When we talk about impact, the conversation often starts with the numbers.
How many emissions have been avoided? How much waste has been diverted? How many livelihoods have improved?
These metrics matter. They help us understand the direct results of our work and hold ourselves accountable to the change we aim to create.
But they don’t tell the whole story.
The bigger question we constantly ask ourselves is:
Are we contributing to lasting change?
Following the release of our 2025 Impact Report, we’ve been reflecting on how we measure success.
For years, we’ve tracked the environmental and socio-economic impact created by our ventures across Agrifood, Textiles, and Zero Waste. This allows us to better understand the direct outcomes of our work, from emissions avoided and waste diverted to income generated and livelihoods improved.
Yet even with strong measurement, one challenge remains.
Systems change rarely happens overnight; change unfolds gradually. It happens as new business models are adopted, partnerships strengthen, investment flows shift, and ecosystems begin to evolve. By the time these changes become obvious, years may have already passed.
So the question becomes:
What should we be looking for today?
Signals of Change
Instead of asking whether systems have already changed, we believe it’s equally important to ask whether we’re seeing signals that change is taking root.
These signals can include stronger collaboration across ecosystems, greater adoption of circular business models, increased investment into emerging solutions, policy engagement, or entrepreneurs building on ideas that previously didn’t exist.
While no single signal proves systems change has happened, together they help us understand whether we’re moving in the right direction.
It’s a conversation that’s becoming increasingly important across the impact sector as organizations seek better ways to understand their long-term contribution.
Join the Conversation
These questions sit at the heart of our upcoming webinar:
Signals of Lasting Systems Change: The Role of Venture Building in Systems Change
Together we’ll explore:
- How venture building contributes to lasting systems change.
- Which signals suggest change may already be taking root.
- What entrepreneurs, funders, and researchers can do to accelerate lasting impact.
- Lessons we’ve learned.
Meet the Panel:
- Tamar Matalon — Elba & Flotilla Foundations
- Sherry Zhang — Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
- Denis Karema — SokoFresh
- Dieuwertje Nelissen — Enviu
- Eline Leising — Enviu
📅 Wednesday, 1 July 2026
🕒 10:00 CEST | 11:00 EAT | 13:30 IST | 15:00 WIB
📍 Online via Contrast
We’d love you to join the conversation!
