Fika with Ananda Impact Ventures’ Zoe Peden: ‘They call me Zobey-Wan’
11 dec. 2025
21:11
Zoe Peden is a partner at Ananda Impact Ventures – and the only VC who goes by the nickname Zobey-Wan.
A lifelong Star Wars fan, former publisher, charity operator, founder, and now venture capitalist, Peden has spent the past 16 years watching impact investing evolve from philanthropic side quest to serious European powerhouse.
We sat down for a Friday fika to talk sci-fi alter egos, the early days of tech-for-good, and how she unlearned 10 years of entrepreneurial instincts to become a VC.
A lifelong Star Wars fan, former publisher, charity operator, founder, and now venture capitalist, Peden has spent the past 16 years watching impact investing evolve from philanthropic side quest to serious European powerhouse.
We sat down for a Friday fika to talk sci-fi alter egos, the early days of tech-for-good, and how she unlearned 10 years of entrepreneurial instincts to become a VC.
Zoe, where does the Star Wars thing come from?
I’ve always been a sci-fi nerd. My family gave me two names growing up – one from The Magic Roundabout (Zebedee), and one from Star Wars. People would call me Zobey, then Zobey-Wan, and it just stuck. I even got the domain name. I used to dress up, play Star Wars… long before it was socially acceptable!