This new breed of tech founders is different to those who have come before. Forget the clichés of teenage coders creating the next Microsoft in their garage. These founders typically have over a decade of professional experience, possess technical backgrounds, and have held senior positions in tech companies or are experts in their domain.

So, what prompts highly skilled people to depart from stable jobs to launch their startups?

There are a thousand answers to this question. Working with founders in 27 cities worldwide, we have supported startups in almost every conceivable tech vertical led by founders from corporates, consultancies, banks, unicorns, and startups. Each one has a unique motivation for building a game-changing company.

There is an increasingly common thread that unites founders—a desire to have a positive impact on the world, address pressing environmental and social challenges such as climate change, and take sustainability seriously.

Founders approach sustainability from diverse perspectives, recognising that sustainability is fundamentally tied to returns and contributes to the resilience of a startup. Extraordinary businesses are emerging—ranging from deploying satellites to monitor GHG emissions for precise detection, using computer vision and AI to map bird flight patterns through wind farms, to early disease and toxin detection in agricultural produce, and developing new underwater drones for ocean and subsea infrastructure insights. 

Contrary to common misconceptions, every startup, regardless of its focus, can contribute positively to the planet and its people. Sustainability isn’t exclusive to established companies, compliance measures, or emissions reduction—it's a universal opportunity for impact.

The demand for advice is so substantial that we introduced “Sustainability Week” in the Nordics this year, specifically focusing on this critical issue, supporting founders to build resilient and future-proof businesses from the get-go.

Working with more than 8000 entrepreneurs worldwide, we have identified key steps to guide a founder’s sustainability journey from the inception of their business. These are the top ten tips we share with founders:

• Define your mission and vision: Agree as a founding group on the problem your company aims to solve and the ultimate change you want to make in the world. Consider the role sustainability plays in this process.
• Identify stakeholders: Define your stakeholders and understand their expectations and concerns.
• Know your legal landscape: Understand applicable laws and regulations that pertain to your business and safeguard your IP to secure a competitive edge.
• Create an inclusive culture: Put diversity and inclusion at the core of your startup’s mission and values, and integrate best practices into your company policies from the beginning. This approach is key to attracting and retaining a high-quality team with diverse perspectives and experiences. Creating an environment where everyone feels valued is crucial for your startup's success, leading to greater innovation and talent attraction.
• Understand non-financial factors: Recognise that workplace culture and employment practices, responsible product design, data privacy and protection, environmental effect, and supply chain management are crucial non-financial factors affecting your company performance.
• Prioritise relevant factors: Identify and prioritise the non-financial factors greatest effect on your company bottom line, brand and reputation—factors within your sphere of influence and deemed important by stakeholders, including investors and customers. Make sure they fit with your overall plan and values. As your company grows, priority factors will shift, but it should always make sense for what you do and what you want your product to achieve.
• Establish an Advisory Group: Don't hesitate to form an Advisory Committee early on for strategic guidance. This can change over time and adapt to your company’s needs and priorities.
• Quantify positive impact: If your product intentionally addresses societal or environmental challenges, think about how to measure and quantify the positive impact aligned with your mission statement.
• Back up sustainability claims: Ensure any sustainability-linked branding is substantiated with evidence, even if they start as goals.
• Iterative roadmap development: Recognise that sustainability is an iterative process that requires adaptability. Flexibility is key as you map out your business's journey. Look ahead and anticipate the need for non-financial data, recognising what information your stakeholders may ask for at different stages of your company's growth.

Integrating sustainability into your business practices from the start is a strategic move. It positions your company as forward-thinking and well-prepared for the challenges ahead, providing a competitive advantage in a dynamic market—whether with investors, employees, or customers.

Prioritising sustainability can be your secret weapon. It's not just about being good; it's about doing well, and the choices you make early on really matter.

Identifying and addressing risks and opportunities early on can fast-track fundraising, drive company growth, and boost customer satisfaction and workforce productivity. This is all about preparation. Setting up effective, and appropriate, reporting, instilling positive cultural practices, and seeking guidance from advisors at the outset not only emphasises the importance of sustainability but also makes it way easier to improve and expand sustainability policies later on, avoiding the need for retrofitting. This proactive approach is a strong signal to investors, who are increasingly required to focus on sustainability credentials and metrics.

The journey to making a real impact takes time, but by following these ten steps from the beginning, startup leaders set themselves on the right track.