Raphael Bitterman, Co-Founder

01. Describe the problem/the industry that you are trying to mediate.

There is a disconnect between ESG data and economic and business realities caused by ESG data collection being skewed towards profit-driven capital markets and a lack of authentication of the data being collected. Raz Finance is focussed on bridging this gap. 

The precise UNSDG’s we are solving is dependent upon the data sets being processed however from a mission-driven perspective by definition we are strengthening the means of global partnerships for sustainable development (SDG 17).

02. How did the idea to create the company come to mind? How did your team come to be?

Raphael has been spearheading entrepreneurial initiatives aimed at creating efficient trading platforms for quasi-commodities for over 15 years. This commenced in the diamond industry and expanded into the global hemp market four years ago. It was through his innovative trading initiatives in the hemp market that he ventured into regenerative agriculture and supply-chain provenance and met his co-founder Miriam Davidovic, an expert in impact finance and an avid organic farmer herself. As the two began to collaborate on tackling the pain-points in the emerging regenerative economy space it quickly became clear that the existence of transparent and relevant data was the key to the much-needed flow of aligned capital into this space. 

03. Why did you choose to participate in the Paris Techstars accelerator program? What are you looking forward to the most? 

Over the last year our business assumptions have been validated via our Proof of Concept digital platform. We are now at that vulnerable inflection point between a PoC and real mission-driven enterprise. As such we were looking for the right environment to assist us in navigating and expediting this shift from a PoC to a viable business and were very fortunate to be referred by a Techstars Managing Director who understood our inherent value proposition and its fit with Paris Techstars accelerator program. 

04. What are you the most proud of in your initial journey with your company?

Having gone through a number of start-up journeys in our respective careers we are well aware that each milestone reached in a start-ups journey is something to be proud of. Notwithstanding this we are especially proud of the fact that our thinking and hypothesis around our business venture have been validated by thought-leaders in impact finance and executives at leading sustainable development conglomerates.   

05. How do you plan to measure the positive impact of your company in the next 5 years?

The measurement of impact lies at the core of our business - this is what we do. So, by the mere existence and activity of our business we are creating a positive impact. As such one of the key measurements of our impact will be the number of active stakeholders on our platform.

For the latest news on our applications, please visit our page.

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