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Blog by Semi Hakim, Co-Founder at Kök Projekt Food security is increasingly becoming a question not only of agricultural production, but of resilience: how well food systems can withstand climate volatility, water stress, geopolitical disruption, infrastructure challenges, and increasingly fragile supply chains. At CEE4Impact Day, this topic will take centre stage in a panel discussion led by Semi Hakim, CEO and Co-Founder of KÖK Project. The conversation will explore where f

Blog by Elemér Eszter, President of Impact CEE Whenever I read articles like Harvard Business School’s recent piece, Why ESG’s Past Returns May Not Predict Its Future, I find myself returning—mentally, and thankfully also physically—to our regular Monday meetings at Impact Ventures. The HBS article highlights an important and uncomfortable finding. Between 2012 and 2023, institutional investors and asset managers shifted roughly $3 trillion toward ESG-oriented investments. ES

Nikolaus Hutter, partner at Relevant based in Vienna, joins Field Notes to talk about caliber over scale. He makes the case for character and capability as the real measure of success, why raising modest capital in underserved markets can be a bigger achievement than raising millions where cash is easy to find, and why friction and resistance are what actually drive growth. Listen to the Podcast HERE

BLOG Series by Erzsébet Ábrám Caring is costly, but so is waiting. This is my journey of opting out of “impact later.” Ten months ago, I came to Columbia looking for answers. What I found instead was a new way of questioning – understanding how systems are built, who shapes them, and where my own agency fits within them. Graduation made these questions louder. Nothing felt certain anymore: my identity, my path, my future. For the first time, I didn’t know what the next ste

BLOG by Nora Bogsch, Executive Secretary of Impact CEE Back in March, on International Women’s Day, my younger son asked me: "Today is Women’s Day. When is Men’s Day?" His simple question got me thinking. Following the success of our previous event, where 12 inspiring women shared their personal and professional journeys through the PechaKucha format, we decided to continue showcasing impact makers from diverse backgrounds. Their stories reminded us that creating impact is no

ImpactCEE is pleased to announce the launch of an internal consultation process around a new policy initiative aimed at strengthening the long-term financing ecosystem for impact investing across Europe. The initiative explores the possibility of establishing an EU-backed guarantee mechanism that could facilitate greater participation of European pension funds in impact venture capital and private equity funds. The concept is inspired by the successful use of guarantee scheme

Diversity goes far beyond gender, race, origin, or background. It lies in our individuality—in the unique way each of us is shaped and the distinct value we bring to society. The European Union places strong emphasis on diversity, equal opportunity, gender equality, and complementarity as foundational principles. In line with this, Impact CEE is dedicated to creating meaningful impact in a diverse way, with a particular focus on expanding impact investment across Hungary and

There is a Hungarian expression used when someone experiences deep disappointment: “As if an entire world collapsed inside of me.” At fifty, I experienced the opposite. A completely new world had built within me while listening to Arnaud Blandin’s presentation in Luxembourg earlier this year on regenerative capitalism, entrepreneurship, leadership, and what he called “the holy grail of sustainability.” That experience strongly resonated with the mission we are building at Imp

Good Deeds Day at Bethesda Children's Hospital Good Deeds Day is a global movement of people who are dedicated to doing good and has been around already for 20 years. Hungary has joined for the second year now, thanks MaholnapAlapítvány , Dr. Tibor Hejj , and Impact CEE has been active since the beginning. 😍 Last week, the Impact CEE community wished to give back to society. We are priviliged that Hungary has such a high-level Childrens' Hospital, the Bethesda Gyermekkó

BLOG series by Erzsébet Ábrám Caring is costly, but so is waiting. This is my journey of opting out of “impact later.” After introducing this blog, I wanted to explain what I actually mean by choosing an impact‑first path. This piece focuses on impact investing because that’s where my studies and job search are currently centered. Social entrepreneurship deserves its own article – and it will get one – but for now, I want to clear up the investing side of the picture. Over