How to Use LCAs for VC Investments - Dr Benedikt Buschpies (Planet A Ventures)

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

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This week, we’re joined by Dr. Benedikt Buchspies, a scientist at Planet A Ventures, one of Europe's leading climate-tech VC funds. Benedikt has been pioneering the use of lifecycle assessments (LCAs) in venture capital for years and is showing that science + VC = impact.

In this episode, we cover:

* What an LCA is and how it measures climate impact

* Why most VCs ignore environmental data (and why they shouldn’t)

* How impact and financial returns align in early-stage startups

* The challenges of modeling long-term systemic impact

* What VCs should do to implement LCAs in their funds

* And much more..

👉 If you’re an impact investor, this is a must-listen episode.

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⌛TIMESTAMPS

* 00:00 Introduction and the Journey from Science to VC

* 05:30 Understanding Impact Assessment in Venture Capital

* 10:20 Quantifying Environmental Impact and Systemic Change

* 15:10 Correlation Between Financial and Environmental Performance

* 20:02 Guiding Investment Thesis with Impact Assessments

* 24:15 Integrating Sustainability into Investment Processes

* 32:36 Pros and Cons of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

* 38:05 Implementing LCA in Investment Firms

* 40:23 Fire Questions and Conclusion

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▶️ CONNECT WITH BENEDIKT

* Dr. Benedikt Buchspies – https://shorturl.at/f40rA

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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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📚 REFERENCES AND MENTIONS

* LCA - A scientific method for measuring environmental impact

* Emissions scopes – Different levels of carbon accounting for companies

* Monte Carlo Simulation – A technique for modeling uncertainty

* Systemic Impact Modeling – Assessing the broader effects of a startup

* SFDR & EU Taxonomy – Sustainability regulations that apply to impact VCs

* Scenario Analysis – A way to estimate how different variables affect an LCA result

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🎙️PAST EPISODES YOU’LL LOVE

* Heidi Lindvall on Impact Assessments (Pale Blue Dot)

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

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💚 LEAVE A REVIEW

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

* Spotify - https://shorturl.at/yDTfR

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateventuresvco2.substack.com