Paulina Jänsch - Founding Partner Leanox Capital

Who are you, and what are you doing?

Hey there! I’m Paulina Jänsch, a passionate advocate for impact investing and gender parity. As one of Europe’s youngest founding partners at a VC fund, I aim to change the status quo and drive positive change. With a background in project finance, I mentor startups, family offices and NGOs to increase their impact. 

How would your perfect world look like in 2030?

Peaceful and clean. We are the smartest species and yet we are on a strong path to self-extinction. I hope by 2030 actions have been taken globally to prevent the self-destruction of this planet.

What are you currently excited about and what worries you (business or private)?

I am worried about geopolitics. Whether in the East, Europe or the United States, geopolitics are extremely tense. We have the collective intelligence to de-escalate geopolitical conflicts, however at the moment, these conflicts seem to get more intense by the day. 

I am super excited about wonderful personal news, which I look forward to sharing soon. 

Do you have a role model, if so, who is it and why?

Many role models. Sarah Blakely for her relentless optimism. Indra Nooyi for showing what is possible. Michelle Obama for keeping a cool head. And someone who inspires me daily, my co-founder Thore Vogel for being a visionary.

What are the top 3 trends for you in climate tech this year?

Energy (Renewable Energy Integration),  Carbon (Carbon Capture and Storage ), Agra (Sustainable Agra- and FoodTech). I expect to hear a lot more about solutions related to water and the ocean.

When making an investment decision – what is your number one criteria? 

Our startups have to be highly scalable and solve a social or environmental problem at its core. For us, it's not either return or impact - we want the best of both worlds.