At AENU, we built the Systemic Impact Framework (SIF) to answer a simple but critical question: Will this climate solution truly change the world?
In a landscape where impact is often reduced to tons of CO₂ or megawatts installed, SIF goes deeper. It evaluates how a startup reshapes systems, behaviors, and markets—and it now stands among the very few VC impact frameworks that have been externally audited and validated as part of a B Corp Certification.
The Systemic Impact Framework (SIF)
SIF is AENU’s proprietary, science-based methodology that underpins every investment decision. It is built on six rigorous criteria designed to identify companies capable of driving lasting, scalable, real-world change:
1. Founder Intentionality
We back climate-first teams whose mission is inseparable from their business model.
Example: Greenlyte’s founder Florian was so determined to fight climate change that he contacted over 100 researchers before finding the ideal co-founder. Together, they built a first-of-a-kind, low-energy DAC technology that captures CO₂ while producing hydrogen as a co-product.
2. Impact Scale
We assess impact across Potential, Planned, and Realized Impact, using dynamic industry baselines rather than static, one-off metrics.
Example: Hometree’s potential impact is 16.7 megatons CO₂e avoided by 2032, calculated using national housing data and projected energy mix.
3. Theory of Change
We require a credible, evidence-based link between the solution and the climate problem it addresses, grounded in third-party research, lifecycle data, and field evidence.
4. Additionality
We ask whether the startup represents the best available solution versus the status quo and realistic alternatives. If it doesn’t outperform what already exists, it’s not a fit.
Example: Trawa offers AI-optimized renewable energy procurement for SMEs—an underserved segment for large utilities—providing many clients with their first viable alternative to fossil-powered contracts.
5. Interlock
We only invest where business success and climate impact are inseparable. If revenue can grow without impact growing in lockstep, we don’t invest.
Example: Ember’s electric intercity bus service, powered by renewable energy, can only succeed commercially by displacing high-emission transport and thereby avoiding emissions.
6. Impact Measurement
For every company, we conduct science-based impact modeling and define tailored KPIs that are tracked over time—ranging from CO₂e per unit and hectares restored to GWh of renewable energy delivered or heat pumps installed.
Example: For Monta, we track the number of installed EV charge points and kWh charged, which translate into enabled CO₂e reductions.
Beyond Products: Systemic, Market-Level Impact
Most impact assessments stop at product-level outcomes. SIF goes further, analyzing how a solution transforms the broader system—from infrastructure and incentives to user behavior and market norms.
Example: Hometree doesn’t just install heat pumps. Its platform addresses systemic barriers to adoption—financing, installation speed, and consumer behavior—unlocking long-term, market-level decarbonization. SIF is built to quantify this kind of systemic shift.
Impact-as-a-Service (IaaS): From Framework to Execution
We know that meeting this bar requires support. That’s why we created Impact-as-a-Service (IaaS)—a hands-on model to help founders embed impact deeply and credibly into their operations.
What we provide:
- Impact modeling, including LCA and emissions analysis
- Custom KPI development aligned with SIF
- Workshops on ESG, culture, governance, and Paris alignment
- Templates, tools, and sparring for Net Zero Playbooks, grant applications, and more
- A peer community for Sustainability Leads across our portfolio
By the numbers:
- 68% of portfolio companies are active in our peer community
- 50% have received tailored impact workshops
- 100% track measurable climate impact using our framework
Third-Party Validation: B Corp Audit
As part of our B Corp Certification, the Systemic Impact Framework underwent a rigorous third-party audit. Auditors assessed:
- How SIF is integrated into investment decision-making
- How metrics are tracked over time
- How AENU supports founders in implementing and operationalizing impact
Score: 127.5
Outcome: AENU is now one of the very few VCs with an externally audited, validated impact approach.
We didn’t build SIF to pass an audit—we built it to do better deals and to help define a new standard for impact in venture capital.
Why It Matters
Climate tech is scaling rapidly. With that growth comes a clear responsibility: to prove that capital is driving real, systemic climate solutions.
Stakeholders—from LPs and founders to policymakers and customers—are all asking the same question: How do you know if a climate solution will truly change the world?
Our answer is the Systemic Impact Framework:
- For founders: a roadmap to design, scale, and evidence real climate impact.
- For investors: a robust, science-based proof point that impact is material, additional, and scalable.
- For us: the way we turn capital into systemic change, not just incremental improvement.
This is how we define impact in venture capital—and how we aim to help set a higher bar for the entire industry.
