Avsnitt
-
What does it actually take to raise capital for a business built to create social or environmental impact?
In this episode of Wade in Conversation, Jess speaks with impact investing expert Dan Madhavan about the realities of funding impact-led ventures. They unpack why having an impact mission does not automatically make a business investable, how different impact models attract different kinds of capital, and why founders need to understand the trade-offs behind every funding decision.
Dan explains the difference between commercial and concessional impact investing, why blended finance is emerging as an important tool for complex problems, and how patient capital, governance and ownership can help founders protect their original mission as they grow.
They also explore the questions investors should ask before backing an impact business, the risks of impact becoming watered down, and why founders must stay focused on the problem rather than falling in love with their first solution.
Whether you are building an impact-led company, sitting on a board, deploying capital or simply trying to understand how finance can contribute to meaningful change, this conversation offers a practical starting point.
Follow us on:
LinkedInSubstackInstagramYouTubeOr on our websiteIn this episode
Why impact alone does not guarantee investmentThe five ways impact can be embedded into a business modelMatching your business model with the right capital sourceCommercial versus concessional impact investingWhy impact investing is more like track and field than one single categoryHow blended finance combines grants, debt, equity and concessional capitalProtecting impact through ownership, governance and regulationThe importance of patient capital and flexible expectations of returnRed flags investors should look for in impact businessesHow founders can avoid watering down their original missionChapters
00:00 Why impact does not automatically attract investment
01:03 Five ways to embed impact into a business
03:55 Which impact models suit which investors?
05:30 What impact investing really means
07:02 The Olympics and track-and-field analogy
09:29 Blended finance explained
12:07 Choosing between for-purpose and for-profit structures
14:38 Protecting the intention behind impact
17:09 Falling in love with the problem, not the solution
19:41 Commercial versus concessional returns
21:46 Patience, flexibility and trade-offs
24:09 The challenge of finding aligned capital
26:26 When impact investing becomes watered down
31:14 Who is deploying impact capital?
32:46 Impact businesses, real assets and outcomes-based models
33:53 Red flags for impact investors
35:24 The right questions for boards and founders
37:09 Where to start with impact investingImpact investing, blended finance, concessional capital, commercial capital, impact capital, social enterprise funding, sustainable investing, patient capital, venture capital, governance, social impact, environmental impact, impact business, responsible investment, founders, investors, Australia, investor education.
-
AI is moving fast, but for many business leaders, the hardest part is not understanding the technology. It is knowing what to actually do with it.
In this episode, Jess sits down with AI expert and podcast host Georgie Healy to unpack how leaders can move beyond the headlines, fearmongering and buzzwords, and start using AI in practical, strategic and genuinely useful ways.
Georgie explains why AI is not just another short-lived tech trend, but something closer to the internet in terms of its long-term impact. From personal productivity and voice AI, to prototyping, business strategy, team collaboration and the future structure of organisations, this conversation explores where AI is already creating value and where leaders need to be careful.
The episode covers practical tools like WhisperFlow, Claude, ChatGPT, Lovable, Replit, Microsoft Copilot and Gemini, while also digging into bigger questions around authenticity, human creativity, over-engineering, AI-generated thought leadership and the role of teams in an AI-enabled workplace.
Georgie also shares why she believes the future of business may become flatter, more idea-led and more human, not less. In a world where AI can help anyone build faster and cheaper, the real differentiator may become trust, taste, original thinking and the human behind the product.
Follow us on:
LinkedInSubstackInstagramYouTubeOr on our websiteKey Takeaways
AI is not just a productivity tool, although that is often where people start. Georgie frames it as a thinking partner that can help leaders make decisions faster, test ideas sooner and access strategic support that once required larger teams or bigger budgets.Voice AI is one of the most practical tools leaders can start using immediately. Georgie highlights WhisperFlow as a way to dictate, transcribe and capture thinking across emails, documents and messages without being tied to one platform.AI is making it easier for founders and teams to go from zero to one. Tools like Lovable and Replit allow people to prototype websites, test ideas and validate customer interest before investing heavily in technical teams.The biggest AI mistake is using it to replace original thought. Georgie warns against outsourcing thought leadership, LinkedIn posts or strategic opinions to AI, because it often reads as generic and damages trust.Context is everything. AI becomes more useful when it understands your goals, voice, business direction and current reality. But feeding it outdated or irrelevant company information can lead to poor outputs.Teams can use AI as a strategic challenge partner. Rather than only using it for productivity, AI can help teams test assumptions, debate ideas, avoid groupthink and back up decisions with data.In the future, human originality may matter more than ever. As AI makes building and execution easier, the differentiator becomes who people trust, whose ideas feel original and who brings real human craft to the work.AI for business leaders, artificial intelligence strategy, AI productivity tools, AI in business, future of work, AI for executives, AI tools for entrepreneurs, voice AI, WhisperFlow, Lovable AI, Replit, ChatGPT for business, Claude AI, AI transformation, AI strategy for teams, AI and leadership, business innovation, AI thought leadership, human creativity and AI, AI workplace strategy.
-
Saknas det avsnitt?
-
Founder of Plucky Frank and People and culture expert Charlie Simpson unpacks the hidden leadership mistakes that derail fast-growing companies. From founder bottlenecks and bad org design to Google’s failed no-manager experiment, this conversation explores how culture, systems, delegation, and self-awareness determine whether startups scale successfully - or collapse under their own growth.Follow us on: LinkedIn - / the-wade-institute Substack - https://substack.com/@wadeinstituteInstagram - / wadeinstitute Or check out our website - https://wadeinstitute.org.au/
-
Jessica Christiansen-Franks joins journalist and startup investor Madeleine Hanger for a candid conversation about building and exiting Neighbourlytics. Together, they also unpack the myths and misconceptions surrounding entrepreneurship and in Australia today, exploring what entrepreneurial practice really looks like behind the headlines.Follow us on: LinkedIn - / the-wade-institute Substack - https://substack.com/@wadeinstituteInstagram - / wadeinstitute Or check out our website - https://wadeinstitute.org.au/
