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Zoe Peden
Tech entrepreneur turned VC investor at Ananda Impact Ventures. Founder at FutureWorldVC and MyChoicePad.
Zoe Peden is a Principal at Ananda Impact Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on impact investing.13 She is passionate about investing in and building technology companies that drive positive change.1
Professional Background
Zoe has extensive experience in the tech and social impact sectors. Prior to her role at Ananda Impact Ventures, she founded Insane Logic, a digital social enterprise, after spending a decade in product development and working at a learning disability charity.6
Investment Focus
At Ananda Impact Ventures, Zoe specializes in:
- Impact Investing: She focuses on companies that create both financial returns and positive social or environmental impact.
- Technology: Her investments are primarily in tech companies that have the potential to drive significant change.1
- Environment and Health: Zoe recognizes the interconnected nature of environmental and health issues, emphasizing the importance of addressing this intersection in her investment strategy.2
Approach to Venture Capital
Zoe and her team at Ananda Impact Ventures employ a multifaceted approach to sourcing companies and securing investments.57 This strategy likely involves:
- Leveraging networks and partnerships
- Conducting thorough due diligence
- Assessing both financial potential and impact metrics
Recent Developments
As of November 2023, Zoe announced that she had found a new colleague, Jonty Corrin, to work with her in London, indicating her commitment to expanding Ananda's presence and impact in the UK market.4
Zoe Peden is also part of Sieve Ventures' community, which aims to drive more capital to promising female-founded companies.3 This involvement underscores her commitment to supporting diversity in entrepreneurship and venture capital.
Highlights
According to this month's Tatler ( 👑 British Toff mag for the uninitiated) Berlin is the place to be and be seen this season 👀
So I will be spending the month of June hanging out with my Ananda Impact Ventures colleagues Hannah Looks and Alina Bassi in the Berlin office. I will be trying to fit in by wearing more black (this goes against my moral code so will be difficult), getting quantum chemistry tips from Quantistry and perhaps the Ovom Care founders can give me tips on how to get into Berghain. 👩🎤
As I learn the Berliner ways I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends in startup and VC land and of course I'm ALWAYS on the search for new investments. ⚡
Any more tips for Berlin and people to meet please add to comments LI friends!👇
cc. Christiane Rückert Francesca Baillieu Kristen Rocca Matti Fischer Kimberly Richter Marcel Quennet Lynae Brayboy, MD Felicia von Reden Arturo Robertazzi Chris Philipps 🏳️🌈 Melina Sánchez Montañés Karla Schönicke Dr. Aline Vedder Christina Richter Elisheva Marcus Dadiyorto Wendi, PhD Max Mundt Michael Langguth Zakaria Jaiathe Otto Birnbaum Maximilian A. Schwarz Kami Krista
#berlinstartups #berlinworkation

🚦 How to prep for a meeting with a VC and what to expect in meeting dynamics.
🖼 1. Get your deck professionally designed if you’re not a designer or confident with Canva (it's got great templates). Wordart is dead. 👁 2. Communication is 7% content, 38% tone and 55% body language. Body language still counts in zoom, bring the energy. 💎 3. Pre revenue? - highlight trends in the market and demand drivers ➡ 4. Why now? What research and experimentation completed to date. 🚶♀️ 5. Walk the investor through the competitive landscape, go to market strategy, business model and potential exit scenarios 👫 6. Check who is on calendar invite. Do homework on each attendee. 🤝 7. Aim to have the first meeting within two weeks of agreeing to meet to keep momentum. ☘ 8. If they already have your deck, share it again with all participants the day before. Remind them who you are. 📱 9. Turn your phone to silent and keep away from your view. Even if on zoom. If at their office Show up 10 minutes early and relax into the environment. I remember being late once and I turned up sweaty and really sucked. I just dug myself a big hole. 📞 10. If you are late send a text to your contact. Wifi in the tube now, didn't have that when I was fundraising.
Once you are in the zoom or room - meeting dynamics:
😎 Begin with small talk. Show your personality. Might be associate on their own or them and a partner. You need to connect - they will be working out if can spend 5-10 years with you. Good energy even if you’re shattered from doing the pitch 100 times is important. You want them to believe you can achieve the “almost” impossible and be that power law fund returner.
🤟 Learn more about the fund and the individual/s - this is a game built on relationships and trust.
🥊 Share your presentation. Don’t get hung up on delivering your entire deck in the order you have them. Adjust according to the flow of the conversation.
❓ Stay open to feedback and answer questions not defensively even if they are annoying questions you always get asked…if that keeps happening then reflect and adjust your pitch as something is not coming across well enough.
☕ Try to close where the investor needs to take an action to progress (download/access data room, 2nd meeting, send questions by when, come to event, visit startup office). Then you have a clear indicator for your pipeline spreadsheet. Just ask the next steps in the process if they don’t volunteer themselves. Follow up in a week if hear nothing. They could have just got snowed under…it happens.
Founders - any tips to share, mistakes made and learnt the hard way?
#startup #venturecapital #fundraising #impactvc #entrepreneur
