Impact, Reframed
Impact, Reframed
Why it’s more doable, and more necessary than the headlines suggest
While others step back, Carbon13 continues to see impact as a key lever in developing future ventures.
If you share this perspective we invite you to join us in discussing what we see working, hear how we do it and what we think needs updating.
In this session, Carbon13's Nicky Dee will be discussing:
Why impact matters now - and why it is more than a reporting exercise
The curve nobody draws: when impact actually shows up in a venture's life, and what that means for how you back it and link carry to it
ESG screening built into the founder from day one, not bolted on at exit
What SFDR Article 9 really asks of a fund - and how we are collecting data
Founder training as a unique edge
Where impact and financial returns stop tracking each other - and why we think both still matter
The honest list: what we still can't measure, and what we do anyway
The session qualifies for CPD and a certificate will be issued
By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Explain why climate impact at pre-seed stage follows a J-curve trajectory, and why this reflects structural differences between financial and impact returns — including bounded vs. open-ended measurement, embodied carbon debt, and point-in-time valuation versus impact accrued over time
Identify the key binding elements required under SFDR Article 9 for a pre-seed climatetech fund, with specific examples from Carbon13
Critically assess a Principal Adverse Impacts statement for an early-stage portfolio, including the implications of proxy and limited data
About Dr Nicky Dee (PhD, Cantab), Co-Founder & CEO, Carbon13
Nicky possesses 25 years of experience engaging with startups and stakeholders to drive sustainability and ESG progress. Viewing innovators as catalysts for transformative shifts, she co-founded Carbon13 in 2019 to revamp venture building for urgent climate solutions. Before Carbon13 she was at the forefront of the intersection of sustainability and startups through initiatives such as innovation prizes, startup support, climate tech investments, and corporate venturing with organisations like UNEP, UK government, Unilever, World Bank, and more. She has a PhD from the Institute for Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge (IfM) and a Natural Sciences degree which underpins her interest and evaluation of technology based solutions and impact methodologies. She serves as a Fellow with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).