Unlocking private capital.
Funding Impact Enrepreneurs
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The financial sector is the primary gateway between private capital and impact, where trust is built and capital is deployed. By embedding impact into products, services, and advisory, banks and investors can unlock capital at scale, helping accelerate the long-term resilience and market stability of the CEE region.
This is not happening yet, at least not at scale. We started asking ourselves: Why? What needs to change in the wider financial ecosystem to channel more capital into purpose-driven businesses – SMEs, startups, nonprofits – to drive innovation, build resilience, and create sustainable solutions to pressing global challenges?
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP SESSIONS
To answer these questions, we decided to conduct a series of thought leadership sessions with representatives of the financial sector – banks, development banks, international financial institutions, investors, impact funds, etc. Throughout 2025 and 2026, these sessions were held across CEE countries: Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Estonia. Further sessions will take place in Slovakia and Romania. The insights gathered will inform a white paper with key findings and actionable recommendations, to be published in 2027. It will cover three main areas:
& Barriers
What is blocking capital?
What is missing?
the Challenges
What needs to improve
or change and how?
Potential
What products and programs
already exist?
PARTNERS
SESSION PARTICIPANTS
- Katarzyna Barczyk, ING Bank Śląski
- Florian Bauer, ERSTE Stiftung
- Filip Jaskula, Santander Bank Polska
- Lisa Kleissner, Toniic and Hawai’i Investment Ready
- Anna Korzeniewska, Social Impact Alliance for Central & Eastern Europe
- Elżbieta Kujawa, Vinci
- Robert Manz, Valores
- Konrad Ozdowy, PKO Bank Polski
- Tomasz Rudolf, Doctor.One
- Ksawery Stojak, BGK
- Max von Abendroth, Social Impact Alliance for Central & Eastern Europe
- Karolina Wawrzyniak, Mastercard
- Marcin Wiśniewski FCCA, IFC International Finance Corporation – World Bank Group
- Florian Bauer, ERSTE Foundation
- Robert Bolyan, EXIM Hungary
- Zsuzsanna Bódi, Mastercard Strive EU program
- Marta Fröhlich (Kudlicki), KPMG Austria
- Györkő Zoltán, Angel Investor, Startup Hungary
- Gábor Gyura, Hungarian Sustainable Investment and Finance Association
- Imre Hild, OUVC
- Barnabás Horváth, Vespucci Partners
- Csilla Menyhárt, Impact HUB Budapest
- Gábor Lajos Nagy, SIMPACT
- Peter Tanczos, Euroventures
- Virag Filep, MBH Bank
- Levente Zsigmond, Vespucci Partners
- Borislav Bangeev, UniCredit Bulbank
- Oana Barbu, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
- Hristo Boyadzhiev, Tuk – Tam
- Anna Korzeniewska, Social Impact Alliance for Central & Eastern Europe
- Vanya Manova, Mastercard
- Luben Panov, America for Bulgaria Foundation
- Filip Popov, Postbank (Eurobank Bulgaria AD)
- George Ruitchev, Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum (BBLF)
- Desislava Taliokova, America for Bulgaria Foundation
- Penka Tsvetkova, BCause Foundation
- Zdravka Ugrinova, DGKV
- Renata Brkic, Feelsgood Capital Partners
- Josip Grgić, HBOR – Hrvatska banka za obnovu i razvitak
- Vali Marszalek, Forvis Mazars in Croatia
- Helena Matuša, Poduzetnički centar Krapinsko-zagorske županije
- Marija Mazic, Reach for Change
- Bozidar Pavlovic, AYMO Ventures
- Andreja Rosandić, Impact Europe
- Marijana Sarolic Robic, CRO STARTUP
- Hermes Arriaga Sierra, Impact Hub Network
- Tina Sirotić, Erste&Steiermärkische Bank d.d. (Erste Bank Croatia)
- Magdalena Soljakova, IFC – International Finance Corporation
- Nikola Žunić, HBOR – Hrvatska banka za obnovu i razvitak
- Triin Kaurov, TEGOS Legal
- Valeria Kiisk, PhD, FinanceEstonia
- Juudit Lindsalu, SEB
- Ragne Maasel, Oyster Bay Venture Capital
- Vaido Mikheim, Startup Estonia
- Toby Moore, Imprimatur Capital Fund Management, SIA, Baltic Impact Fund
- Sandra Paulus, KÜSK / National Foundation of Civil Society in Estonia
- Annika Räim, Targa Tuleviku Fond / Smart Future Foundation
- Ragmar Saksing, Dream is Everything
- Helen Sulg, KIK (Environmental Investment Centre)
- Maarika Truu, Energy Discovery Centre/Energia avastuskeskus
- Pirkko Valge, Heateo Sihtasutus/ Good Deed Foundation
FUNDING
The sessions are implemented under the Social Inclusive Finance Technical Assistance (SIFTA) managed by the EIB and funded by the European Union under the InvestEU Advisory Hub
GET INVOLVED
Please consider supporting our undertakings financially or with your professional services, especially if you are a national research institute, tax & legal company, consultancy, PR agency, or media. Thank you.
CONTACT US