EQT Foundation focuses on impact-first investments and grants to social entrepreneurs within Climate Technology, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Inclusion & Equality and Impact Investing Infrastructure. With sourcing help from the EQT Network and Motherbrain, EQT’s in-house AI and machine learning platform, the Foundation is getting access to a solid pipeline of top-tier impact entrepreneurs. EQT Foundation strives towards a gender balance among the entrepreneurs that receive support.
Climate Technology
To reach UN’s net-zero target by 2050, the world has to successfully validate new climate technology solutions at commercial scale in the 2020s. To be ready for expansion at global scale in the 2030’s, 35 percent of the total emission reductions needed will require technological break-through. EQT Foundation invests to remove or avoid carbon emissions and can provide introductions to potential pilot customers among EQT portfolio companies.
Living Carbon is an example of an investment within Climate Technology.
Healthcare & Life Sciences
Improving access to and affordability of good health is key to empower people to move out of poverty, as the cost of healthcare is a key barrier. Many diseases spread more easily in poorer communities, and there are infectious diseases that are eradicated in some areas of the world, but still present in others.
On the other side of the equation, there are a great number of scientific discoveries that lack the relevant resources and funding to bring their innovation to market. In many cases, the lack of purchasing power in emerging countries makes it hard for entrepreneurs to serve the underserved, often having to build volume and bring the unit economics down before being able to roll out their product or services in emerging markets. Furthermore, regulatory processes and approvals take time and access to relevant industry
knowledge can play a pivotal role. EQT Foundation invests to improve access to and affordability of good health and bring relevant expertise from EQT’s investments in health care and life sciences.
An example of an investment within this area is Molecular Attraction.
Building the infrastructure for impact investing
EQT Foundation supports non-profit organizations and research projects with the potential to accelerate impact investing. With the grants, EQT Foundation aims to strengthen the ecosystem, while increasing impact transparency and integrity. Typical grant recipients can be the developers of open-source tools and models for integrating impact into financial decision-making.
EQT Foundation also support projects that empower companies to better measure and manage their impact, since this data is a cornerstone to understand the factual reality of the problems at stake, and a premise for effectively moving capital at the right magnitude to solve it. In addition to financial support, EQT Foundation provides grant recipients with practical
experience, pilot cases and help to facilitate feedback loops to shorten the time from idea to proof of concept.
Our strategic partnership with the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment is one example of how we support global policy development with the aim to catalyze more capital for good.