Impact investing: an investors perspective
"Startups are increasingly expected to create more than financial value alone. Investors, customers, and regulators are paying greater attention to how companies generate positive impact and whether that impact can be measured, scaled, and sustained over time.
Our guest speaker Piia Maaranen, Partner at Innovestor VC, will share practical insights into how venture capital investors evaluate impact-driven startups. Drawing on her experience as a tech founder turned VC, Piia will explain what impact investing is, how impact is measured, why commercialization is essential for creating meaningful impact, and how sustainability considerations influence investment decisions.
**Learning outcomes**
After this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand the fundamentals of venture capital and impact investing.
- Recognize how investors evaluate impact alongside financial return.
- Identify and communicate the social, environmental, or industry impact of their startup.
- Understand why commercialization and scalability are essential for creating lasting impact.
- Distinguish between impact investing, ESG, and sustainability reporting.
- Recognize common pitfalls such as greenwashing and understand the growing role of sustainability regulation.
**Who should attend?**
This workshop is intended for Aalto Startup Center Business Generator and ESA BIC Finland startups, as well as Aalto Research to Business (R2B) teams.
The workshop is particularly valuable for founders and team members interested in fundraising, venture capital, sustainability, commercialization, and building startups that create measurable value for customers, society, and the environment."
Our guest speaker Piia Maaranen, Partner at Innovestor VC, will share practical insights into how venture capital investors evaluate impact-driven startups. Drawing on her experience as a tech founder turned VC, Piia will explain what impact investing is, how impact is measured, why commercialization is essential for creating meaningful impact, and how sustainability considerations influence investment decisions.
**Learning outcomes**
After this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand the fundamentals of venture capital and impact investing.
- Recognize how investors evaluate impact alongside financial return.
- Identify and communicate the social, environmental, or industry impact of their startup.
- Understand why commercialization and scalability are essential for creating lasting impact.
- Distinguish between impact investing, ESG, and sustainability reporting.
- Recognize common pitfalls such as greenwashing and understand the growing role of sustainability regulation.
**Who should attend?**
This workshop is intended for Aalto Startup Center Business Generator and ESA BIC Finland startups, as well as Aalto Research to Business (R2B) teams.
The workshop is particularly valuable for founders and team members interested in fundraising, venture capital, sustainability, commercialization, and building startups that create measurable value for customers, society, and the environment."
These workshops are available for startups in the Aalto Startup Center community, for those in any of the Startup Center Programs (Business Generator, ESA BIC Finland, Research to Business, Aalto Creatives, ESA Phi-Lab Finland).