Opinion

Imagine a world where the next groundbreaking innovation is overlooked because the founder didn’t fit the “typical” VC mold. That’s the reality we risk if we don’t address bias in investment. My cofounder Eva de Mol and I have experienced the power of gender bias firsthand. When raising our first fund, we were met with comments like, “You really need a man on your team,” and “Real men like numbers and women don’t”.

The democratisation of healthy and sustainable food is no longer an idealistic aspiration - it is a moral, social and environmental imperative. Equitable access to nutritious and environmentally responsible food options must transcend barriers of income, geography and social status.

Many of us recall our impulse pandemic purchases—exercise equipment, books, or baking kits that accumulated as we adjusted to much more time at home. Employers behaved in parallel by pouring money into charming collaboration tools, in an effort to keep their suddenly secluded workers engaged.

Recent political developments will likely impact momentum towards net zero and climate resilience, but it’s not over for climate tech. To survive, startups need better operational data, and more of it, to prove commercial viability and to optimise the tech after development.