On 27 August, the third Zebra Investment Night, Hamburg’s most lucrative pitch event, will take place. It is organised by Impact Hub Hamburg. In an interview, its managing director, Birte Prinzhorn, explains what makes the event so special and offers tips on how impact startups can succeed even in challenging times.
News
August 18, 2026
Investments are made live at the Zebra Investment Night
At the second Zebra Investment Night in November 2025 © Impact Hub Hamburg
What makes the Zebra Investment Night so special, and what successes have you achieved so far?
What makes our Zebra Investment Night special is that it’s not just about talking about funding, but investments are actually made live. Selected impact startups pitch on stage to a high-calibre, exclusive audience, and business angels have already committed to allocating tickets in advance. This creates a unique dynamic and also motivates the people in the room to get involved. At the same time, we demonstrate that impact and profit go hand in hand. The startups on our stage are developing solutions to social and environmental challenges, whilst also presenting exciting investment opportunities. In doing so, we aim to dispel the still-widespread misconception that impact investing is primarily about philanthropy.
This format is particularly valuable for the founders: eight startups meet more than 80 investors, business angels, family offices, funds and entrepreneurs. This not only leads to direct investments, but also to important follow-up discussions and long-term contacts. The two Zebra Investment Nights held last year have already mobilised around 1.3 million euros for impact startups, including follow-on investments. This demonstrates the potential of this format and this scene.
Securing funding is a major challenge, particularly for impact startups. What do founders need to do to find suitable investors?
Essentially, the same applies to impact as to other startups: a strong network is crucial. Founders should make the most of opportunities to meet relevant people, build relationships and exchange ideas with investors, companies and other founders. This is one of the main reasons why we offer an impact community. When it comes to the actual meeting, founders must make a convincing case both personally and through their business model. It is crucial to clearly explain which problem they are solving, why their solution is scalable and how this will result in an economically viable business. This is particularly important in the impact sector, as there is still a perception that social impact and financial returns are incompatible. Yet we see many very compelling investment cases. Not every impact startup needs to be a traditional VC case. Depending on the business model, other risk profiles and funding routes may also be appropriate. It is important that founders present their own impact not as an afterthought, but as an integral part of a robust business model.
Birte Prinzhorn, managing director of Impact Hub Hamburg © Cara Funk
Given the current difficult economic climate, how do you assess the chances of success for impact startups, and what advice do you have to improve those chances?
The funding landscape is currently challenging for all startups, regardless of whether they operate in the impact sector or not. At the same time, impact startups often tackle very specific and pressing challenges. This is precisely why we continue to see good opportunities for teams that solve a relevant problem, have a compelling business model and can clearly outline their path to scaling up. To grow, startups essentially need two things: customers and capital. Whilst funding is the main focus at Zebra Investment Night, the connections made there can also lead to partnerships, pilot projects or new customers, and thus to significant revenue. That is why we also provide targeted support for impact startups to help them further develop their sales skills.
My most important piece of advice is: make active use of your networks and keep building the right connections. Those who maintain a high profile, go into discussions well prepared and communicate the commercial benefits just as clearly as the impact significantly increase their chances of success. Particularly in challenging times, strong relationships, your first paying customers and a focused sales approach are often the best proof that a business model works.
