Sound Funding

Welcome to episode 25 of Sound Funding! This is a very special episode, it's the very last one and it's a crossover episode with our other podcast Impact People, so host Ryan Grant Little is our guest on this episode. He talks to our Ben DeVries about the many hats he wears (founder, investor, consultant, podcast host) and plans for the future.

In this episode, host Ryan Grant Little spoke with Simon Ulvund of Earthbound in Copenhagen. Earthbound is a brand new funding program from the Technical University of Denmark designed to get deep climate tech from universities out into the market. They talked about Simon's background as a social innovator, the challenges of tech transfer, and what's happening in the Scandinavian funding landscape right now.

In this episode, host Ryan Grant Little spoke with Luca Zerbini, Founding Partner and CEO of Una Terra Venture Capital Fund in Zurich. Luca is both a force of nature and a force for nature, deploying $200 million in the fight against carbon emissions and plastic waste. They talked about how a background in industry can be a huge asset as an investor, why radical collaboration is the way to solve wicked problems, and an upcoming book.

In this crossover episode with his other podcast, Another ClimateTech Podcast, host Ryan Grant Little talks with Arman Anatürk, founder of FoodHack, ClimateHack and HackCapital, a universe that grew out of a single event in Geneva in 2018. They talk about new approaches for startups, fund managers, and angels to participate in the capital-hungry universe of climatetech, and how to get more players involved. From micro funds to SPVs, M&A to secondary markets, we cover it all.

In this episode, host Ryan Grant Little speaks with Beatriz Franco, Managing Partner at Vita Vera Ventures. After two decades as a lawyer and investment banker, Beatriz went all-in on a bet to fight climate change by focusing on early-stage investment in the food industry. Her fund focuses on reducing GHG emissions through novel food technologies, reducing food waste and plastics, and increasing efficiency of materials and processes. We talked about why food is often overlooked by climatetech investors, why the food system is both a driver and victim of climate change, and what to do in the Big Apple.Talk to Beatriz about Next-Gen Food & Ingredients, New Proteins, Sustainable  Packaging & Materials during her office hours.

Host Ryan Grant Little spoke with Maximilian Schwarz (né) Bade, founder of Nucleus Capital, in Berlin.Nucleus Capital is a first-check investor in all things related to planetary health, with a focus on programming biology, foodtech, and decarbonization.The “Made with Biology Funding Napkin” mentioned in the episode can be found at https://bit.ly/3WSdzno Never miss an episode of Sound Funding by subscribing here and by following Ryan Grant Little at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangrantlittle/

In this episode, host Ryan Grant Little speaks with James Crawshaw, Senior Impact Manager at Inyova Impact Investing. Inyova is a pioneer in bringing impact investing to the retail level, currently operating in the German speaking world. They talked about active portfolio management, the power of shareholder activism, and swimming in Zurich.

In this episode of Sound Funding, host Ryan Grant Little speaks with Sonalie Figueiras about how investing in the food system can help solve the climate crisis. Figueiras is the founder and editor-in-chief of Green Queen, a highly respected platform for the food tech industry. They discuss the importance of investing in food tech, the lack of messaging to the general public, and the need for more education and communication surrounding alternative proteins. Figueiras also shares her experience as an angel investor and the need for more diversity in the investing space.

Host Ryan Grant Little spoke with Steven Molino, Principal at Clear Current Capital in New York.Clear Current Capital catalyzes sustainable change in the food system, especially through alternative protein investment. We talked about the state of affairs in alternative protein investment, why it’s all about teams, what makes sense in the world of company valuations, and how the film Cowspiracy can change the arc of your career.Learn more: https://www.clearcurrentcapital.com

Host Ryan Grant Little spoke with Romain Diaz, founder of Satgana, in Lisbon.Satgana is a climate tech venture capital firm working on topics ranging from transportation, energy, food and agriculture, to circular economy. Romain and Ryan talked about the most effective climate interventions, what it’s like to be a first-time fund manager, and why just about everything about Lisbon is great.Find Satgana at https://www.satgana.com and Romain Diaz at https://www.linkedin.com/in/romaindiaz/Never miss an episode of Sound Funding by subscribing and by following Ryan Grant Little at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangrantlittle/