Our Story
uIMPACT was established in 2022, as a joint stock company with the purpose to support startups and investors in their journey to sustainable transformation and to embrace a stronger focus on impact, alongside ESG factors and alignment with the UN SDG framework. uIMPACT is women-led.
uIMPACT is backed up by Urban Impact Ventures – an impact fund with a mission to support the transition toward a more sustainable society and environment in an urban context.
Urban Impact Venture is based in the Netherlands and brings together seasoned investment professionals and advisors with vast international experience and strong credentials in technology and global impact investing.
Team
Iskra Yovkova
Prior to founding uIMPACT Iskra was Business Development and Communications manager of a public fund of funds, with EUR 0,6 bn AuM, working closely with VCs, financial institutions. microfinancing companies and the business sector. She has over 20 years of professional experience across the startup, corporate, NGO and public sector, including top managerial positions, and has managed teams of up to 250 people. Iskra has worked on emission reduction and renewable energy assessment projects, was part of the founding team of Sofica Group, the first successful exit in the BPO sector in Bulgaria and has lead an omni-channel, multi-brand direct-to-consumer retailer. Iskra is passionate about data, technology and startup development and support.
Co-founder and Managing Director
Mihaela Dragneva
Marketing and Community
Mihaela has over 4 years of experience in customer interaction and communications.
She is passionate about sustainability and shaping a greener and socially equal future, which is why she loves to volunteer in charity campaigns like "Caps for the Future".
Mihaela holds a high school diploma with honors in Chinese language and culture and is currently studying Digital Marketing.
Board of Directors
Nadia Soultanova
Board Member
Nadia is Head of Urban Network and LP Support at Urban Impact Ventures.
She has held various roles in urban innovation and digitalization. She was the Head of Investment and Business Development at the Sofia Investment Agency, the investment promotion arm of the Bulgarian capital city. In this role, she was responsible for branding Sofia as an innovation and entrepreneurial hub, building a network of partner cities and local stakeholders, as well as attracting high value-added investments.
She was the city manager responsible for the creation and approval of the Strategy for Digital Transformation for the city of Sofia.
She was the Director of Digitalization and Innovation at Sofia Municipality, where she was involved in innovative urban projects in the areas of citizen participation, e-services, open data, intelligent cities, human-centered e-service design, and data-driven policymaking.
Nadia has a real passion for people and places, and the ways people and places interact. She holds an MBA from the American University in Bulgaria and a BA from the University of New Orleans.
Claudia Marcusson
Claudia began her career in financial services in 2002 with Peppermint Venture Partners GmbH, and since then has held various international roles in investment management with State Street Bank & Trust, ABN AMRO Asset Management, Fortis Investments, and ING Investment Management. Since 2015 Claudia has been living in Singapore where she joined Standard Chartered Ventures in mid-2019.
She is a Fellow and Guest Lecturer on Emerging Technologies and Digital Transformation at the National University of Singapore as well as giving training to corporates and C-suite executives at Singapore Management University and Singapore Academy of Law.
Claudia holds an MS degree in Economics & Operations Research from the University of Hagen and an LLM degree in Chinese Business Law from the Open University of Hong Kong. She is a mentor and advisor to the board of several start-ups in Singapore, Germany, and Ghana.
Previously she was Head of Risk Management Asia Pacific for NN Investment Partners, the SRI-oriented asset manager of NN Group with €260 billion of Assets under Management.
Board Member
