How we bridged the gap between private banking and impact entrepreneurship in collaboration with Bethmann Bank
Private banking and impact entrepreneurship aren’t often considered allies. One operates within centuries-old structures of wealth management and financial stability. The other is defined by challenging the status quo and placing purpose on an equal standing with profit.
And yet, when you think about what the transition to a more sustainable economy actually requires, it becomes clear that these two worlds need each other.
Bethmann Bank saw that early and since 2019, Impact Hub Berlin has been helping them bridge the gap between traditional banking and the impact ecosystem.
The goal: to move from good intentions to active impact creation
Bethmann Bank had already built in intentional initiatives in their CSR operations to “give something back”, for example through philanthropy and brand partnerships. However, they recognised the need to create real impact in the area of sustainable finance and their client base was increasingly asking about purpose-driven investment.
The challenge – like for many financial institutions – was how to move from these classic CSR formats to active impact creation. Complex societal challenges don’t get solved by one sector working alone, and the bank knew it needed a credible way to connect with the innovators and entrepreneurs in the impact ecosystem.
The way forward needed to be useful to startups, meaningful to clients, and genuinely reflective of where sustainable finance is heading.
The approach: building the infrastructure for unlikely alliances
Over six years, Impact Hub Berlin and Bethmann Bank built a partnership grounded in a simple but powerful idea: that a traditional private bank and a global network of impact innovators could achieve together what neither could achieve alone.
That goal-oriented partnership took shape through four core formats.
A curated event series, including the launch of ‘The Bethmann Forum: Rethinking Social Responsibility’ created a platform for genuine dialogue between investors and impact entrepreneurs. It became a flagship format that grew in relevance year on year.
Investor-startup matchmaking moved the relationship beyond dialogue and into action. Through ‘Investor Circles’ and ‘Trends in Impact Investing’ formats, startups were given direct access to Bethmann Bank’s investor network – structured opportunities to pitch, connect, and build relationships with capital partners who shared their values and long-term outlook.
Mentorship and expertise ran as a thread through the partnership. Bethmann Bank employees brought their financial expertise directly to startups developing investment-ready solutions, contributing professional knowledge in a way that went well beyond what a typical CSR programme would ask of them.
Collaborative formats brought clients, employees and startups into the room to co-create solutions and make sustainable finance tangible. The ‘NextGen Impact Safari’ meanwhile, brought impact investing to life by immersing Bethmann Bank’s clients directly into the impact ecosystem.
What changed – for the startups, the bank, and its clients
More than 20 impact startups successfully secured funding through connections made as a result of the partnership. Behind this number: scalable solutions, the creation of meaningful jobs, and real impact for people and communities.
Bethmann Bank meanwhile, achieved a strengthened positioning as a serious player in impact investing, a set of established flagship formats that continue to attract engagement, and a client base that is more actively curious about – and invested in – sustainable finance.
Six years in, what started as a set of hypotheses to bridge the gap between unlikely allies, has become a long-term infrastructure for connecting capital with impact, built on trust between value-aligned partners.
A model for banks ready to lead on sustainable finance
What the Bethmann Bank partnership demonstrates is that financial institutions don’t have to sit on the sidelines of the impact economy. With the right allies and the right formats, they can become active stakeholders and create meaningful change. By connecting their clients to new investment opportunities, giving their employees meaningful ways to contribute, and building credibility in the ecosystem, those unlikely alliances form organically and the impact follows.
If your organisation is ready to explore unlikely alliances which could help you create the impact you want to have, we’d love to talk.