How Science-Based Impact Investments Are Saving Our Planet with Lena Thiede, Co-Founder of Planet A Ventures (#051)

SRI360 | Socially Responsible Investing, ESG, Impact Investing, Sustainable Investing

In a society pushing most planetary boundaries, how can venture capital step in and scale the technologies we need to change the world?
That’s the power behind Planet A Ventures, led by environmental advocate and policymaker Lena Thiede.
Lena is a co-founding partner of Planet A — a cutting-edge green tech venture capital fund that only invests in European startups with a proven and significant positive impact on the environment. They’ve already hit an important milestone, raising an impressive €160 million in 2023 that has been put into action for backing and scaling startups with groundbreaking green technologies in development.
What’s truly unique about Planet A Ventures is that they’re the only early-stage VC with an in-house science team dedicated to conducting rigorous lifecycle assessments before investing, which Lena leads. This means they place the highest value on impact as the primary screening metric, guaranteeing significant positive outcomes for climate, biodiversity, and beyond.
Lena is a prominent figure in environmental research and policy, thanks to her substantial background in climate science and over 11 years of experience as a senior government official at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
She knew early on in her childhood that she wanted to be involved in political science and environmental protection, a desire that landed her in government programs in Tanzania and East Africa, focusing on biodiversity and water resource monitoring and evaluation. Lena has also done environmental research for the German Advisory Council on Global Change, OECD, GIZ, and the Ecologic Institute. She also advises the EXIST Program of the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, promoting more science-based startups.
Tune in to hear all the fascinating examples of science-based impact investing that Lena shares, along with how Planet A is transforming the landscape of sustainable venture capital.
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About the SRI 360° Podcast: The SRI 360° Podcast is focused exclusively on sustainable & responsible investing. In each episode, I interview a world-class investor who is an accomplished practitioner from all asset classes. In my interviews, I cover everything from their early personal journeys to insights into how they developed and executed their investment strategies and what challenges they face today. Each episode is a chance to go way below the surface with these impressive people and gain additional insights and useful lessons from professional investors.
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Key Takeaways
Meet Lena Thiede & her formative years (00:00)
Lena’s time at the Ecological Institute in Berlin & 3plusx (08:23)
Moving to Tanzania & Managing the Serengeti & Selous game reserves (13:48)
Relocating to Cape Town, founding Planet A, and Lena’s other ventures (19:16)
A high level overview of Planet A ventures (25:55)
The relationship between impact and financial returns (33:48)
Planet A’s investment universe & how they measure impact (34:51)
Conducting lifecycle assessment analysis (48:42)
Positive impact beyond Planet A & the biodiversity lifecycle analysis (54:51)
An end-to-end look into a Planet A investment (59:55)
Rapid fire questions (01:08:53)
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Additional Resources

Planet A's Website & Medium page.
Follow Planet A