Investing with Conviction: Real stories from Asterion Ventures & Plastic Odyssey
This session is intended for impact investors, operators, and leaders actively involved in deploying capital or building climate and ocean solutions.
Description
What does it look like when impact actually works? Not in theory, but in practice. Some models are venture-backed. Some are funded by global institutions and built through partnerships on multiple continents. Some do both at once. This evening, we're sharing the stories where financial performance and positive impact didn't have to choose sides.
Simon Bernard, co-founder of Plastic Odyssey, is sailing the world's coastlines to fight plastic waste at its source, blending nonprofit mission with for-profit mechanics. Diana Khramina, Venture Partner at Asterion Ventures, will share success stories from the fund's portfolio, showing how backing climate and impact companies generates returns while driving measurable change for people and the planet.
Different models. Different structures. Same conviction that planet, purpose, and profit can belong in the same sentence.
This intimate evening brings together a handpicked group of 20-30 investors and operators around multiple stories of action over talk. Small enough to talk, curated enough to make every conversation count.
Agenda
5:00 PM / Doors open
5:30 PM / Welcome from our host
5:35 PM / Plastic Odyssey: Building a ship, building a movement. Simon Bernard, Co-Founder, on what they've achieved and the impact so far.
5:55 PM / Asterion Ventures: The climate models that worked. Diana Khramina, Venture Partner, on the fund's success stories, what makes them work, and what it means to invest in impact today.
6:10 PM / Panel conversation: What "impact" actually looks like beyond the headline
6:30 PM / Audience Q&A
7 PM / Happy hour and open conversation
About Co-Hosts
Asterion Ventures is a European-based venture capital firm backing early-stage climate and impact startups. Founded in 2021, the fund is anchored by over 900 angels, including the founders of Back Market, BlaBlaCar, and Too Good To Go, alongside family offices like Entheos. With 37 investments to date spanning energy, deep tech, and AI-powered sustainability, and a new €100M fund in the works, Asterion is built on a thesis that impact and returns belong together. The firm invests deal-by-deal and through its fund structure, giving it flexibility to back companies at the frontier of climate innovation.
Plastic Odyssey is a global nonprofit leading bold expeditions to remove plastic pollution and restore biodiversity in the world’s most fragile marine ecosystems, combining field engineering, research, and education to drive lasting impact.
Plastic Odyssey Fund is the U.S. nonprofit connecting donors, foundations, and partners to Plastic Odyssey’s global missions. Based in San Francisco, it funds and supports projects operated by Plastic Odyssey’s international entities to scale ocean restoration efforts worldwide.
SF Climate Week
By registering for this event, you agree to share your registration information with the organizers of SF Climate Week.