Rhinepreneurs: Inside Impact Venture Capital

Rhinepreneurs – the podcast series from KTUR and KIT-Gründerschmiede

What makes Rhinepreneurs special? The conversations are held in German, and each section is followed by a summary in French.

What the second episode is about

This episode is about how money can be used to bring about social change. Host Sandra talks to Claire Weiss, an analyst at Phitrust, about her journey into impact investing and how Phitrust measures social impact, supports founders in Europe, and why credibility, purpose, and authenticity are crucial for impact-driven startups.

The episode explains what distinguishes impact investing from traditional VC, how trusting, long-term partnerships are formed, and which impact tools—such as the Theory of Change and the Impact Management Project—guide investment decisions.

Listen now on Spotify or Apple Podcast—or download the English transcript of the podcast here.

Rhinepreneurs podcast series

In the first episode, Sandra talks to Rick Lindner about the question: Can startups only succeed with a network – and how important is networking for founders? He is a founder himself, a former accelerator employee, and a community builder in many startup networks. Together, they discuss why networks are so crucial to the success of a start-up, how to build them, and what start-up ecosystems can learn from each other.

You can find the first episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can download the English transcript of the podcast here.

We look forward to many more exciting conversations – and to working with you to make the entrepreneurial spirit in the Upper Rhine region audible!

What is KTUR?

The podcast is part of the KTUR project, a network of 15 main partners, including the EUCOR universities, and 40 associated partners along the Upper Rhine. The aim of KTUR is to strengthen cooperation and innovation across national borders – and thus provide new impetus for the startup landscape in the region

In an initial project phase lasting until September 2022, KTUR created a common identity for knowledge and technology transfer in the Upper Rhine region and launched its first trinational offerings. The follow-up project KTUR², with the participation of KIT and coordinated by the KIT Start-up Incubator, now envisages, among other things, stronger development of entrepreneurship within the network. The promotion of cross-border start-ups and their access to innovation support programs and financing opportunities in the Upper Rhine region is a focal point of the program and is supported by numerous offerings.