Venture capital firm SHIFT Invest currently has a portfolio of 35 start-ups and scale-ups, spanning energy, industry, food and agriculture, and mobility.

The judges at this year's IMPACT Awards were impressed by SHIFT Invest's oversight – acknowledging that the firm conducts separate impact analysis for each individual deal, plus quality engagement and ESG support for its portfolio companies.

In the past year, SHIFT's approach to KPIs introduced the 'big picture' evaluation for investment opportunities, allowing investment professionals to cast comparison between potential deals based on their long-term environmental contribution.

Impact assessments of each individual portfolio companies are also reviewed by an independent impact committee, which comprises a range of industry professionals and scientists.

The investor also links the achievement of the environmental impact key performance indicators (KPIs) of its portfolio companies to its carried interest.

"This award is a big milestone in the fifteen years our team has dedicated to proving that impact investing can drive real change–not only in finance but also in the technologies it fuels," Heleen de Jonge, impact and ESG officer at SHIFT, told Environmental Finance.

"It's also a tribute to the critical work of innovators on the frontlines of the food, energy, transport and industrial transitions. And with our fourth fund on the horizon, we're excited to ramp up our efforts to back solutions that cool our planet, create space for the creatures we share it with, and ensure we don't take more from nature than it can give back."