Talks that move money
I speak about the part of climate action most people skip: where our money goes. My talks mix hard numbers with personal stories, and always end with something the audience can do the same week.
What people said about the talk
“Powerful images and examples for every point she makes, and a clear structure that leads to the conclusion. Practical investment tips for different amounts. She shares her personal story, her quest and her worry for her boys, and shows clearly how women are the overlooked solution and how that is shifting. A very effective, very inspiring talk.”
– Bodin Goustan, Forest School Leader
“A manifesto for every woman. Well paced, with a humorous opening, brilliant visuals and a throughline she states clearly within the first two minutes.”
– Megha Jindal, Angel investor & Communication Coach
Talk topics
She Invests, the World Changes
Why capital is the biggest climate lever we have, and why women investors are the one we overlook.
Audiences: women’s networks, investor events, conferences.
Sustainable returns: myth or math?
What 20 years of data say about sustainable investing and returns, including where the sceptics have a point.
Audiences: finance professionals, pension boards, investment committees.
Scaling climate tech: capital and markets
Good climate technology often stalls between pilot and scale. What it takes to connect climate ventures with the capital, partners and markets they need to grow.
Audiences: climate weeks, trade missions, impact investor forums.
Climate Fresk and Biodiversity Collage (workshops)
Collaborative, card-based workshops where teams map the causes and consequences of climate change (based on the IPCC reports) and of the biodiversity crisis, then brainstorm solutions for their own organisation. Three hours, or a shorter version for events and lunch-and-learns.
Audiences: leadership teams, staff, universities and schools.
Formats: keynote (20–45 min), panel, fireside chat, workshop (1–3 hours). In person or online, in English or Dutch.
Speaker bio
Short (~50 words)
Nienke (Nina) Benders is a climate finance specialist and TEDx speaker. After 10 years across venture capital, fintech and climate finance, she founded BrightWise to scale climate tech solutions with access to capital and markets. She sits on the investment committee of Epic Angels and facilitates Climate Fresk and Biodiversity Collage workshops.
Long (~120 words)
Nienke (Nina) Benders has spent 10 years across venture capital, fintech and climate finance, from building AI models that decide which start-ups get funded to backing climate ventures as an angel investor. She is the founder of BrightWise, which helps scale climate tech solutions with access to capital and markets, and has helped climate technology companies enter new markets and grow there. She sits on the investment committee of Epic Angels, a collective of women investors, and is a Terra.do climate fellow who facilitates Climate Fresk and Biodiversity Collage workshops. In 2026 she gave the TEDx talk She Invests, the World Changes at TEDxThonglorWomen in Bangkok, on why our money is our biggest climate lever. Nina holds an MSc in Finance from Bocconi University and Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Downloads: speaker photos (2–3 high-res), bio as PDF.