We follow in the successful footsteps of ESIIF I & BIIF
Our first funds, the “European Social Innovation and Impact Fund” (ESIIF I) and the “Burning Issues Impact Fund” (BIIF), span game-changing impact startups across Europe, from AI-driven health solutions to regenerative agriculture, circular economy and renewable energy pioneers.
From bold ideas to the ECIIF II today
ESIIF I & BIIF are our brainchildren
Our first funds, the “European Social Innovation and Impact Fund” (ESIIF I) and the “Burning Issues Impact Fund” (BIIF), span game-changing impact startups across Europe, from AI-driven health solutions to regenerative agriculture, circular economy and renewable energy pioneers. The ESIIF I was fleshed out in the McKinsey-Ashoka-BMW Foundation-FASE publication called “Taking off” in 2017. FASE partnered with avesco as the fund manager and the European Investment Fund (EIF) as the provider of an EU Guarantee. ESIIF I went live in 2021 and is fully invested.
The BIIF invests in a new species of entrepreneurs with an integrated business mission to solve a burning social or environmental issue. These for-profit European-based enterprises provide transformative and typically tech-heavy and scalable solutions across various sectors, from circular economy to green innovation to smart mobility to climate-resilient healthcare.
Visit the ESIIF I page (German)
Learn more about BIIF
How ESIIF I performed to date
investments in 7 European countries
CO₂ saved equals ~11.5M trees
8 exits (incl. write-offs)
How BIIF performed to date
>20M single-use packages avoided
7 investments (+ 8 follow-ons) done
investments in 5 countries
CO₂ saved equals ~10M trees
Shining portfolio examples
ESIIF I and BIIF have invested in 28 and 7 outstanding impact ventures to date. Their solutions for a better future range from proactive AI online abuse prevention to detecting landmines with trained animals to marketing renewable energies from independent citizen energy cooperatives to pioneering data for good to vertical circular farming to educating children and adults on food production to regional food delivery from sustainable farmers.
Find out about the many more inspiring ventures that both funds helped scale in the section below!
Acker aims to increase society’s appreciation of nature and food. More than 230,000 children have already taken part in the successful Acker education programs and learned all about nature, sustainability and growing their own vegetables.
ALPA Kids is a platform combining voice technology and cultural localisation to provide e-learning in a child’s native language for children aged 3–8. It addresses a significant gap through age-appropriate and culturally relevant learning content.
ALVA Energie implements profitable solar power projects for residential and commercial properties. From planning and implementation to management, ALVA provides all from a single source.
Apopo saves lives by training animals to rid the world of landmines and tuberculosis. APOPO’s scent detection animals, nicknamed ‘HeroRATs’ and ‘HeroDOGs’, are returning safe land back to communities for development, and freeing people from serious illness.
aQysta is a social enterprise that provides solutions to smallholder farmers to increase their profitability and become more climate resilient. Farmers are provided with irrigation solutions, high-quality farming input, market access, pay-after-harvest services, and training.
&Wider uses mobile surveys to gather anonymous worker insights on human rights and working conditions, empowering companies to meet due diligence requirements for risk assessment, tracking, and stakeholder engagement.
Bettermarks developed an AI-powered, adaptive learning system for schools to teach math. The platform has a scientifically proven efficacy and is available as a white-label platform for publishers.
Blaue Helden provided sustainable washing and cleaning products. The company was liquidated in early 2025.
Bürgerwerke is the leading provider of green electricity from decentralized citizen energy cooperatives in Germany. As a cooperative itself, tit unites more than 100 citizen energy cooperatives to advance energy transition and expand citizen energy.
Candam provides AI-powered packaging recognition for smarter recycling. It transforms ordinary bins into intelligent recycling stations, helping cities recycle smarter. For business clients, smart bins track, reward, and optimize waste management.
Chancen eG is a social enterprise that forms a solidarity community for financing education. Its goal is to reduce barriers to education and enable access regardless of financial background by enabling students to repay through an income-sharing model.
Cocoli is a fully-serviced platform for contemporary second-hand furniture and home decor in Europe. It services eCommerce furniture platforms and individuals, increasing the lifetime of furniture and boosting circularity in the market.
everwave collects waste and allows companies to improve their environmental footprint. By removing waste from rivers before it reaches the oceans, the company creates innovative Plastic Credits, which allow customers to make a credible commitment to a plastic-free future.
Farmy is a Swiss company that provides customers with fresh products from local producers delivered to their homes. In addition to fresh farm shop produce and organic goods, Farmy also offers a range of brands to make the weekly grocery shopping simple and transparent.
HELIOZ was an Austrian company that provided a simple, solar-powered UV measurement device to allow customers in developing countries to gain access to safe drinking water. The enterprise became insolvent in 2023.
Ignitia combines AI models and proprietary re-forecasting data to deliver superior weather and climate solutions to smallholder farmers in the tropics. This optimizes their yields, increases productivity, and improves their climate resilience.
Kaer provides modern health management and occupational safety to corporate customers across Germany. Kaer strives to ensure that customers are legally compliant in occupational safety and protect and promote the health of their employees.
Klubtalent offers a scalable online coaching program to professionalize voluntary sports clubs and make social engagement paid. It enables clubs to professionalize their structures, unburden voluntary workers and finance paid full-time staff.
Mosa Meat is pioneering a cleaner, kinder way of making beef. As a food technology company, it is helping everyone take a bite out of a better future – starting with the world’s kindest beef burger.
My7Steps provides psychological support to quickly overcome difficult life situations. Its scientifically proven, short-term Value Based Counseling® (VBC) therapy is an integrative values-based approach that works quickly and produces positive change.
Neoom brings energy transition to homes with its 360° complete solution. Customers can produce their own electricity, store energy, link energy devices and optimize energy flows, as well as trade green electricity with others.
NewBees is committed to an inclusive society. The social enterprise organizes inclusive integration for municipalities by guiding newcomers to local entrepreneurs and organizations, and by advising and guiding companies in the field of diversity and inclusion.
Ringy provides an innovative tech infrastructure for full circularity in the fast-growing mobile device market. It uses an integrated solution and proprietary AI-powered diagnostics to source, assess, price, and resell used devices at scale.
Roots of Impact works as a trusted advisor and fund manager for impact investors, philanthropists, and catalytic funders. With its unique impact-by-design approach, it unlocks the full potential to deliver positive impact in line with the priorities of its clients.
Samurai Labs is protecting online communities against violence with an autonomous AI guardian. The company has the market’s first, real-time, autonomous AI guardian for online communities, gaming spaces and distance learning.
Sea Ranger Service is providing maritime training, employment and coaching opportunities to young people in coastal areas. The enterprise also delivers offshore services to assist governments with the management, conservation and restoration of oceans.
SIRPLUS is an online supermarket where clients can order food that producers and wholesalers can no longer sell. Rescued food is sent to clients’ homes by mail, returned to the food cycle, thus reducing food waste.
Scope Insight enables agribusinesses in emerging economies to professionalize and become financially sustainable. Proprietary tools are used to measure and increase professionalism and data foster business intelligence that reduces value chain and financial risks.
Studio2B uses the latest social and technological ideas, such as virtual reality, smart homes, and robotics, to empower youth to access their dream jobs. Every second school in Germany is working with Studio 2B create ways to explore career paths and job opportunities.
Talent Digital offered companies and administrations practical help in the digital transformation process by using modern data analytics to measure employees’ digital skills with a “learning by gaming” method. The company became insolvent in 2024.
Tech2People offers robotic, conventional physiotherapy and occupational therapy individually tailored to people with disabilities, e.g., due to paraplegia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, or traumatic brain injury.
The Village combines innovative education methods with tech solutions to boost childcare & early education in Europe. The company creates schools focusing on quality early-stage childhood development & social-emotional skills.
VegDog is Germany’s first and leading provider of plant-based dog food. The company’s products contribute to better animal health, reduce carbon footprint caused by the meat industry, and thus add to a more sustainable future.
Vytal wants to make reusables the global standard. The company strives to ensure that food will stay delicious, drinks fresh, and the environment clean without throwaway packaging.
We don’t have time is the world’s largest media platform for climate Action. The platform is democratizing knowledge about climate solutions to inspire and mobilize global action toward a prosperous, fossil-free future.
The World Data Lab is pioneering data for good. It uses state-of-the-art data science methodologies to model and forecast consumer trends, category spending, demographic shifts, and cities.
Yasai builds and manages Vertical Farms based on the circular economy to transform food systems. Herbs and leafy greens are grown in a local vertical farm in Switzerland, with the plan to expand the crop portfolio.