New Wave. Is Venture Capital the Right Tool for Climate Innovation?
Sir Ronald Cohen is not your average climate investor.
In 1972, he co-founded one of Europe’s first VC funds, which became Apax Partners, now with €80B+ deployed in private equity and venture capital.
At 60, he had a realization:
“I didn’t want my epitaph to read: ‘He delivered a 30% annual return.’ I had always known that life should have a greater purpose.”
Since then, he’s spent two decades reimagining what finance can be, and asking what it should become. And so I asked him:
Is venture capital the right instrument to solve climate change?
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In this conversation:
Why risk–return–impact outperforms traditional investing
How impact accounting could reshape global portfolios
Why public markets are shrinking (and what that means for climate exits)
How to measure impact in dollars, not just KPIs
…and much more
Whether you’re an investor, founder, or just curious about the future of finance, this is one you won’t want to miss.
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Links:
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Episode guide:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:23) The case for impact VC
(09:23) Fund structures and patient capital
(16:40) What makes a company truly impactful?
(24:04) Portfolio rotation is coming
(33:28) This will change all of finance
(35:12) Closing: Are you optimistic?
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