressing issue – she believes the future is bright.

The combination of impact and investment is one of the best ways she sees to make real change, as in this capacity you can get involved with political movements  which are focused on the climate, and not just their own political agenda. She has a goal to get 100k signatures  for Clima Now’s initiative, Spotlight, which allows communities  to submit climate-conscious ideas that are then voted on by the public at large.  Since in Switzerland 100k is a large enough  number of signatures to change the law,  hitting this milestone would be a huge stride for the organization. 

Switzerland being one of the world’s wealthiest countries, it is often thought that we are already doing enough to be carbon neutral, and we are, in fact, doing many positive things. However there are still areas where improvements can be made and it is largely to do with aligning political agendas,  because climate consciousness should not be a political strategy, and neither should taking responsibility and providing support to the Global South. 

Clima Now’s future focus will be on the youth aged 18-35, which is the generation that climate changes will affect the most, and they will as well be focused on climate-positive food security sourcing and how people think about what they eat, and where it comes from. Like any venture, there has to be a focus on the finances, and there is a hope to raise between 50 and 100 million Swiss francs in the next few years to be able to invest in even more projects. They want funders to see this investment as a climate return, more than a financial one.

“Getting a seat at the table, and then changing the role that people have for you, is where the true shift for women begins.”

“Challenges for startups will always come up both when you have money  and when you don’t have it.”

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