Norrsken Impact/Week 2025 in Barcelona gathered founders, investors, and changemakers to tackle today’s biggest challenges. Panels on climate tech, AI, and social systems highlighted where vision meets execution – and where impact scales. The real value? Connecting with founders across sectors and seeing the power of collaboration in action.
My Reflections on Norrsken Impact/Week
Last week, I had the privilege of attending Impact/Week 2025 at Norrsken House Barcelona: a two-day summit gathering founders, investors, policymakers, and thought leaders to tackle the world’s biggest challenges. It’s rare to find an event that manages to combine high ambition, strategic networking, and real intellectual firepower – and this one delivered.
Highlights from the Agenda & What Stood Out
The agenda for Impact/Week was rich and thoughtfully designed to cover both high-level trends and granular, actionable insights. Here are a few themes and key takeaways I left with:
1. Bridging Vision & Execution
Many sessions were about connecting bold, systemic visions (e.g. resilience, regeneration, climate justice) with the hard realities of scaling, measuring, and sustaining impact. It’s one thing to imagine a better future; another to build structures, metrics, and business models that can operate long term.
2. Thematic Focus (Tech, Climate, Systems)
From AI ethics to climate resilience to infrastructure and social innovation: the sessions reminded me that impact doesn’t live in silos. The most interesting work happens at the intersections: where technology meets nature, data meets governance, and scale meets empathy.
3. The Power of Community & Serendipity
Beyond formal talks, the real gold was in the side conversations, hallway meetings, and founder dinners. These are the moments where theory turns into momentum, where a casual conversation sparks a collaboration, or even a new pilot.
4. Radical Candor
Perhaps most refreshing: the honesty. Speakers didn’t sugarcoat the contradictions between mission and margins, the difficulty of quantifying multi-dimensional impact, or the mental strain founders carry. These open conversations made the whole experience more grounded; and more real.
5. Examples
I have summarized two talks that stood out to me on LinkedIn:
- Stefan Krook - Practitioner in Residence at the Stockholm School of Economics - talked about his bold concept of the Laghum Economy
LinkedIn Post - Victor Galaz (Stockholm Resilience Centre) asking the question: Can AI act as a scientific accelerator in a world of polycrisis?
LinkedIn Post
My Personal Takeaways & Next Steps
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Measure what matters early. Build metrics that reflect purpose, not just growth. It’s how credibility compounds.
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Seek investor partners who are builders, not just check signers. The best investors amplify rigor and learning, not just capital.
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Cross-sector curiosity pays off. Some of the most generative ideas came from unexpected combinations.
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Never underestimate the value of connection. That "random" coffee chat might turn into an advisory conversation or a pilot partnership.
To all the founders I met: thank you for your openness, your stories, your challenges and triumphs. It’s always inspiring to meet others walking this path with conviction and courage.
And a heartfelt thank you to Capital T for the invitation. 🙏 It’s a joy to reconnect with this ecosystem and to be reminded that while impact may start with ideas, it scales through community.