The Impact Stories

In this episode, we sit down with Jacqueline van den Ende, co-founder of Carbon Equity and a leader in democratizing climate investment. With experience on both sides of the investment table, Jacqueline shares her insights on how capital can be a powerful driver of change in the fight against climate change. She explores the potential of climate technologies, the importance of equitable ownership, and the need for urgent action to build a sustainable future. From her experiences as an entrepreneur and investor to her vision for a greener world, this conversation delves into the challenges and opportunities of tackling the climate crisis through innovation and collaboration.

In the first episode of the Impact Series by Katapult X, we sit down with Henry De Sio, a leader who has spent his career transforming bold ideas into real-world change. From shaping the Obama campaign to his current role at the United Nations Foundation, Henry shares profound insights from his Changemaker Playbook on leading with purpose and empowering everyone to become a changemaker. This episode dives deep into the challenges and triumphs of driving meaningful impact, reminding us that true progress requires persistence, innovation, and reflection.

Since 2017, Katapult Future Fest has brought together bold thinkers, change-makers, and impact investors to turn visionary ideas into action. Now, in collaboration with New Nordic Way, we proudly present The Impact Series – a podcast and video interview series highlighting the remarkable individuals driving social, cultural, and systemic change. 

Through storytelling, we aim to keep the powerful conversations from Katapult alive, ensuring they inspire long after the event. Join us as we explore how passionate people, meaningful ideas, and diverse perspectives come together to shape a more just and equitable world.

Are we on track to meet the scale of system change needed to get anywhere close to a 1.5-degree world? 

We produce 50 billion tons of Co2 each year, or 6-7 tons per capita per year - that's 100x more than the average person’s body weight! What will it take to get to Net Zero?

In this episode, Jeremy Oppenheim from SystemIQ and Paul van Zyl from The Conduit discuss the three key things we need to achieve before we should even begin to talk about carbon removal, namely - 

1. electrifying the global economy with clean energy,
2. shifting land use from feeding ourselves to regeneration and the restoration of natural resources, and
3. halving our material consumption.

The two also share insights on what technology, capital, and policy we need in place in order to get there. Tune in to learn more!

Episode guests: 

• Jeremy Oppenheim from SystemIQ
• Paul van Zyl from The Conduit

Episode references: 

• Jamie Arbib
• KFF22 opening ft. Jamie Arbib

Hosted by Kate Byrne
Produced by African Tech Roundup
www.katapultfoundation.org

Gifted author, social critic and women’s advocate, Minna Salami shares her theory and solution for what needs to take place for successful systems change. Prepare to learn about Systems Change from the place of 3 key powers - the freeing power of the outsider, the hidden power of the insider, and the healing power of multi perspectives and how to solve the key pains from which the world suffers.

Episode guest: 

Minna Salami - brought to us by our partner and supporter, BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt 

Hosted by Kate Byrne

Produced by African Tech Roundup

www.katapultfoundation.org

Prepare to be inspired and ignited into action after listening to the stories and wisdom that our hosts Kate Byrne and Lynn Casey gleaned from this powerhouse female panel - Julia Zhou (Tidal Impact), Fatema Hamdani (KH Aerospace), and Susie Alegre (Author & International Human Rights Lawyer). 

We tackle the compassion curse - that women are supposed to focus on compassion - not profit, the learnings from multi generational workforces, and the opportunity that LocalX brings to us all. We all agree that there has never been a better time to be a woman as we claim, step into, and own our power. 

Episode guests:

• Julia Zhou - Co-founder and Chief Development Officer at Tidal Impact
• Fatema Hamdani - Co-founder and CEO of KH Aerospace
• Susie Alegre - Author and International Human Rights Lawyer

Moderated by Kate Byrne of PopVenture and Lynn Casey of ShineScout

Produced by African Tech Roundup

www.katapultfoundation.org

How do we do the most good possible? What’s the difference between effective altruism and impact investing? How do the two differ in assumptions, solutions, rigor and approach? These are the questions covered by Katapult Foundation's Alison Fort and Niels Brøgger as they walk us through the opportunities that both provide.


Episode guests:  

• Alison Fort of Katapult Foundation
• Niels Brøgger of Katapult Foundation

Episode references: 

• Good Food Institute (GFI)
• KFF22 opening ft. Anders Sandberg
• Total Portfolio Project
• IMP+ Project led by Alie Korijn

Produced by African Tech Roundup

www.katapultfoundation.org

What are the impact opportunities and investment opportunities associated with alternative proteins and food tech? 

The industrial animal agriculture industry contributes almost 20% of the world's carbon emissions - on par with the entire transport sector. When thinking about alternative proteins and food tech, many miss the impact it will have on other areas of life such as the climate and healthcare. Alex Mayers, of The Good Food Institute, and Hooked Foods founder, Tom Johansson, educate us all on where the greatest opportunities are, where the investment should go, and where the greatest myths and misunderstandings lie in this exponentially growing field. 

Alex Mayers  of The Good Food Institute (GFI)
Tom Johansson of Hooked Foods

Moderated by Kate Byrne
Produced by African Tech Roundup

www.katapultfoundation.org

What would a mentally healthy world look like? What if all of us understood mental health and had access to mental health care in the way that many of us do for physical health care?

1 in 4 of us are affected by something that impacts our ability to function in our daily life. Mental well being and physical challenge are such pariahs when it comes to workplace conversations. There has been some headway in addressing physical challenges such as LEGO’s Braille bricks, that open and connect the world. The brain is our most important organ and yet we know so little about it. How do we help our children soar past the issues that older generations have experienced and normalized? Learning holistic skills (resilience, empathy), as well as hard ability skills, needed to cope and flourish in this world.

Episode guests:

Jules Chappell of Kokoro (a non-profit organization focused on mental health as the foundation for a safer, kinder and more productive world)
Diana Ringe Krogh of The LEGO Foundation & The LEGO Group

Episode references:  

• LEGO’s Play for All Accelerator Program - investing in startups with a neurodivergent focus or within the ed tech field with a playful learning integration
• Future Mental Health Collective - a global peer-to-peer network of both existing and potential mental health funders

Moderated by Alison Fort
Produced by African Tech Roundup

www.katapultfoundation.org

Trustworthy AI - Yes It is Possible!

Beena Ammanath, Award-winning Author," Trustworthy AI," Executive Director of the Global Deloitte AI Institute and Founder of Humans For AI, shares with us a very practical approach along with best practices for leaders to consider as they operationalize AI into their companies. Any time AI becomes untrustworthy, there is a person or people who are accountable for that outcome. If an AI tool is not secure and sensitive data is leaded, humans are at fault. Far from theoretical, our conversation includes the questions to ask and the steps to take.  A must for everyone as AI is here to stay.

Join us on May 24th for our final episode of Season 1 with Katapult Foundation CEO Alison Fort!

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Produced by African Tech Roundup

Accomplishing Your Inner Development Goals

The term renaissance man does not begin to describe the capacity and impact that Tomas Bjorkman has had on the world. Finance, philosophy, philanthropy and more, Tomas has been disrupting each system he touches. Key piece to note: his work on the Inner Development Goals. The Inner Development Goals (IDGs) form a blueprint of the capabilities, qualities and skills we need in order to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Join us on May 10th for a conversation with Beena Ammanath, Executive Director of the Global Deloitte AI Institute, on harnessing AI for good.

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Produced by African Tech Roundup

The Magic of Disruption - Greater Equity All Around

Fortunately for the world Amit Pradhan is a brilliant and generous soul. Be it his compassion for others (he is an active Board Member on the Norwegian Refugee Council), his vision for what responsible AI could look like and mean for us all, or his dedication to the decentralization of power and control that would result in a complete switcheroo on who makes the money on data(that would be you and I in his vision thank you very much). We cover it all and then some. 

Join us on April 26th with Tomas Björkman, Founder of Ekskäret Foundation, for a conversation on how to accomplish your Inner Development Goals.

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Produced by African Tech Roundup

The Future of Women in Business

Don’t settle and let your inner bad bitch speak her truth. To say that Lisa Carmen Wang (Angel/Crypto Investor, entrepreneur, women’s advocate, People and Profit Podcast host, author of the Bad Bitch Business Bible, and 4X USA National Champion & Hall of Fame Gymnast - ohh yeah there’s that too) is a force of nature is an understatement. This woman literally jumps buildings in a single bound. Lisa is on a crusade to disrupt the business establishment so that women rise and keep on rising and never look back - unapologetically. Nike may say just do it. Lisa Carmen Wang says just do it - again, and again and again. Powerful, inspirational and practical.

Join us on April 12th with Amit Pradhan, Executive Chairman of Rainfall, where we’ll discuss how the token economy can unlock digital self-sovereignty for all.

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Produced by African Tech Roundup

Rethinking Systems with an Eye Towards Disruption - A Smart Investment in the Future

Jamie Arbib is not your average systems change revolutionary. He is both poet and quant, centering his work with mindful attention and an eye on the merits of technology in driving serious disruption. His company, RethinkX, makes sense of it all through in depth reports that reveal, instruct and encourage action. Climate in particular is the beneficiary making us all winners.

Join us on March 29th with Shermin Voshmgir, author and Founder of Token Kitchen, where we’ll discuss Web 3.0 and how it can shift the dynamics of our socio-economic systems.

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Produced by African Tech Roundup

Street Smarts: What Corporations Can Learn

Arnoud Raskin, Owner and General Director of Streetwize, is one of those rare individuals who sees brilliance and opportunity otherwise missed by many. The ultimate dot connector. His work encompasses next gen education, social entrepreneurship and helping the corporate world find its purpose, all through the talent and skill of the young street entrepreneurs Streetwize supports. The result: intragenerational connection and impact both in the streets and beyond. 

Join us for our next episode on March 15th with Jamie Arbib, co-Founder of RethinkX, where we talk about transforming our mindsets and unlearning so that we can see the extraordinary systems change possibilities emerging today.

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Produced by African Tech Roundup

Third Times a Charm: How Quantum Computing will help us do more good in the world

An amazing conversation with an extraordinary mind. Founder and CEO of Strangeworks, Will Hurley aka "Whurley" is a serial entrepreneur using his past experience and connections to demonstrate just how much good tech can do in the world. From his start at Apple where he first answered phones (they then discovered his brilliant mind) to starting a mobile company that built apps for Starbucks, The American Idol and The Daily to name a few - Whurley recognized that he was doing limited good. Realizing the need for a bigger infrastructure to really change the world, he got to work building it. His choices as he saw it : biotech, robotics, or quantum.  He chose the latter, feeling it was the right technology at the right point in time with the right needs to address. Putting community, collaboration and quantum computing to work, his impact has been amazing. Add to this, he is a former bass player, has a passion for healing education, and more.

Join us for our next episode on March 1st with Arnoud Raskin, Founder of StreetwiZe, where we explore the street as a classroom, and discuss what corporations can learn from street youth.

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Produced by African Tech Roundup

Deep Systemic Change - The Intersection of Consciousness, Capital, and Technology

Charly Kleissner has never met a system he didn’t want to disrupt ….AND…. infuse with consciousness to bring it to its highest level of operation. Charly and his efforts operate at the confluence of technology, impact investing and consciousness with the latter being the key ingredient for true successful systemic change. Is ESG just impact washing? Is it another form of philanthropy being used by corporations? Can tokenization be used to fight us being the product of advertising? Can AI be used for good? A rich conversation with a visionary mind sharing solidly implementable solutions. 

Join us for our next episode on February 15th with Whurley, where we discuss the potential for quantum computing to become accessible to all and change the world.

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Produced by African Tech Roundup

Teaching Old Banks New Tricks

Co-Founder of CNote, Cat Berman, is on a quest to diminish the wealth gap through democratized access to wealth creation - we’re talking financial security, not yachts, here. Core to CNote’s ethos is that we all can and must play a role in closing this wealth gap, and CNote provides the avenues and financial instruments to do so. What can truly change the game for not only individual families but communities overall? Ownership of property, entrepreneurship, health clinics, and education. CNote is empowering many around the globe to activate and drive true change.

Join us for our next episode on February 1st with tech and impact investor leader and token economy visionary, Charly Kleissner, where we’ll talk about AI, tokens, new financial systems, and consciousness.

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Produced by African Tech Roundup

The Power of Patient Capital in Delivering Lasting Innovations

When Co Founder of FiftyYears VC, Ela Madej, tells Tech Founders she feels their pain - she means it. Having founded a company or two herself, Madej has taken her own experience and puts it toward helping her League of Giants (her loving reference to the companies backed) by providing not just any capital, but patient capital. Listen to why and how she is doubling down on supporting world-class scientists to  become world-class entrepreneurs, 44 PhD founders and 22 PhD CEOs in fact.

Join us for our next episode on January 18th with Cat Berman, Co-founder and CEO of CNote, where we’ll discuss new investment vehicles. 

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Produced by African Tech Roundup

Exponential Acceleration - The Future of the Venture Model

What happens when you combine thoughtful investment dollars with intentionally-minded Tech Founders? Success in building solutions to tackle some of the world’s trickiest problems. Katapult’s Accelerator Group CEO shares what the team looks for when selecting the companies that can deliver sustainable solutions… at scale. The Group is on to something as in 2021, Katapult Accelerator portfolio companies raised a total of 85M USD in funding. Furthermore, Katapult Ocean companies raised more than 100M USD of funding in 2021. A true triple win for Founders, funders and the planet.

Join us for our next episode on January 4th with co-founder of FiftyYears VC, Ela Madej, where we discuss the impact of patient capital in uncovering truly innovative solutions.

www.katapult.tech

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www.katapultfoundation.org

Produced by African Tech Roundup