10 Years IMPROVED – Future IMPROVED
2023 was an especially important year for IMPROVED Corporate Finance as we celebrated our 10th anniversary in September. We are incredibly proud to have had the opportunity to collaborate and partner with so many winning entrepreneurial management teams, industry experts and investors across the technology, energy and mobility ecosystem over the last decade.
To celebrate and mark this significant milestone, we were pleased to launch of “Future IMPROVED”, a series of knowledge-sharing initiatives we planned for each month of 2023 that look ahead to the next decade, and how we can together make a positive impact on society through responsible entrepreneurship, investing and development.
See below an overview of the monthly initiatives leading up to our main event in September.
We invite you to be part of our Future IMPROVED program and very much welcome your views and thoughts. Please keep an eye on our LinkedIn page and subscribe to our IMPROVED newsletter to follow and interact with our Future IMPROVED initiatives and announcements.
September 10th: Economist Impact Blog Series – Climate change and innovation
We are pleased to share the final selection of our blog series together with El Studios (the custom content division of Economist Impact). This series invites young entrepreneurs and pioneers to share their views on climate change and innovation.
This month, we feature:
- Alexandra Harbour, climate investor, founder, and chair of the Venture Climate Alliance, a group of leading VCs committed to net-zero climate action
- Meagan Loyst, founder and CEO of Gen Z VCs, a community for Gen Z innovators in tech and venture capital
Share your thoughts, and stay tuned to our LinkedIn for the blog announcements.
Also, this week, on September 14, IMPROVED is convening some of the most prominent investors and entrepreneurs in climate tech for our special 10th-anniversary event; Future IMPROVED. Make sure to join us and register for the virtual event.
August 10th: ToBeIMPROVED Initiative
This month, we are pleased to feature our ToBeIMPROVED initiative that we have been supporting for five years.
Through the initiative, IMPROVED contributes to the infrastructure of a local education center in Ghana that gives children and young adults access to extensive resources, including active mentoring for 30 young professionals to become digital marketers – organized by our team, To Be Worldwide, and Net4kids.
As part of the Future IMPROVED initiative, our colleague Nicolas Magnus recently visited the project in person and witnessed the impact it has had (and will continue to have) on the students and the local community. The focus of the initiative is to help these young students discover their talent and independence, learn how to cope with change (i.e. innovation), and inspire their communities to build the future.
Check out the recap video, the full testimonials of the alumni and ambassadors, and more information on the initiative and our visit here.
July 10th: Summer Knowledge Recommendations
As the summer months have arrived in the Northern Hemisphere, many of us will take some (well-deserved) time off to enjoy with family and friends, and rejuvenate the bodies and minds.
In line with the Future IMPROVED initiative, our team has collected 10 valuable resources to further explore the key innovations and investment opportunities for the coming decade;
- Introduction to Climate Tech by Eurazeo
- “Investing in the era of climate change” by Professor Bruce Usher
- Decarbonization strategy presentations and publications by Nat Bullard
- “BetweenBrains”, an excellent book on the transformative impact of AI on society by Omar Hatamleh
- Excellent podcast on climate tech innovation and investment by Shayle Kann from Energy Impact Partners
- Very relevant climate tech newsletters from Net Zero Insights and CTVC
And more.
Check out the full list of recommendations here;
We wish everyone a great summer – and enjoy reading, watching, and listening!
June 10th: Economist Impact Blog Series – Mobility
We are pleased to share the latest updates from our blog collaboration with El Studios/Economist Impact. In this series, we invited young industry leaders and innovators to voice their views on sustainable transportation and E-mobility.
This month, we feature:
- Luís Santiago Pinto, co-founder and CEO of Powerdot, a leading EV charging solutions company
- Sam Ryan, CEO and co-founder of Zeelo, a smart bus platform
- Shashank Sripad, co-founder of And Battery Aero, an aircraft battery supply company
Please share your thoughts and stay tuned to our LinkedIn for the blog announcements and other initiatives as part of our 10-year anniversary.
May 10th: Economist Impact Blog Series – Energy
We are pleased to share the latest selections from our impactful blog series in partnership with El Studios/Economist Impact. In this blog series, brilliant young entrepreneurs express their key insights on energy solutions.
This month, we are proud to feature:
- Dr. Marek Kubik, founding member and managing director at Fluence, a leading energy storage technology company
- Anurag Kamal & Folasade “Fola” Ayoola, co-founders of ElectricFish, an energy storage company
- Christoph Birkl, co-founder of Brill Power, a battery management technology company
Through their work, these innovators are driving progress towards a more sustainable future. We encourage you to read their inspiring stories and share your thoughts.
You can also subscribe to our IMPROVED newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on all our initiatives as part of our 10-year anniversary.
April 10th: Kick-off Economist Impact Blog Series – Technology
IMPROVED and El Studios (the custom content division of Economist Impact) have partnered to create an impactful blog series featuring young entrepreneurs, pioneers and investors who are on the cutting edge of (Climate) Tech, Energy, and Mobility.
In this blog series, young industry leaders share their views on key innovations and investment opportunities for the coming decades, primarily focused on sustainable technologies and climate tech.
This month, we feature:
- Anima Anandkumar, senior director of AI research at NVIDIA and Bren professor at Caltech
- George Wade, co-founder of the decarbonisation software company Zevero
Keep an eye on our LinkedIn page for the blog announcements and share your thoughts in the comments.
March 10th: Kick-off Economist Impact Initiative
This month, we are thrilled to kick off a research and thought-sharing initiative of Economist Impact – supported by IMPROVED. The initiative will explore the investment gap between climate technology and sustainability goals, and look at the much-needed ground-breaking innovations from the perspective of the new generation(s) to achieve a carbon-neutral economy by 2050.
Keep an eye on your (physical) mailbox for something very insightful.
In case you missed it, please request your personal copy by sending an email to future@improvedcf.com
Stay tuned for exciting updates and share your thoughts on LinkedIn.
February 10th: Interview with Professor Bruce Usher
In February, our Managing Partner Frank Verbeek sat down with Bruce Usher, Professor and faculty director at Columbia Business School to discuss some of the important themes in his latest book: “INVESTING IN THE ERA OF CLIMATE CHANGE”.
Despite the tremendous challenges, at IMPROVED, we remain optimistic about the future because of the significant innovations and investment opportunities that climate change offers.
With Bruce’s wealth of knowledge and experience in economics, sustainability, and climate tech investing, we hope to spark impactful discussions and further accelerate the successful transition to a carbon-neutral economy for future generations.
Please watch the video and share your thoughts and views on LinkedIn. Copies of Bruce’s book will be shared with the best contributors!
January 10th: Future IMPROVED Kick-off
To kick off Future IMPROVED, we’d like to share a message that looks back at some of our key achievements over the past 10 years and, more importantly, the opportunities and necessary actions ahead.
The IMPROVED team is very excited to celebrate and create optimal impact with you.
On behalf of the entire global IMPROVED Team,
A BIG thank you for past and future cooperation: altogether, we will make the difference!