Voima Ventures ESG Strategy

Our mission is to solve global problems by combining science-driven innovations and value-adding capital. For us, it is important that our impact on the world is overall positive and promotes sustainability. We follow a responsible investment strategy that includes investing guidelines and a ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) strategy to assess the ESG performance of both our investments and ourselves.

 

How we integrate ESG strategy throughout our investing lifecycle

Pre-investment

  • A responsible approach: Voima Ventures is committed to investing in companies that are solving global environment-, healthcare-, equality-, clean energy-, water-, or food-related challenges.
  • Sustainability risks in the analysis of potential investments: sustainability risks related to any investment is considered in the investment memorandum, and overall ESG performance is included as a key item in the company value creation framework. For Fund III new investments, we start implementing environmental specific and health, social, and diversity impact KPIs as a part of the pre-investment analysis in addition to risk analysis. We intend to consider adverse impacts of investment decisions on sustainability factors in a systematic way after the Regulatory Technical Standards of the EU Regulation on Sustainability‐Related Disclosures in the Financial Services Sector (2019/2088) are in force and further information on the substantial requirements is available.
  • Exclusionary screening: investments prohibited in companies that are engaged in: the production of and trade in tobacco or distilled alcoholic beverages or related products; the financing of the production of and trade in weapons and ammunition of any kind; gambling (e.g. casinos and equivalent enterprises); human cloning; activities intended to create human embryos solely for the purpose of research or for the purpose of stem cell procurement, including by means of somatic cell nuclear transfer; or the research, development or technical applications relating to electronic data programs or solutions, which aim specifically to support any forementioned activity or pornography or which are intended to enable illegal entry into electronic data networks or to download electronic data.

Portfolio

  • Supporting and training our portfolio companies to improve their ESG policies, and particularly supporting HR and recruiting.
  • Involvement of the Board of Directors on ESG matters, identification of key ESG opportunities and risks, and planning ESG strategy. Additionally, portfolio companies’ value creation is considered and measured from the ESG point of view.
  • ESG survey once a year, and reporting the results to our stakeholders including LPs and portfolio companies.

Exits

  • Addressing the ESG performance in exit documents when applicable
  • Evaluation of the buyer and transaction for any issues
  • ESG exit-survey when applicable

Concrete actions that we take 

  • Yearly ESG questionnaires and reporting to our stakeholders
  • Yearly reporting of the fund managers own GHG calculations and a roadmap to improve the outcomes
  • Yearly held programmes for our portfolio companies to increase diversity in their Board of Directors and Management team
  • Providing support and useful tools to our portfolio companies 
  • Whistle blowing system for anyone working with us directly or indirectly
  • Tracking of ESG related positive and negative incidents  
  • Constantly improving our knowledge on ESG matters by training ourselves
  • Participating in public events, promoting an ESG approach
    • Example: Panel on impact investing in Node by Slush

Our own ESG impact

Environment
Our operational activities have an indirect impact on the environment, e.g. from travelling, having an office and hosting events. We recognize the impact that we have, and we always aim to minimise it by comparing e.g. alternative modes of travel and remote working practices, preferring the options with a lighter toll on the environment. Most importantly, our investments have a profound and/or indirect impact on the environment. We evaluate the environmental impact from our investments as described above in our ESG integration. Ideally, we aim to have a net-positive impact via our investments.

Social 
We are committed as employers, investors, and as members of various ecosystems to have a positive social impact through our activities and investments. We give pro bono coaching and guidance to teams outside our portfolio or deal flow, we take part in public discussions, and we aim to have a positive holistic impact through our investments. 

In order to have a positive social impact, we must also address the possibility of mistakes;  our social outreach having a negative impact in the community. We make sure that our actions do not harm anyone who works with us directly or indirectly, or who are our stakeholders of any sort. See more in our Code of Conduct which describes the guidelines of how we work and expect our stakeholders to work with us.

Governance
We follow various guidelines for good governance of portfolio companies and we strive for transparency and openness. In addition to our own governance, we give guidance to our portfolio companies’ management and we participate in their corporate governance planning process working directly through our work at the Board of Directors.