Driving Innovation and Venture for Good: Insights from the Abraham House Fireside Chat at WEF

Innovation thrives at the intersection of collaboration, technology, and social impact. During this years World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland, the Abraham House hosted a dynamic fireside chat featuring a distinguished panel of venture leaders and ecosystem builders, each committed to fostering positive change in global entrepreneurship. The discussion, moderated by Bloomberg Intelligence’s Sue Munden, brought together key voices in the industry:

• Seth Hauben – Vice President & Head of Global Business Development and Partnerships, OneValley
• İlgi Evecan Duran – Strategic Growth & Global Partnerships Advisor, Evecan Consulting AB
• Andreas Grape – Founder & CEO, Nordic Angels

The conversation explored how venture ecosystems can scale impact, bridge funding gaps, and leverage technology—particularly AI—to drive innovation globally.

Unlocking Capital for a Stronger Ecosystem

One of the primary themes of the discussion was the need to better coordinate capital in Europe. Andreas Grape of Nordic Angels highlighted a persistent challenge: while Europe has substantial investment capital, it lacks the infrastructure to unify and deploy funds effectively. To address this, Nordic Angels is building platforms that connect investors, providing a collaborative network to strengthen Europe’s global competitiveness.

To illustrate the need for greater collaboration, Grape shared a compelling anecdote about two billionaires in Stockholm who were both heavily investing in efforts to save the Baltic Sea—yet they were unaware of each other’s initiatives. This lack of coordination highlights the necessity of trusted investor networks where collaboration is fostered rather than working in silos.

Adding to the conversation, İlgi Evecan Duran emphasized the importance of targeted funding and ecosystem-building for women-led tech startups. She is currently designing new programs in Central Asia aimed at reskilling women in technology, ensuring access to capital, and creating role models in traditionally male-dominated industries. One such initiative, supported by UN Women, seeks to provide resources for women founders to gain visibility and credibility among investors and policymakers. Duran stressed that empowerment is not just about capital—it is also about ensuring women have the space to innovate and the networks to succeed.

Democratizing Access to Silicon Valley Resources & the Launch of the Round Zero Fund

Seth Hauben of OneValley detailed his organization’s mission to make entrepreneurial resources and expertise more widely available, regardless of location. OneValley supports startups through a digital-first approach, providing access to best-in-class content, mentorship, capital, and community-building tools.“ Talent is uniformly distributed, but access to resources and capital is not,” Hauben noted, reinforcing the importance of scalable, tech-enabled solutions to close these gaps

Hauben also used this platform to announce the launch of a new OneValley fund, RoundZero.  RoundZero's mission is to "support deep tech entrepreneurs powering the green industrial revolution". RoundZero is aimed at empowering visionary entrepreneurs to commercialize world-changing solutions for a more sustainable and equitable future. These climate technologies have the potential to solve for some of our greatest challenges related to food, water and energy yet 90% fail to make it to market due to lack of capital. RoundZero unlocks the power of philanthropic capital to fuel deep-tech innovation, bridging the funding gap for breakthrough technologies in climate, energy, water, and food. 

How AI is Changing the Game for Startups and Investors

The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in supporting entrepreneurs was another key topic. AI is becoming a crucial tool for scaling venture support services, particularly for entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs) looking to serve thousands of founders efficiently. Hauben explained how AI can function as an always-on mentor, answering fundamental startup questions while allowing human advisors to focus on higher-value, customized guidance.

Similarly, Nordic Angels is leveraging AI to improve investor matchmaking and decision-making, ensuring that capital flows to the right entrepreneurs with greater speed and accuracy. AI-driven tools can analyze thousands of startup pitches, match founders with relevant investors, and even predict startup success rates based on data patterns.

Building a More Inclusive Future for Entrepreneurs

A recurring theme across the discussion was the responsibility of innovation leaders to promote diversity and inclusion. Evecan Duran underscored the need for more representation in the tech space, citing her work with Tech Nordic Advocates and Time to Raise, an initiative originally spun out from Microsoft. These programs focus on fundraising education for underrepresented founders, ensuring that diverse entrepreneurs have access to the right markets and investor networks.

One particularly inspiring example was a startup accelerator in Sweden that Duran helped launch, which specifically targeted immigrant women founders. The program provided training in fundraising, business development, and market expansion, leading to over 60% of its participants successfully securing early-stage investment.

At OneValley, inclusion is built into their strategy through scholarship programs, free access to digital resources, and targeted initiatives supporting underserved founders. “Not everyone has a ‘rich aunt’ to back their startup,” Hauben stated, reinforcing the need for equity-driven funding mechanisms.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Impact-Driven Investment

The panelists concluded by sharing their visions for the future:

• Grape aims to empower six million angel investors across Europe to collaborate and drive meaningful change. He envisions a Europe where startups no longer have to seek capital abroad but instead find it within a well-connected, highly engaged ecosystem.
• Evecan Duran is focused on expanding cross-border investment opportunities to connect high-impact startups with the right capital, emphasizing the need for stronger policies that facilitate global entrepreneurship.
• Hauben emphasized OneValley’s commitment to supporting deep-tech innovations that address pressing global challenges, stating that 75% of the technologies needed to reach mid-century net-zero goals are still in development or don’t exist yet.

As the discussion wrapped up, one sentiment was clear: the future of venture capital is deeply intertwined with collaboration, impact, and inclusion. Rising tides raise all boats, and through initiatives like the Round Zero Fund, Nordic Angels, and global accelerator programs, these industry leaders are shaping an ecosystem where more entrepreneurs have the opportunity to thrive.

As the world continues to navigate economic shifts and technological advancements, events like the Abraham House panel at WEF serve as a crucial forum for discussing how venture capital can be leveraged for good. Whether through AI-driven mentorship, better capital coordination, or targeted inclusivity efforts, the future of innovation belongs to those who ensure access for all.

Seth Hauben - OneValley

Vice President and Head of Global Business Development and Partnerships

Seth Hauben is the Vice President and Head of Global Business Development and Partnerships at OneValley. In this role, he draws on his extensive experience working with, investing in, supporting, and leading venture-backed companies to empower innovation communities worldwide. Seth collaborates with accelerators, incubators, foundations, universities, enterprises, investors, and governments to provide the necessary resources and digital infrastructure to build, grow, and support world-class innovation ecosystems.

 Ilgi Evecan Duran - Evecan Consulting AB

Strategic Growth & Global Partnerships Advisor | Venture Builder | NED

Andreas Grape - Nordic Angels

Founder and CEO

Andreas Grape is the founder and CEO of Nordic Angels, an initiative aimed at uniting benefactors in the Nordic startup ecosystem to enhance bandwidth and leverage. With over 20 years of experience in Stockholm's venture landscape, he previously founded One Agency, which was acquired in 2021. As an active angel investor and advisor, Andreas contributes significantly to Stockholm's tech scene, providing guidance and support to numerous ventures.

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