E329| Henry Philipson, Ashley Brown (Atomico)⁠, Antonia Whitecourt⁠ (Seedcamp) & Grace Savage (Molten Ventures): Roundtable discussion on ESG becoming a core part of doing business in Europe

In today’s episode, Andreas discusses the importance of ESG in the venture capital industry with our four guests:

• Henry Philipson, Director of Marketing and Communications at Beringea
• Ashley Brown, Sustainability Manager at Atomico
• Antonia Whitecourt, Director at Seedcamp
• Grace Savage, ESG Lead at Molten Ventures

We are talking about ESG in VC because ESG_VC recently published an analysis of ESG data collected from 587 startups backed by leading VC firms, including Atomico, Molten Ventures, Bringea, and Seedcamp. ESG_VC is a global network of more than 300 VC firms enabling start-ups to tackle ESG.

Join us while diving into the value of ESG for startups, how VCs are working with founders to drive forward the sustainability agenda, and what the future of European ESG looks like. We also address the buzz surrounding ESG, emphasizing the need to focus on building well-governed and responsible businesses.

Go to eu.vc for our core learnings and the full video interview 👀

Chapters:

00:34 Deep Dive into the ESG Report
07:11 Importance of ESG in Startups
07:36 Historical Context of ESG
09:15 Operational vs. Strategic ESG
10:19 Challenges and Opportunities in ESG
11:14 Backlash and Misunderstandings of ESG
12:32 Divergence in ESG Practices
16:32 Future of ESG in European VC
19:38 Materiality and Practical Implementation
25:25 Carbon Footprint and Environmental Impact
35:17 Diversity and Talent in Startups