Episode 23 - Saskia Bruysten
In this episode, I sit down with Saskia Bruysten, Partner and Co-founder at Carbon Equity.
Guests
Show notes
In this episode, I sit down with Saskia Bruysten, Partner and Co-founder at Carbon Equity.
Saskia Bruysten is an impact entrepreneur and investor. In her current role as Partner & Co-Founder International at Carbon Equity, she leads the platform's global expansion, democratizing private equity investments in climate tech to make them accessible to a broader audience. Carbon Equity is the world's most active climate tech LP.
Previously, Saskia co-founded and served as CEO of Yunus Social Business (YSB) alongside Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus. Under her leadership, YSB scaled social businesses that improved the lives of over 17 million people in East Africa, Latin America & India, providing access to employment, education, healthcare, and clean energy.
Her contributions to the field have earned her numerous accolades, including the BOLD Woman Award (2020), the Handelsblatt Vordenker Award (2020), Capital’s “Young Elite” (2017, 2018), the Wired Smart List (2013).
With her, we will talk about the latest trend in climate tech, nuclear energy, but also how VC invests in this field and how to choose a great founder with a world changing tech.
In this episode
Saskia Bruysten explains how co-founding Yunus Social Business with Muhammad Yunus taught her to use business to solve social problems, and how Carbon Equity applies the same idea to climate. Carbon Equity lets individuals invest in a diversified portfolio of top climate tech funds that are normally out of reach. She argues that most technologies needed for net zero already exist, sees geothermal and new nuclear as promising, and stresses that carbon removal and nature are also needed.
Chapters
- 0:00Introduction and Carbon Equity
- 1:20Social business with Muhammad Yunus
- 4:39Can we solve climate change?
- 7:13Green premiums and electric vehicles
- 9:26Why private climate investing is out of reach
- 14:32How Carbon Equity picks funds
- 17:50Technologies to watch: geothermal and nuclear
- 23:02Direct investments
- 27:29Removing carbon from the atmosphere
- 36:23Why invest in climate
Key facts
About 15 years ago Saskia co-founded Yunus Social Business with Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, funding social businesses in countries including Colombia, Brazil, Uganda, Rwanda and India.
Carbon Equity lets individuals invest in top climate tech funds worldwide.
About 90% of climate companies are funded privately through venture capital, private equity and infrastructure funds that most investors cannot access.
Each year Carbon Equity builds a portfolio of seven to ten funds chosen from about 500 climate tech funds, giving exposure to around 150 companies.
About 80% of each Carbon Equity vintage goes into funds and 20% into direct co-investments in their portfolio companies, which carry no fund fees.
Carbon Equity's financial and climate reviews carry equal weight, and each can veto a deal.
Carbon Equity generally avoids first-time funds unless the team has a strong track record.
Investors can join Carbon Equity from 20,000 euros; it charges a management fee of up to 1% and no carry.
Carbon Equity may launch a co-investment fund by the end of the year.
Most technologies needed for net zero already exist, and solar, wind and batteries are now cheaper than fossil fuels in most cases.
Last year China sold more electric vehicles than combustion cars for the first time.
Geothermal and new nuclear are among the most promising baseload energy technologies.
Oceans absorb about 30% of humanity's annual CO2 emissions, and carbon removal technologies will also be needed.
Questions and answers
What is a social business?
A business that solves a social problem using the efficiency of a business model rather than a charity or government.
How does Carbon Equity choose funds?
It weighs financial and climate impact equally, looking at mandate, team, thesis and climate track record, while diversifying across sectors, stages and regions.
Why invest in private climate markets?
New money reaches companies directly, and diversification across top funds lowers risk.