Fundie Ventures provides a unique opportunity for students to acquire work experience in and learn more about impact investing. This new blog series — Fundie Alumni: What Are They Doing Now? is based upon interviews with previous Fundie employees and provides an insight into their lives today and how their work at Fundie shaped their current skill set.
Today, we are featuring Olivier Van Der Lande, a current associate at 4impact. As a tech and impact investment fund, 4impact invests in social enterprises focusing on societal, sustainable and financial returns. Recently, the company has announced their first two investments for Envision, an app that uses assistive technology and artificial technology to allow for greater independence to the visually impaired and Solar Monkey, a company that specialises in B2B software for solar panel systems design.
But first, a bit of background on Olivier:
● With an MSc in Financial Economics from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, Olivier always knew he wanted to combine business with sustainability.
● Having previously worked for FMO (the Dutch Development Bank), Olivier was absorbed into the investment sector, specifically looking into emerging markets and the creation of positive impact for entrepreneurs.
“The combination of a commercial enterprise with the goal of investing in emerging markets, specifically in sectors with positive impact, made me interested in social entrepreneurship”
● Studying an MBA at IE Business School, Olivier discovered the work of Fundie Ventures and joined the Deal Analysis Team for 8 months. As part of this team, Olivier’s main job was to decide whether or not a startup was ready to receive funding.
What were the main skills that Olivier learned during his time at Fundie?
Skill 1: Working with other students in the Deal Analysis Team provided Olivier with a unique experience to share knowledge with individuals from different backgrounds and expertise.
“I really enjoyed working with 3–4 people in a team, looking at different things, from different perspectives was a very powerful way to learn”
Skill 2: Working with startups gave Olivier another important skill for the investment sector that he has carried on through with his work at 4impact.
“It was the first time for me to be working with startups and really think about the reasons why a company may not be investment ready”
Skill 3: Working directly with founders opened up Olivier’s eyes to the difficulties of balancing the founders’ passion for their businesses and the execution needed for the latter to work.
“Each founder was hugely different in their personalities and how they worked in the startup”
For more on Olivier, don’t hesitate to follow his LinkedIn as he continues to navigate through the impact investment space.
Follow along with our Fundie Alumni series as we discover more about individuals making a positive change in the world.
If there are specific topics you want us to cover, drop us a note at info@fundie.ventures.
If you are interested in learning more about Fundie, visit us here!
