Bennet Barth

Bennet Barth is a prominent figure in the fields of sustainability, innovation, and impact investing. He currently holds multiple roles within the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt ecosystem:

Professional Roles

Managing Director at RESPOND:: Barth oversees RESPOND, a global climate-tech innovation program.3 In this capacity, he drives the strategic development and implementation of the BMW Foundation's work around business, innovation, and technology.2

Program Director of RESPOND Accelerator:: He manages the accelerator program, focusing on embedding sustainability at the heart of innovation and investments.12

Impact Investment Manager:: Barth is part of the BMW Foundation's investment team, where he manages an international portfolio of impact investments as part of the Foundation's asset management.1

Background and Experience

Barth's professional journey includes:

• Working at MAZE in Lisbon, where he contributed to scaling impactful solutions to social and ecological challenges.1
• Serving as an investment associate in a 50-million euro Impact Venture Capital Firm with offices in London and Lisbon.1
• Contributing to building the impact investing ecosystem in Europe through various joint publications with international partners.1

Education

Bennet Barth studied industrial engineering and management, specializing in:

• Mechanical engineering (B.Sc.)
• Economics (M.Sc.)

He completed his studies in Berlin and Lisbon, with Nova School of Business and Economics being his alma mater.4

Entrepreneurial Focus

Barth comes from an entrepreneurial background and has shifted his focus to working with entrepreneurs.2 He believes that successful impact entrepreneurs need:

• A deep understanding of sustainability
• The ability to create positive impact
• Long-term thinking capabilities

His motivation stems from working with inspiring people and supporting causes that embed sustainability or develop new solutions driving sustainability.2