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Nicholas Andreou

Nicholas Andreou

Driving innovation and impact in venture capital and social entrepreneurship

nickandreou
London, England, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Joined February 2025
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Summary

Nicholas Andreou is a thought leader and practitioner in impact investing and social entrepreneurship. He actively researches and publishes on how social and environmental impact can be a source of competitive advantage for businesses, both in attracting talent and generating financial returns. His work emphasizes the integration of impact into business strategy, execution, and measurement. oysterhr+3
With a strong academic background including a PhD in Work, Health and Policy from the University of Nottingham and an MBA from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, Nicholas bridges academia and practice. He has held research positions at institutions like Harvard University and the World Health Organization, contributing to his deep understanding of social and environmental challenges. oysterhr+1
Nicholas has extensive experience in venture capital and investment, particularly in social impact. He has worked as an Investment Manager and Associate Venture Impact Partner at Better Society Capital, where he focused on building the UK impact investing market and experimented with AI for impact assessment. He is also a co-founder and faculty member at ImpactVC, an initiative supporting VCs in integrating impact into their strategies. bettersocietycapital+2
Through Impact Edge Consulting, Nicholas advises startups and investors on maximizing their social and environmental impact. He emphasizes practical implementation of impact strategies, recognizing that impact can be a significant source of competitive advantage in today's business landscape. oysterhr+2
His early career involved international development work in East Africa with Balloon Ventures, where he led insight and impact functions. This experience focused on helping micro-entrepreneurs formalize businesses and using data to improve program effectiveness, demonstrating a hands-on approach to creating social change. balloonventures+2

Work

Education

Writing

We Tested AI Social Impact Assessments of Venture Investments

January 1, 2023

Co-authored an article exploring the use of AI to enhance the rigor and speed of impact assessment for venture investments, based on an experiment conducted at Better Society Capital.

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Rethinking How We Measure Companies on Social and Environmental Impact

October 1, 2022

Co-authored an article proposing a new framework for assessing a company’s social and sustainability performance, integrating both internal ESG and external impact investing facets.

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Impact-driven startups are winning the war for talent. Here’s how you can do it too.

May 1, 2022

Authored an article discussing how impact-driven businesses gain a competitive advantage in attracting, retaining, and inspiring top talent by aligning with employees' deeper values and purpose.

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Four ways impact acts as a source of value for startups and investors

May 7, 2021

Authored a blog post detailing how incorporating an impact lens can drive value for startups and investors by improving customer access and retention, talent acquisition, risk reduction, and access to capital.

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Can we predict who is more likely to repay a Balloon loan?

February 9, 2018

Authored a blog post outlining research findings from Balloon Ventures on predicting loan repayment behavior among entrepreneurs using character references and loan officer ratings.

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