German partners in Ukraine: impact investments, green solutions and cooperation for recovery

At the end of May, Ukrainian Social Venture Fund partners from Germany — founder of Social Synergy Deutschland eV Martin Vogelsang and representative of Institutional Capital Forum Volker Weber — visited Kyiv. For several days, they met with social entrepreneurs, representatives of state institutions and organizations working on the restoration of Ukraine. The focus of the conversations was on impact investments, green technologies, veteran entrepreneurship, energy sustainability of communities and areas of international cooperation.

What do Ukrainian impact initiatives need so that their solutions can grow?

For some, the answer is access to capital. For others, it is technical expertise, partnerships, access to international markets, or support in shaping a sustainable business model.

It was around these issues that the Impact Breakfast at Kooperative took place - a private meeting of German partners with Ukrainian social enterprises, impact initiatives, and ecosystem organizations.

The visit, organized by the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund team, was intended to present the Ukrainian impact ecosystem through specific solutions, people, and needs, as well as identify areas in which international partnerships can have practical value for businesses and communities.

Solutions emerging in response to war

The full-scale invasion has significantly expanded the list of problems that business, the state, and the public sector must respond to.

Ukraine needs solutions for veteran employment, psychological recovery, social adaptation, energy sustainability, and community support. Some of these are already being created by entrepreneurs and organizations that seek to combine a social mission with a sustainable economic model.

During the Impact Breakfast , 1991 Accelerator, greencubator, Bank of Memories ("Memories of Ukraine"), Nesemos Veteran Auto Hub, and VR Mentality presented their directions.

One conversation combined technological entrepreneurship, green innovation, veteran reintegration, memory work, and mental health support tools.

These directions are different, but the challenges for teams are often similar: how to confirm the effectiveness of the solution, find a customer, prepare for investment, and maintain the social mission while scaling.

From grant to investment

One of the central themes of the visit was impact investing — capital aimed at financial results and at the same time at measurable social or environmental changes.

For many Ukrainian social enterprises, this tool remains new. Some teams started with grants, volunteer work, or their own funds. This helps launch an idea, but rarely ensures long-term growth.

It is important for an investor to understand who the customer is, how revenue is generated, whether the team is able to manage risks and scale the model. A social mission becomes an advantage when it is integrated into the product and supported by evidence of impact.

Martin Vogelsang continued this topic during Kyiv Impact Entrepreneurs Meetup #5 “Impact Economy in Action: Solutions and Partnerships for Ukraine’s Recovery” .

At the workshop "What Impact Investors Really Want: Preparing Ukrainian Startups for Investment," participants considered how an investor evaluates a social enterprise and what a convincing investment proposal should contain.

The focus was on financial viability, team, scaling potential, and the ability to explain social outcomes through specific metrics.

From individual initiatives to the needs of the region

Another stage of the visit was a meeting with the Deputy Head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration , Natalia Havatyuk , and the Acting Director of the Department of Economics , Iryna Tofanivska .

The parties discussed the needs of the Kyiv region, the region's investment opportunities, and potential areas of cooperation in the areas of energy efficiency, alternative heating systems, community energy sustainability, and restoration.

These issues are of particular importance for the Kyiv region. The region has experienced occupation and destruction of infrastructure, but at the same time has an active business sector and significant demand for investment.

We talked separately about public-private partnerships. Such a model can combine the resources of the state, communities, and business, but it requires clearly defined needs, rules of interaction, and risk sharing.

International partners can offer capital, technology, and expertise. The effectiveness of cooperation depends on how accurately the Ukrainian side formulates the request and demonstrates the ability to implement the solution.

Why personal presence is important

Most information about Ukrainian projects can be shared online. But a physical visit allows you to see in what conditions the teams work, how they describe their needs, and whether they are ready to move from idea to implementation.

For the Ukrainian side, this is an opportunity to present the country through concrete solutions, not just through the scale of destruction and needs.

Social entrepreneurs in Ukraine have learned to quickly adapt products, relocate teams, work under energy constraints, and respond to new societal challenges. This experience changes the very framework of cooperation: Ukrainian organizations can be partners who have their own expertise, proven practices, and a deep understanding of the local context.

From the meeting to the next step

Over the course of several days, the German partners saw different levels of the Ukrainian impact ecosystem: entrepreneurs, support organizations, the international professional community, and government institutions.

The task of the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund in such interaction is to connect these levels, present Ukrainian solutions, help the parties formulate requests more precisely, and create conditions for cooperation that has a practical result.

The visit of Martin Vogelsang and Volker Weber outlined several areas for continued dialogue: impact investments, technical support for social enterprises, energy efficiency, green innovation, veteran entrepreneurship, and community regeneration.

The Ukrainian impact ecosystem is developing during the war, despite shelling, staff shortages, and constantly changing needs. It needs resources, but already has teams, experience, and solutions around which international partnerships can be built.