Athens, Greece · Event Organisator The Hellenic Impact Investing Network (HIIN) is a non-profit organisation promoting impact investing and sustainable finance in Greece and Southeast Europe. It organises the annual Impact Festival Europe in Athens, convening investors, fund managers, philanthropists, policymakers and entrepreneurs to connect regional opportunities with global capital.
Athens, Greece · Event The 4th Impact Festival Europe (#HIIC26) is a pan-European forum dedicated to impact investing and sustainable finance for Greece and Southeast Europe, held at the Athens Conservatoire. It convenes investors, fund managers, philanthropists, policymakers and entrepreneurs to connect regional opportunities with global capital, with a main two-day conference on October 22-23 followed by an Impact Weekend on October 24-25.
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg · Accelerator A public-private partnership created in May 2018 by Luxembourg's Ministry of Finance, Ministry of the Environment, and twelve private financial sector entities. The ICFA supports emerging fund managers focused on innovative climate finance investment strategies, providing coaching, training, and financial support to help them reach scale. It selects cohorts annually and expanded in 2024 to also include a parallel International Social Finance Accelerator track.
Zurich, Switzerland · Venture Capital Lightrock is an impact-focused growth equity platform backed by LGT Group, the private banking and asset management group owned by the Princely House of Liechtenstein. Founded in 2019 as a spin-out from LGT's direct private equity activities, Lightrock deploys growth equity tickets of €10–50M into companies demonstrating measurable positive impact across climate, health, and financial inclusion. The firm operates from London with offices in Basel, New Delhi, São Paulo, and other cities, giving it an unusually broad emerging-market reach alongside its European portfolio. Notable portfolio companies include Bima, Karma Kitchen, and Proxona. Lightrock occupies a distinctive position in European impact investing: it combines the balance sheet credibility of a century-old royal banking group with a focused mandate, operational on-the-ground presence, and a willingness to invest in geographies and sectors that conventional growth equity skips. For Swiss and European founders building in healthcare access, climate solutions, or financial inclusion, Lightrock is one of the few growth-stage investors that evaluates impact metrics alongside financial ones.
London, United Kingdom · Person Niki Buys is the co-founder and partner at Pledge Ventures, the venture capital arm of Founders Pledge, which invests in high-growth technology companies whose founders have made binding commitments to give a meaningful portion of their proceeds to charity. She spent over six years at Founders Pledge in roles including Chief Experience Officer before co-launching the fund in 2023 alongside CEO David Goldberg. Pledge Ventures operates on a rules-based model across sectors and geographies to create a flywheel between entrepreneurial success and social impact.
London, United Kingdom · Venture Capital Pledge Ventures is the venture capital arm of Founders Pledge, launched in 2023 to invest in high-growth technology companies whose founders have made binding philanthropic commitments. The fund operates on a rules-based model across sectors and geographies, aiming to create a self-reinforcing flywheel between entrepreneurial financial success and positive social impact. Co-founded by Niki Buys and David Goldberg, the fund backs a broad portfolio of technology companies and is a featured partner at Nordic Tech Week 2026.