Today, we are happy to welcome Benjamin Le Pendeven, associate professor of entrepreneurial and responsible finance at Audencia Business School, where he leads the “Finance for Innovation” research chair focused on impact investing, innovation financing, and social impact bonds. He collaborates with public institutions, private investors, and NGOs and previously worked as an entrepreneur and impact investor.Key topics:

• Why experimentation isn’t the problem, scaling and persistence are.
• How persistence and stability in teams matter as much as patient capital.
• Why impact investing must think beyond pilots, metrics, and exits.
• How academia can act as a bridge between finance, policy, and real-world change.

Episode Breakdown:Welcome - 00:00:00Origin & Perspective - 00:03:06The Relationship at the Core - 00:23:12Contrarian Thoughts - 00:32:12Your go-to person - 00:33:54Flash Round - 00:34:59

Today's episode is a special one. We’re switching things up with a conversation conducted entirely in French.Consider it a linguistic detour from our regular programming.Alors… on y va, et bonne écoute en français.Aujourd’hui, nous sommes heureux d’accueillir Benjamine Friderich, Head of Investments chez Colam Impact, une filiale de Colam Entreprendre.Après avoir effectué un tour du monde à l’âge de 21 ans sur le thème du commerce équitable et de la microfinance, Benjamine Friderich rejoint le Groupe Crédit Coopératif, où elle accumule 12 ans d’expérience dans différents services. En 2015, elle intègre la filiale Esfin Gestion, où elle développe un fonds dédié à l’impact social, accompagnant plus d’une vingtaine d’entrepreneurs dans leurs enjeux de croissance.En 2021, elle devient Directrice de l’Impact Investing chez Enowe, un family office français, où elle développe et pilote la stratégie d’investissement à impact positif. Elle déploie plusieurs millions d’euros dans des entreprises et des fonds d’investissement à impact en France et dans le monde.
Points clé:

• Pourquoi l’impact est intrinsèquement subjectif et politique
• Comment l’appétit pour le risque façonne les trajectoires des fondateurs et fondatrices
• Comment le capital patient permet aux entreprises de pivoter et de mûrir

Episode breakdown:Intro - 00:00:00Welcome - 00:02:50Origin & Perspective - 00:06:06The Relationship at the Core - 00:10:17Tensions, Lessons & Tools - 00:31:30Contrarian Thoughts - 00:49:55Flash Round - 00:52:03

Today we are happy to welcome Constanza Robles Fumarola.Constanza is a systems change investor and designer focused on transforming food systems across Africa. She is the Founding Partner of Inanna, an investor and venture builder applying systems thinking to regenerative agriculture and food. With a background in social impact and futures design, she has worked with organisations such as the UN FAO, FCDO, and GIZ to shape strategies that bridge innovation, inclusion, and sustainability. Her work brings together modern finance and indigenous, community-led knowledge to build resilient, equitable agrihealth systems.
Key points:

• Why shifting investment logic is necessary for system transformation
• The gap between conceptual, long-term transformation goals and the short-term, survival-based realities of farmers or investors
• How Regenerative Agriculture is gaining traction

Episode breakdown:Welcome - 00:00:00Origin & Perspective - 00:10:35The Relationship at the Core - 00:18:43Tensions, Lessons & Tools - 00:30:47Contrarian Thoughts - 00:35:29Your go-to person - 00:35:49Flash Round - 00:36:50

Today we are happy to welcome Laure Blanchard-Brunac.Laure is an expert in development finance and blended finance, with over 20 years of experience across leading European financial institutions and the European Commission. She has a proven expertise in EU financial instruments, budgetary guarantees and investment-related policies and regulations. Laure is currently a member of the InvestEU Investment Committee, and a Key Expert with the Trade and Private Sector Development Facility (TPSD) implemented by DAI on behalf of the European Commission. She is also a Senior Advisor with Rud Pedersen Public Affairs Brussels advising private companies on their EU funding strategies.
Key topics:

• How blended finance actually works — where it succeeds, where it fails, and what signals show it’s the right tool.
• The hidden “EU bubble” dynamics
• The systemic importance of certain individuals inside institutions

Episode breakdown:Intro - 00:00:00Origin & Perspective - 00:02:22The Relationship At Core - 00:17:37Contrarian Thoughts - 00:28:44Flash Round - 00:33:04

Today we are happy to welcome Greg De Temmerman.Greg has about 20 years of experience spanning fusion and energy research, philanthropic funding, and climate solutions. Working at the intersection between science, innovation and climate action, he is passionate about building systems that enable bold and transformative initiatives to thrive. Until October 2025 he was deputy CEO and Chief Science Officer of the Quadrature Climate Foundation in London. He is currently advising philanthropists and entrepreneurs on high impact projects. He is a published author and TED speakerKey topics:- The importance of effective Communication in Climate & Energy- Funding, power dynamics and what it really takes to scale Climate Innovation- Philanthropy’s role in Systems Change and infrastructure building- The messy middle of Climate TransitionEpisode breakdown:Intro - 00:00:00Origin & Perspective - 00:02:33The Relationship At Core - 00:12:16Tensions, Lessons & Tools - 00:24:39Contrarian Thoughts - 00:27:20Your Go-To Person - 00:29:43Flash Round - 00:30:25

Today, I’m joined by Eric Collins, Co-Founder and General Partner of Impact X Capital Partners and a serial entrepreneur, investor, technology executive, host of award-winning Channel 4 business show,The Money Maker, which is based on the highly successful US show The Profit on CNBC, and author of the award winning book We Don’t Need Permission - How Black Business Can Change the World.In 2018 he co-founded Impact X Capital Partners, a UK domiciled VC fund that has closed 2 funds with 49 investments including Europe’s 2nd Black unicorn, insurtech innovator, Marshmallow. Impact X also invests in select creative projects with the animated series IYANU which launched to commercial and critical success on HBO Max and Cartoon Network in April 2025.
Key topics:

• Urgency vs. Incrementalism in Systemic Change
• Access to Capital and Representation in Venture
• Culture as a Vehicle for Change
• Navigating Relationships, Conflict, and Complexity
  

Episode breakdown:Welcome - 00:00:00Origin & Perspective - 00:04:33The Relationship At Core - 00:08:14Tensions, Lessons & Tools - 00:33:34Flash Round - 00:38:13

Today, I’m joined by Laure Wessemius-Chibrac, a seasoned investment professional with nearly three decades of experience in the financial sector, specialising in sustainability, impact investing and the mobilisation of institutional capital. Based in the Netherlands, she has built a solid exposure to emerging markets. She currently serves as the Founding Managing Director / CEO of Netherlands Advisory Board on Impact Investing (NAB). In this role, Laure has been driving the agenda to scale up impact investments from pension funds, insurance companies and asset managers and alter structural investment patterns.
In this episode we talk about:

• how culture is a key factor to achieve change in finance
• how risk is a mix of facts and perception, which therefore can be shifted

Episode Breakdown:Welcome - 00:00:00Origin & Perspective - 00:02:46The Relationship At Core - 00:10:23Tensions, Lessons & Tools - 00:28:40Contrarian Thoughts - 00:44:13Your go-to person - 00:45:03Flash Round - 00:45:59

Today, I’m joined by James Burrows. James currently looks after the social lending team at Better Society Capital (BSC), which includes work on Blended Finance, Ethical Banks, and Social Outcomes Partnerships. These are all ways of connecting capital to communities that need it most. He is also actively involved in shaping and building out the practice looking at investing for more transformative systems change. Previously, he led on the Places strategy, looking at ways investment might play a role to support places and communities to thrive.
In this episode, we’ll explore:

• Trust and Stewardship in Finance
• Impact Investing and Systems Change
• Poverty Premium and Financial Inclusion
• Place-Based Investing and Local Agency
• Humility, Feedback Loops, and Hope in Systems Work
  

Episode Breakdown:Welcome - 00:00:00Origin & Perspective - 00:03:08The Relationship At Core - 00:04:56Tensions, Lessons & Tools - 00:21:55Contrarian Thoughts - 00:41:39Your go-to person - 00:42:48Flash Round - 00:44:21

Today I'm joined by Tess Dury, Director of Impact and ESG at Extantia, a deep tech climate fund, known for not shying away from hardware tech, as well as first of a kind industrial investments. At Extentia Tess works with investors in climate startups to support them in the difficult journey of both designing and delivering sustainable growth that is part of the solution, not the problem. Today's episode is honestly quite surprising for me because not only did we explore the usual personal journey into sustainability and impact, but Tess managed to uncover so many difficult and interesting questions around colonial history and how it should be interconnected with a general systems approach, which I found particularly fascinating, and she did not shy away also from approaching power and relationships in venture capital.
In this episode, we dive into:

• Colonial History & Systems Thinking – how her Belgian-Portuguese background and family history in the Congo shape her understanding of capital, systems, and justice
• Power & Relationships in Venture Capital – the dynamics between investors, founders, and LPs, and how trust and relationship-building help navigate tensions
• Navigating Complexity & Impact Frameworks – insights into balancing systemic thinking with practical decision-making
• Contrarian View on Capital – Tess argues that climate tech doesn’t just need more capital, but less extractive capital, emphasizing fairness, non-exploitation, and systemic responsibility

Episode Breakdown:Welcome – 00:00:00Origin & Perspective – 00:02:13The Relationship at the Core – 00:10:35Tensions, Lessons & Tools – 00:13:04Contrarian Thoughts – 00:26:13Your go-to person – 00:29:44Flash Round – 00:32:41

Today, I’m joined by Krisztina Tora, a global leader in impact investing and impact markets, known for shifting capital flows toward real impact in over 70 countries.Krisztina has advised financial institutions, governments, and civil society on building inclusive impact economies, while also creating partnerships that help diverse stakeholders co-design systemic solutions. Her work is driven by a conviction that finance must serve equality, dignity, and sustainability — and by a willingness to challenge entrenched belief systems.In this episode, we’ll explore what it takes to transform finance from within, and why breaking out of our bubbles is essential for real systems change.
Episode Breakdown:Welcome – 00:00:00Origin & Perspective – 00:01:44The Relationship at the Core – 00:07:14Tensions, Lessons & Tools – 00:21:20Contrarian Thoughts – 00:25:10Your go-to person – 00:27:52Flash Round – 00:29:24