Patient capital for impact: 26 foundations actively investing in VCs and startups
22 apr. 2026
06:00
It’s no secret that fundraising is tough for VCs right now – especially for impact-focused funds.
Against that backdrop, patient sources of capital like foundations are more valuable than ever for GPs.
In this exclusive deep dive, based on manually curated data, you’ll find:
→ 26 foundations that have made multiple investments in European impact VCs and startups
→ The funds and sectors they’re backing
→ Why foundations are critical “first check” LPs for emerging managers
Against that backdrop, patient sources of capital like foundations are more valuable than ever for GPs.
In this exclusive deep dive, based on manually curated data, you’ll find:
→ 26 foundations that have made multiple investments in European impact VCs and startups
→ The funds and sectors they’re backing
→ Why foundations are critical “first check” LPs for emerging managers
Fundraising for venture capital globally hit an eight-year low last year, as a tough LP market constrained allocations. For impact VCs, the environment was even more challenging, with many investors rotating away from climate-focused strategies toward sectors like AI and defence.
That shortage of LP capital has left many impact fund managers increasingly reliant on patient sources of capital – among them, foundations.