Protect Our Winters’ Post

Check out this interview with one of our Founders, Jamie Woolnough, about the journey that led to the creation of Meaningful Planet as well as his experiences taking part in the Oneday MBA program. 🤝 💚

After a decade at Innosphere Ventures, my team has established some phenomenal partnerships. We’ve worked with academic institutions and formed lasting relationships full of trust and collaboration. But now as I shift my focus from Innosphere over to our CO-WY Climate Resilience Engine, I’m faced with an entirely new challenge: Forming partnerships from scratch, with a whole new world of companies. It’s a tall order, but I’m embracing it. It’s allowing me to rethink my strategy, hone my pitch, and discover new ways to inspire trust and start meaningful conversations. It’s also proof that no matter how many years you spend in business, there is always the chance to push yourself to try different approaches. The CO-WY engine is a new organization within Innosphere, and it requires a different kind of partnership approach - one that I need to challenge myself to find. We need to work with several large corporations that align with our mission and also have their own expertise and capabilities that further our goals toward climate resilience. So while I may have been in leadership roles for decades at this point, I’m in no way done learning. New projects call for new perspectives - and I’m happy to step up to the plate to give our mission the collaborative partners it needs.

When I was teaching PWN members in Sydney and Melbourne about the difference between retail, sophisticated and institutional investing (that's what the slide in the image is for), venturing beyond retail was not on my personal agenda. I'm happy swimming inside the shark net, mostly sticking to listed shares and property with the occasional speculative dabble. It's much the same way I swim where this photo is taken, at Cottesloe WA. I stay inside the nets ~95% of the time for 1-2hrs at a time, but the fish life *just outside* the nets near the rocks is *so good* that I often pop over for a look around. It's not comfortable - I'm always looking over my shoulder with the Jaws soundtrack playing in my head - but it's worth the stress for the payoff of seeing the incredible aquatic life there. As Cheryl Mack pointed out in some training I recently took from Aussie Angels, 16% of Aussies qualify to swim outside the financial net as sophisticated investors just because they have significant equity in their homes. Should those 16% be investing in products that don't require product disclosure statements? Probably not all of them. Maybe not even most of them. I haven't bothered. I have enough money and I don't need more than I've got. ...then VentureX HQ started a syndicate through Aussie Angels. I am big on putting my money where my mouth is if I can. I was the first paying member for the inaugural #InvestABLE program for example, without having a clue what I was signing up for. When I saw Pia Turcinov AM, Justine Teggelove, Sheryl Frame, Tracie Clark and Stephanie Rowland were building something especially for female founders in Perth, I was chomping at the bit to get in on the action because I knew it would be good. So, I've done it*. Six months after those PWN sessions, I'm the proud recipient of an Aussie Angels sophisticated investor certificate so I can join the VentureX HQ syndicate**. Thanks 🌊 Vinko Grgić and Rohana Wood for making the process simple (so far). Can't wait to see which investments they pick :) * I am not a financial advisor, this is not advice, and do not think that because I've done it, it's a good idea. I'm only putting in money I can afford to lose. ** Please, please, please do not start pitching me to invest in your startup or your syndicate. I have no appetite for it - I am interested only in VentureX HQ's one ...for now ...though I did see Euphemia's got a syndicate too. Love 🌱 Judy Anderson-Firth's work... anyway, I have no appetite to review pitch decks.

Great ideas and grand visions are fleeting without deep commitment and tenacity. Join us for a conversation with Carla Javits of REDF and Omar Woodard of HRS Management as they dive into what it takes to grow a movement, focusing on REDF's pioneer venture philanthropy that has galvanized a national movement of social change. Get ready to listen, learn, and start building a better future: https://bit.ly/3w76Ixd

CLIMACTIC. IS. LIVE. 🎉 🎊 🙌 $65M. As we announce the close for the first-ever Climactic fund, I can't help but reflect on the two-year journey that got us here. Starting a new company, raising a fund, and raising a fund at a new venture company - each was an uncharted territory for me. From the first pitch to setting up a fund, every step was a leap of faith. But with a rock-solid team and mentors - Josh and Raj - we turned challenges into opportunities. The moment we received our first major institutional investment was a huge turning point. It wasn't just about the check; it was a validation of our belief and strategy. Like Tim at TechCrunch said, "This thesis makes sense." The most surreal part of this journey has been seeing Climactic grow from an idea over coffee into a brand that's sought after. From the first email asking for an intro to people introducing me as "Peter from Climactic" - these moments hold a special place in me. A vision shines through to reality. I'm immensely grateful for our team's resilience, our investors' trust, and the growing interest in climate tech. This is the beginning for so much more. 🌎

Unlock the potential within. Vader Mountain Capital is your launchpad to success. Ready to blast off into a new realm of possibilities? Let's chart a course to greatness together. 🚀 #VaderMountainCapital #ElevateYourPotential #SuccessAwaits

At Mercy Corps Ventures, 2023 marked a year of great momentum, where significant tailwinds emerged to propel our capacity to combat and adapt to climate change. Stay tuned for the launch of our 2023 Impact Report, where we'll unveil the newest companies in our portfolio, showcase exciting developments in our Venture Platform, Venture Lab, Impact Measurement and Management, and Insights functions, and highlight our failures and lessons learned. Don't miss out on the insights – our Impact Report 2023 is coming soon! #ImpactReport2023 #ClimateResilience #ClimateFinance #ClimateInnovation #ImpactInvesting

If you are solving the worlds most pressing environmental issues, Elyse Crowston & Mike Winterfield from Active Impact Investments are the first people I’d call!

🌱 Every giant tree was once a tiny seed. In business, the skyscrapers of success rise from the foundational bricks of small beginnings. Embrace every small start, for within them lie the blueprints of massive impact. Keep planting, nurturing, and scaling, and remember: monumental achievements await those who see potential in the minute. 💡✨ #betdavidconsulting