**Title: The New Wave of Impact Entrepreneurship – Emma Lehikoinen (Swappie), Willemijn Verloop (Rubio Impact Ventures), & Michiel Kotting (Northzone Partner) | Slush 2022**
**Description:**
In this insightful video, join Emma Lehikoinen, COO of Swappie, Willemijn Verloop, Founding Partner at Rubio Impact Ventures, and Michiel Kotting, Northzone Partner, as they discuss the emerging wave of impact entrepreneurship and what’s next for mission-driven companies.
A healthy and innovative business environment is now focused on achieving a fully circular economy while also maintaining profitability. Impact-driven companies are not only generating revenue but also reaping various benefits, from building a positive reputation to strengthening their brand.
Consumer behavior has aligned with this trend, further fueling the rise of mission-driven startups. As the conversation around impact and sustainability grows, it has become crucial to explore how entrepreneurship can be a powerful force for creating positive change.
Willemijn Verloop, with her background in founding the NGO War Child and her experience in the venture space, will shed light on the intersection of innovation and impact. She firmly believes that NGOs alone are not the best actors for driving innovation and scalability, and that’s why she ventured into the world of venture capital to find scalable and sustainable models for creating impact.
Emma Lehikoinen, known for her involvement with Slush, will share her journey from being a Slash volunteer to joining Swappie, a company dedicated to making refurbished products mainstream. She will provide insights into why she chose to be part of a hybrid growth journey with a purpose that truly matters.
The discussion will also touch upon the early days of impact ventures and the challenges faced in conveying the importance of impact alongside financial returns. Willemijn emphasizes the need to prove that excellence in both financial returns and impact can go hand in hand. She highlights the shift towards mainstream investors recognizing the value of impact-driven entrepreneurs and their potential for strategic partnerships.
Measuring impact is crucial for demonstrating its significance and aligning it with financial metrics. Willemijn explains the importance of quantifying impact in a way that is objective and transparent. She shares the approach taken by Rubio Impact Ventures to set impact targets based on the entrepreneur’s mission and theory of change, creating a strong connection between impact performance and fund success.
Join this engaging discussion on the new wave of impact entrepreneurship, exploring the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
**Keywords/Tags:** Helsinki, Finland, Startup, Pitching, Scaleup, Technology, Entrepreneur, VC, Investor, Tech, Festival, Event, Conference, Nordics, Scandinavia, Europe, Slush 2019, Venture Capital, Innovation, Growth, Business
Source: [Slush](https://www.slush.org/)
The New Wave of Impact Entrepreneurship – Emma Lehikoinen (Swappie), Willemijn Verloop (Rubio Impact Ventures) & Michiel Kotting (Northzone Partner) | Slush 2022
A healthy and innovative business environment striving to achieve a fully circular economy does not rule out profitability. Quite the opposite, there are numerous benefits beyond revenue from reputation to branding. Thus, it is not a surprise that mission-driven companies delivering a positive impact have been emerging increasingly, while consumer behaviour has been following the same trend.
Emma Lehikoinen, COO of Swappie, and Willemijn Verloop, Founding Partner at Rubio Impact Ventures, will be joined on the stage by Northzone Partner Michiel Kotting to discuss the new emerging wave of impact entrepreneurship and what’s next.
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