Kasia Zalewska

Investing in startups involves a huge risk. Investment analysts spend hours analysing every detail of startups before the fund, or an angel decides to invest.

The number of impact-focused ventures in the European market is growing rapidly. It’s an indicator of growing awareness of global problems.

“We can’t build a world that values women equally if women aren’t a bigger part of the building.”

If any European country can be considered as a startup super-factory, then it’s definitely Estonia. With growing awareness and more and more companies turning green, it has a great foundation for an impact-driven startup ecosystem.

A few years back, Romania wasn’t the primary destination for impact investors looking for interesting projects so far, but it’s changing now.

The most common sources of funding for startups are venture capital and private investors. There is, however, one more very interesting alternative source. It’s the public sector.

On average, investors review dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of pitch decks in a year.

Investors consider many factors when making an investment decision. One of them is the team - they expect it to be solid, hands-on, and motivated to deliver what the startup promises. That is not always the case.

Getting a referral to an investor is one of the best ways to speed up your fundraising process. But you need to follow a couple of rules when asking for a referral.

There is a common problem that we’ve seen in many pitch decks of impact-driven startups. It’s the lack of balance between emphasizing financial returns and the purpose behind ideas and companies.