ALAQA

Alaqa Podcast

ALAQA explores the structural, strategic, and human dimensions of relationships in the world of capital — particularly for those seeking to finance solutions in a complex, interdependent world. Each episode unpacks a relationship that matters between: - investors and founders - different assets in a portfolio - public and private capital - next-gen inheritors and established wealth - theory of change and deal execution We speak with investors, ecosystem builders, capital allocators and change agents working at the intersection of finance, sustainability, and systems thinking.

  1. #18 Taking impact to scale: Nadia Nikolova on making Impact an easier yes for institutional investors

    2 days ago

    #18 Taking impact to scale: Nadia Nikolova on making Impact an easier yes for institutional investors

    Today, I’m joined by Nadia Nikolova, CEO of responsAbility Investments, M&G’s emerging markets specialist impact asset manager mobilising institutional capital at scale. Nadia is an investment management expert with deep experience in development finance and impact investing, with a strong track record in infrastructure debt and structured finance. As of September 2025, she stepped into the CEO role at responsAbility, a pure-play impact manager focused on deploying capital into sustainable solutions across emerging markets. Prior to this she led the Direct Lending business for Allianz Global Investors across Europe and Asia having built a team investing in impact focused investments globally - from small cap European solutions businesses to blended finance at scale in Emerging markets. As an early entrant, AllianzGI was a market shaper in this field. This special playlist is developed in partnership with ChangeNOW. We welcome some of the fund managers who presented during Funds for Change. Since they only had but a few minutes on stage to explain their unique angles, the sophistication of their approach, the urgent needs they want to address, we decided to offer them more time and broadcast their ideas to a wider audience. Key topics: Meet investors where they are. Institutional LPs don't buy impact first; they buy solutions to portfolio needs (risk, return, diversification, liquidity). Impact managers need to package products around investor requirements, not expect investors to adapt. The future of impact is becoming mainstream investing. Nadia believes that as climate and social solutions become the new economy, the distinction between "impact investing" and "investing" should eventually disappear—because creating positive impact will simply be part of good investing. Episode breakdown: Intro - 00:00:00 Welcome - 00:02:16 Origin & Perspective - 00:03:23 Tensions - 00:27:27 Contrarian Thoughts - 00:29:12 Flash Round - 00:29:32 Follow us on: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0Po2mXWyAelyE91jSa5flb Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alaqa/id1838909986 https://linktr.ee/alaqapodcast Designed & Hosted by Imène Maharzi Produced by Taisa Echterhoff

    35 min
  2. #17 Patience, bold founders and incentives: Michelle de Rijk on revisiting the investment formula for change

    23 Jun

    #17 Patience, bold founders and incentives: Michelle de Rijk on revisiting the investment formula for change

    Today, I’m joined by Michelle de Rijk, an impact investor with over 15 years of experience across venture capital and impact investing, currently at Fair Capital Impact Fund. Michelle spent a decade at DOEN Ventures before joining Fair Capital Impact Fund, where she has been involved in backing and supporting companies such as Fairphone, Seepje, and Crowdbuilding. A formative moment in her journey came in 2016, when she spent six months in India working with SELCO Foundation, an experience that deeply shaped her understanding of what systems change looks like when driven by local entrepreneurs and community needs. Across her career, Michelle combines professional investing with a strong commitment to building a more equitable and sustainable world — with a sense of purpose, and a genuine enjoyment of working alongside founders, colleagues, and partners. This special playlist is developed in partnership with ChangeNOW. We welcome some of the fund managers who presented during Funds for Change. Since they only had but a few minutes on stage to explain their unique angles, the sophistication of their approach, the urgent needs they want to address, we decided to offer them more time and broadcast their ideas to a wider audience. Key topics: Patient capital and long-term investingFounder humility, resilience, and self-awarenessSystemic impact across food, energy, and circular economyEliminating carried interest and rethinking investor incentives Episode breakdown: Intro - 00:00:00 Welcome - 00:01:46 Origin & Perspective - 00:03:33 Biggest Objections - 00:19:08 Flash Round - 00:23:25 Follow us on: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0Po2mXWyAelyE91jSa5flb Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alaqa/id1838909986 https://linktr.ee/alaqapodcast Designed & Hosted by Imène Maharzi Produced by Taisa Echterhoff

    25 min
  3. #16 Financial design in the service of climate resilience: Sandrine Henton on unlocking local and global capital for African SMEs

    16 Jun

    #16 Financial design in the service of climate resilience: Sandrine Henton on unlocking local and global capital for African SMEs

    Today I'm joined by Sandrine Henton, founder and managing director of EG Capital, a private credit investment platform focused on climate adaptation across Africa. Her work sits at the intersection of climate finance, resilience, and capital allocation, helping shape new approaches to investing in adaptation across emerging markets. So why is Sandrine with us today? To be serious about planetary boundaries, we collectively need to be serious about how we channel massive amounts of private capital towards Africa, because the scales are more than uneven at this point, and our collective futures depend on it. To do that, how about we start at assessing risk from a clean state with actual data? Because finance and investments are all about data, right? So let's see what Sandrine can tell us about it.  This special playlist is developed in partnership with ChangeNOW. We welcome some of the fund managers who presented during Funds for Change. Since they only had but a few minutes on stage to explain their unique angles, the sophistication of their approach, the urgent needs they want to address, we decided to offer them more time and broadcast their ideas to a wider audience. Key topics: Climate adaptation finance in AfricaSME resilience and growth capitalMobilizing African private capitalGender-driven investment performance Episode breakdown: Intro - 00:00:00 Welcome - 00:01:14 Origin & Perspective - 00:02:33 Biggest Objections - 00:09:07 Flash Round - 00:24:58 Follow us on: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0Po2mXWyAelyE91jSa5flb Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alaqa/id1838909986 https://linktr.ee/alaqapodcast Designed & Hosted by Imène Maharzi Produced by Taisa Echterhoff

    28 min
  4. #15 ⁠Rethinking the Fundraise: Lucy Mortimer on Trust, Collaboration and Circular Economy Investing

    9 Jun

    #15 ⁠Rethinking the Fundraise: Lucy Mortimer on Trust, Collaboration and Circular Economy Investing

    This special playlist is developed in partnership with ChangeNOW. We welcome some of the fund managers who presented during Funds for Change. Since they only had but a few minutes on stage to explain their unique angles, the sophistication of their approach, the urgent needs they want to address, we decided to offer them more time and broadcast their ideas to a wider audience.Today I'm joined by Lucy Mortimer, founding partner at Archipelago Ventures and environmental finance specialist with over 25 years of experience in climate finance and low-carbon investment. Over her career, Lucy has built a strong network across climate and nature finance, supporting early-stage companies and startups in navigating commercial barriers and scaling within complex markets. Her work sits at the intersection of environmental finance, investment structuring, and venture building, focused on helping capital flow more effectively into solutions for the climate transition.So why is Lucy with us today? I think it's fair to say that in 2026, circular economy can receive a "B+" for participation, but the impact in real life is desperately slow to appear. Some even start to question the possibility that it will ever reach actual market traction, at least without hefty public subsidies. That's the central scenario. And then you have the thematic experts, who jump in, willing to do the work. What's the work you'll tell me? Find the types of hidden industrial solutions that can transform the way materials flow through the economy. Not any materials - the 3 big ones - plastics, metals and textiles, the ones which have significant impacts on human health, oceans & landscapes, climate, biodiversity, both from their extraction & manufacturing, and their end of life management. That's the work. Key topics: Circular economy investing beyond recyclingBuilding trust in deep tech and climate financeCollaboration as a new model for venture capitalUnlocking more capital for systemic climate solutions Episode breakdown: Intro - 00:00:00 Welcome - 00:01:51 Origin & Perspective - 00:02:20 Biggest Objections - 00:10:59 Flash Round - 00:25:10 Follow us on: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0Po2mXWyAelyE91jSa5flb Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alaqa/id1838909986 https://linktr.ee/alaqapodcast Designed & Hosted by Imène Maharzi Produced by Taisa Echterhoff

    28 min
  5. #14 From lived experiences to red carpets: Danielle Turkov on building impact and changing laws through films

    2 Jun

    #14 From lived experiences to red carpets: Danielle Turkov on building impact and changing laws through films

    Today we sit down with Danielle Turkov, Founder and Executive Director of Think-Film Impact Production, a company she built from scratch to bridge the worlds of film, policy, and social change. Danielle has worked with Oscar- and Emmy-nominated projects like The Cave, iHuman, and BAFTA-nominated Eminent Monsters, using storytelling as a catalyst for real-world impact. Recently, “Mr Nobody Against Putin” won the Oscar and BAFTA for best documentary. Danielle is also part of the team who’s bringing “The voice of Hind Rajab” story to wider audiences. In this episode, she shares her journey from political strategist in the EU to global impact producer — and how film can move systems as powerfully as finance can. Enjoy the ride, and stay tuned for a possible part 2 with Danielle, as there is certainly more to cover! Key topics: Why storytelling is a form of systemic powerHow impact films can influence laws and institutionsThe tension between finance, empathy, and human rightsWhat it takes to build trust-driven change in volatile systems Episode Breakdown: Intro - 00:00:00 Welcome - 00:01:06 Origin & Perspective - 00:03:04 The Relationship at the Core - 00:10:29 Tensions, Lessons & Tools - 00:30:49 Contrarian Thoughts - 00:35:12 Your go-to person - 00:37:19 Flash Round - 00:39:33 Follow us on: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0Po2mXWyAelyE91jSa5flb Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alaqa/id1838909986 https://linktr.ee/alaqapodcast Designed & Hosted by Imène Maharzi Produced by Taisa Echterhoff

    42 min
  6. #13 ⁠Finance is never neutral: Marcel Zuidam on changing capital from within

    26 May

    #13 ⁠Finance is never neutral: Marcel Zuidam on changing capital from within

    Today, we are happy to welcome Marcel Zuidam, CEO of Triodos Bank, one of Europe’s leading banks in sustainable finance. Before joining Triodos, Marcel held senior leadership roles across mainstream finance, including CEO positions at NN Bank and Delta Lloyd Bank, giving him a rare perspective on both conventional and regenerative models of capital. In this conversation, we explore what it really means to finance change and change finance, from the myths still embedded in mainstream markets to the deeper question of how capital can serve societies, ecosystems, and long-term resilience rather than short-term extraction. Key topics: - Why finance is never neutral and capital always takes sides. - How the financial system became extractive rather than useful. - Why transparency alone will not redirect capital toward impact. - The tension between urgency and patience in systems change. Episode Breakdown: Intro - 00:00:00 Welcome - 00:01:27 Origin & Perspective - 00:02:24 Financing Change & Changing Finance - 00:05:47 Systems Thinking & Leverage Points - 00:11:44 Democratic Guidance & Incentives - 00:18:03 The Myths of Mainstream Finance - 00:23:15 What a Regenerative Financial System Could Look Like - 00:26:09 Urgency vs Patience - 00:27:58 Contrarian Thoughts - 00:29:02 Flash Round - 00:30:15 Follow us on: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0Po2mXWyAelyE91jSa5flb Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alaqa/id1838909986 https://linktr.ee/alaqapodcast Designed & Hosted by Imène Maharzi Produced by Taisa Echterhoff

    32 min
  7. ALAQAxChange NOW - Teaser Season 2

    21 May

    ALAQAxChange NOW - Teaser Season 2

    Welcome to Alaqa. Alaqa means relationship. And in finance, relationships are often the invisible layer — shaping decisions, shaping trust, shaping what ultimately gets funded… and what doesn’t. This new season is developed in partnership with ChangeNOW. It brings together conversations with fund managers from Funds for Change, and with investors, operators, and thinkers navigating the tensions of impact, climate, and finance. What you’ll hear are not polished narratives. They are reflections from within the system — on constraints, on trade-offs, on what it really takes to move capital differently. Because beyond strategies and frameworks, change happens through relationships — between people, between institutions, between intentions. And these relationships need to be nurtured — with our critical minds sharp, and our hearts open, willing to build the non-obvious bridges. But what if the way we relate — to capital, to risk, to each other — is also what holds the system in place? And what if changing finance begins there? Let’s put that assumption to the test — and take a dive together. Difficult, sometimes unsettling, sometimes messy… and in spite of everything, somewhat hopeful.

    1 min
  8. #12 Patient capital formula: Benjamin Le Pendeven on persistence as the missing ingredient of impact

    30/12/2025

    #12 Patient capital formula: Benjamin Le Pendeven on persistence as the missing ingredient of impact

    Today, we are happy to welcome Benjamin Le Pendeven, associate professor of entrepreneurial and responsible finance at Audencia Business School, where he leads the “Finance for Innovation” research chair focused on impact investing, innovation financing, and social impact bonds. He collaborates with public institutions, private investors, and NGOs and previously worked as an entrepreneur and impact investor. Key topics: Why experimentation isn’t the problem, scaling and persistence are.How persistence and stability in teams matter as much as patient capital.Why impact investing must think beyond pilots, metrics, and exits.How academia can act as a bridge between finance, policy, and real-world change. Episode Breakdown: Welcome - 00:00:00 Origin & Perspective - 00:03:06 The Relationship at the Core - 00:23:12 Contrarian Thoughts - 00:32:12 Your go-to person - 00:33:54 Flash Round - 00:34:59

    41 min
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About

ALAQA explores the structural, strategic, and human dimensions of relationships in the world of capital — particularly for those seeking to finance solutions in a complex, interdependent world. Each episode unpacks a relationship that matters between: - investors and founders - different assets in a portfolio - public and private capital - next-gen inheritors and established wealth - theory of change and deal execution We speak with investors, ecosystem builders, capital allocators and change agents working at the intersection of finance, sustainability, and systems thinking.

Information

  • Creator
    Alaqa Podcast
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Alaqa Podcast
  • Show Website
    ALAQA