France’s Makesense has taken another bold step to address critical environmental and social challenges in Europe. By launching a €15 million fund to support circular and socially inclusive ventures, they are setting an example of how impact-driven investment can create real change. This fund isn't just about money, it’s about reshaping business to focus on sustainability and inclusion.
What Makes This Fund Stand Out?
Over the years, Makesense has built a reputation as an organization committed to supporting early-stage entrepreneurs who align with their mission of building a sustainable future. The new fund, called Makesense Seed II, builds on their previous initiatives, such as Seed I, which backed 21 startups, more than half of which had female founders. With €15 million initially raised, the fund targets investments between €200,000 and €500,000, focusing on startups that embrace the circular economy while fostering societal inclusion.
The backing for this fund comes from prominent players like the European Investment Fund (EIF), sustainability-driven investment firm Mirova, and Revital’Empoi, along with business angels and family offices. This diversity signals broad confidence in the vision behind the fund.
Their deep commitment to action is demonstrated by a unique clause: 100% of the carried interest generated from investments will go directly into the Makesense endowment fund, ensuring the impact is cyclical. This approach doesn’t just stop at returns but reinvests success into long-term societal benefits.
Industries and Startups in the Spotlight
The fund targets companies that are addressing essential areas such as resource conservation, repair and reuse initiatives, as well as employment solutions for marginalized groups. Startups involved in extending product lifecycles, reducing waste, or combining business with clear social impact goals will find a natural partner in Makesense.
For example, their recent investment in the United Repair Center (Netherlands) showcases their approach. By repairing products for major outdoor brands like Patagonia and Decathlon, this company not only creates economic benefits but also environmental and social ones, including job creation for vulnerable groups.
The portfolio from the previous Seed I fund offers further insight into their preferences: startups like Le Drive Tout Nu, which focuses on zero-waste grocery solutions, and HandiGaspi, tackling disabilities and employment integration, reflect Makesense’s commitment to blending profitability with mission.
Why Should Entrepreneurs Take Note?
If you are in the business of creating change, here are reasons this fund might be your gateway to growth:
- Access to Early-Stage Funding: Seed II focuses on the typically underserved pre-seed and seed stages.
- Active Partnership: In-house experts offer guidance that can go beyond funding, helping startups refine operations for greater impact.
- VC Impact Culture: A fund with such deep ties to societal goals means investing partners won’t push for profit at all costs.
- Prestigious Backers: Investment from EIF and recognized angel investors often acts as a stamp of approval, helping startups secure future rounds.
Common Mistakes Entrepreneurs Should Avoid
From my experience as a serial entrepreneur, early-stage startup founders should be mindful of certain missteps, especially when working with impact-focused funds:
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Overpromising Social or Environmental Benefits
Investors appreciate ambition but not without strategy. Be ready to back your claims with realistic plans and measurable goals. -
Focusing Only on the Cause, Not the Numbers
While impact matters, startups have to be financially sound. Make sure your revenue model is clear and sustainable. -
Ignoring Feedback Loops
Early-stage success relies on continuous iteration. Use the resources provided by funds like these, mentors, market insights, workshops, and remain open to adapting your approach. -
Underestimating the Need for Market Fit
Your solution, no matter how impactful, must address real market needs. Prove demand, even if starting small.
How to Successfully Apply for Such Funds
If you’re considering approaching Makesense or similar venture funds, here is a step-by-step approach to improving your chances of securing investment:
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Clarify Your Impact Metrics
Clearly define how your business creates positive change. Avoid vague claims, opt for measurable metrics such as the amount of waste reduced or jobs created. -
Build a Strong Founder Backstory
Make the case for why you are the right person to lead this mission. Highlighting personal passion or industry expertise often resonates well with investors. -
Show Scalability
Even impact-focused VCs want to know your business can grow. Lay out a clear roadmap that balances profitability with ongoing societal benefits. -
Leverage Partnerships
Collaboration demonstrates foresight and resourcefulness. Whether it’s co-developing technology or sharing resources, partnerships strengthen your positioning. -
Perfect Your Pitch
Conciseness is key. In five slides: Introduce the problem, explain your solution, clarify market demand, outline the financial plan, and define the impact.
Why Circular and Inclusive Ventures Matter
Europe is increasingly setting a global example in addressing the climate crisis and unemployment disparities. Legal measures like the EU Green Deal and citizens’ growing demand for ethical consumerism are driving changes. Startups that combine sustainable practices with inclusive employment fill a huge gap and stand to gain considerable backing, financially and socially.
Trends already indicate significant investment activity in these areas. Just this year, Germany’s Aevoloop secured €8 million to combat microplastics, while Italy’s AlterEco Pulp raised €3.5 million to develop sustainable packaging. Makers in circularity, resource recovery, or disability employment are not only thriving creatively but showing long-term market resilience.
Final Thoughts
What Makesense is doing reminds me a lot of why I started as an entrepreneur. It’s about solving tangible problems, not just building a business. The circular economy isn’t simply an environmental buzzword. It’s one of the sharpest solutions to some of the biggest supply and waste challenges of our time. When paired with social inclusion, it can drive momentum for systemic change.
Whether you’re an emerging founder or someone looking to pivot into meaningful projects, Makesense Seed II should act as inspiration. Better yet, it could be the partner to help you scale that ambition into action. Build something sustainable, this isn’t a passing trend. Europe is leading, and the opportunity to contribute has never been stronger.
FAQ
1. What is Makesense Seed II Fund?
Makesense Seed II is a €15 million fund launched to support startups focusing on circular economy and social inclusion across Europe. It provides investments between €200,000 and €500,000 to early-stage ventures. Read about the Makesense Seed II Fund
2. What kind of startups does Makesense Seed II support?
The fund primarily supports ventures aimed at resource conservation, repairing and reusing initiatives, and promoting employment solutions for marginalized groups. Companies like United Repair Center exemplify their focus. Check out United Repair Center’s model
3. Who are the major backers of Makesense Seed II?
Key backers include the European Investment Fund (EIF), sustainability-focused investment firm Mirova, Revital’Empoi, and various family offices and business angels. Learn about EIF’s involvement | Explore Mirova
4. How does Makesense Seed II ensure long-term societal impact?
The fund employs a unique model where all carried interests generated are donated to the Makesense endowment fund, reinvesting returns into societal benefit projects. Discover the fund’s structure
5. What kinds of industries are targeted by the fund?
Industries related to circular economy practices, waste reduction, resource recovery, sustainable packaging, and employment inclusion are the primary focus. Recent investments highlight European trends, including circular plastics innovation and microplastic reduction. Read about aevoloop’s success
6. How does Makesense support entrepreneurs aside from capital?
Makesense provides mentorship, operational guidance, workshops, and market insights to help startups refine operations and scale sustainably. Explore Makesense programs
7. Which previous initiatives inspired Makesense Seed II?
The Makesense Seed I fund supported 21 startups and invested €8.2 million, highlighting the focus on early-stage circularity and inclusion ventures, with over half of the startups led by female founders. Learn about Makesense Seed I
8. What are common mistakes entrepreneurs should avoid with impact funds?
Entrepreneurs should avoid overpromising benefits without measurable plans, focusing solely on impact over financial viability, ignoring market fit, and neglecting feedback loops for improvement. Discover entrepreneurial tips
9. How can entrepreneurs successfully apply for Makesense Seed II?
To secure an investment, startups must define clear impact metrics, showcase scalability, leverage partnerships, and perfect concise pitches addressing the problem, solution, market demand, financial plan, and impact. Learn how to pitch effectively
10. Why is circular economy a key focus area for investors?
Circular economy ventures address pressing global issues like resource depletion and waste management while offering opportunities for sustainable growth. This aligns with Europe’s Green Deal and consumer demand for ethical products. Discover why circular economy matters
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.