December 2025

At the historic Theatre du Vaudeville in Brussels, the heart of the European Union, impact investors and entrepreneurs once again met for the PYM Belgium Impact Day. Managers of companies, private wealth funds, and family offices exchanged philosophies and motivations for leveraging wealth for a brighter future. The theme of this year: "How circularity can improve our future." From the beginning, it was apparent that the diverse group of attendees and the representatives of the four funds presented were there to participate in the same community effort: to share their visions openly and work together towards sustainable systems.

Speakers

Several speakers were kind enough to present their respective funds' goals and accomplishments so far. Each brought a unique investment philosophy, tailor-made strategies, and examples of pioneering investments that drive systemic change across a range of areas: from agriculture to water, from housing to batteries, and much more. 

Rubio Impact Ventures

Machtelt Groothuis, representing Rubio, explained that the fund aims to drive systemic change by investing in companies tackling a wide range of issues.
RIFT, for instance, is a pioneer in closed industrial heat systems that use iron powder: the powder is burned and then regenerated with hydrogen.
Prets identified the need for accessibility to the sustainable energy market. They developed tools to generate insights into the potential returns and financing options for household investments in sustainable energy.
NoPalm addresses deforestation and carbon emissions by creating palm oil substitutes from agri-food waste streams.

Astanor

Speaking on behalf of Astanor, Arne van Hautekiet explained how the company leverages food and agriculture to drive systemic change. "From soil and sea to the gut", that is the goal! Utilising both venture and growth strategies, Astanor invests in companies across different parts of the agricultural value chain.
Tractor Junction provides refurbished tractors to India's 150 million farmers, helping reduce unnecessary waste.
Matrix Pack produces alternatives to plastic packaging by weaving biodegradable straws, cups, cutlery, and much more from their unique blend of natural fibres.
In turn, Microharvest aims to be the cream of the crop by producing protein at lightspeed. Using bacteria instead of plants or insects, they can transform raw materials into protein within a day.

Carbon Equity

Carbon Equity was also present, and Jacqueline van den Ende shared insights into the fund's unique approach to making sustainable private equity available to the masses. Carbon Equity operates with different strategies, aiming to bolster our strategic independence and recycling, amongst others.
Cyclic Materials, for example, reduces our reliance on mining imports by recycling minerals from scrap.
Another investment, Redwood Materials, contributes to circularity by recycling batteries. Across their multiple available funds, each with its own minimum commitment, Carbon Equity provides investment opportunities for those with less capital, too.

Revive

Finally, Nicolas Bearelle spoke on behalf of Revive. Their unique approach to building sustainable living communities has already proven successful. As the first project development B-corp, they focus on re-naturing brown sites.
Their location, 'Minerve' in Edegem, is illustrative of their impact: From concrete buildings and a grand total of two trees, this site has now been revived to be a sprawling haven of green spaces and (social) housing. The public spaces have been designed to stimulate interpersonal contact, creating a sense of co-living for the inhabitants. The measurable natural impact is the addition of 100 hectares of nature, and the financial returns have proven complementary to the project's quality.

World Café and Personal Stories

Towards the end of the evening, those present were invited to join around tables and to engage with representatives from the funds. This provided ample opportunity to pose the questions that had arisen during the presentations in a disarming setting. Personal stories were shared, too. Frank van Beuningen stressed the importance of taking action, as many unique impacts are the key to systemic change. Myleen Verstraete described her road towards impact investing, starting in Amsterdam with sessions at Frank's table, growing into a motivation to convince other families to follow in their green footsteps. Her goal: Let's let impact investing be business as usual.

During his act on the balcony, Stefaan Vandist encapsulated the evening fittingly: These impact events are game changers. They facilitate human connections and allow anyone to learn about impact investing in a relaxed setting, surrounded by people who share their visions and dreams. Tonight, the focus was on circularity. It became obvious that realising it involves large-scale systemic change, the involvement of investors with more and with less capital, and that we can leverage capital to make a real impact.

We hope to see you again next year!

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