An #impact #investor said something to me that I thought was ridiculous, but have since realized is actually quite profound.
👉 “Our impact investment thesis is to invest in products that are not just sustainable, but better than existing products in every relevant way “
My kneejerk reaction was “duh”. Of course you want to invest in the best products!? 🤦🏼
But I think it's quite smart.
It's not enough to have a sustainable product if you want to have an impact. You need to have a GREAT product, that's also sustainable.
E.g. Elon Musk didn't set out to build the best electric car, he set out to build the best CAR. Period.
Patagonia didn't win by being a sustainable company, they won by making GREAT outdoor gear. And then build a sustainable company around it.
Similarly impact is not going to happen by e.g. offering sustainable #travel alternatives, a sustainable #cement recipe, or electric #trucks.
It happens by making train travel superior to airplane due to its comfort. It happens by making the sustainable cement better and more price competitive than existing. It happens by making the cost per km driven by electric trucks exponentially lower than the same with gasoline trucks by charging them with surplus renewable energy.
THAT should be the ambition of impact entrepreneurs. Not making sustainable products. Making GREAT products that are sustainable.
So change that vision statement from being “we want to be the green alternative to x” to being “we want to be the far superior alternative to x. Oh and it's green”. (Please get a better copywriter than me 😅)
I'll keep looking into this, and will start shouting out GREAT products and companies, that are also sustainable.
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