When VC Meets Nonprofit - Marion Schuppe (makesense)

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

***

While traditional VC prioritizes financial returns, makesense invest is proving that social and environmental impact can be at the core of investing, without sacrificing performance. Marion Schuppe, an Investment Director at makesense Invest, joins the podcast to discuss their unique model that integrates a VC fund inside a non-profit.

In this episode, we cover:

* How makesense balances nonprofit with venture capital

* Raising a first-time impact fund: lessons from securing LP commitments

* Why their team takes zero carried interest, and where it goes instead

* The reality of recruiting top talent without traditional VC compensation

* How to measure success beyond financial returns

* And much more..

***

⌛TIMESTAMPS

* 00:00 – Introduction:

* 02:23 Understanding Venture Capital

* 05:34 Make Sense: Mission and Model

* 09:08 Investment Strategy and Impact

* 16:02 Challenges and Innovations in Impact Investing

* 23:07 Raising and Structuring Impact Funds

* 31:10 Investment Process and Criteria

* 41:14 Future of Make Sense Invest

* 45:44 Fire Questions and Closing Remarks

***

▶️ CONNECT WITH MARION

* Marion Schuppe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marion-schuppe-50b35345/

***

🔗 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

***

📚 REFERENCES AND MENTIONS

* maksense – a nonprofit and impact ecosystem

* European Investment Fund (EIF) – LP backing makesense invest

* BNP Paribas – LP in makesense invest

* Serena Capital – co-managed a €90M impact fund with makesense invest

* Social & Solidarity Economy – Business models prioritizing impact over profit

* France’s Banque des Territoires – Institutional LP supporting impact VC

***

🎙️PAST EPISODES YOU’LL LOVE

* Heidi Lindvall on Impact Assessments (Pale Blue Dot)

* Eric Gossart on Impact VCs vs Traditional VCs (Racine2)

* August Solliv on cleantech 1.0 lessons (Impact Supporters)

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

***

💚 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