<p>In this episode of <em>The Venture Capital Podcast</em>, Jon Bradshaw and Peter Harris sit down with <strong>Costas Papaikonomou</strong>, co-founder of the <strong>$200M Una Terra Early Growth Fund</strong>, to unpack what it really takes to scale the circular economy.</p><p>Costas shares how his background in engineering, innovation consulting, and a successful exit to Accenture shaped Una Terra’s thesis: backing <strong>“drop-in” solutions</strong> that plug into <strong>existing industrial infrastructure</strong> instead of trying to rebuild the world from scratch.</p><p>They get into:<br> • Why packaging, waste and food ingredients are massive, underrated VC markets<br> • How regulation in Europe is reshaping single-use plastics and recycling<br> • Why Una Terra focuses on <strong>real-world unit economics first, impact second</strong> (but still runs as an Article 9 impact fund)<br> • Case studies: pulp-based bottle packaging, Greyparrot’s AI for waste sorting, and circular fashion brand Another Tomorrow<br> • Power law vs “normal distribution” returns, and why most exits will be strategic acquisitions, not unicorn IPOs</p><p>If you care about climate, industrial innovation, and non-SaaS venture opportunities, this one’s loaded.</p><p><br><strong>Follow the Unaterra </strong><br>HQ: <a href="http://www.unaterra.vc/">www.Unaterra.vc</a> </p><p>Linkedin: <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/company/una-terra-vs">www.linkedin.com/company/una-terra-vs</a> </p><p>Costas Book (Disruption Fallacy): <a href="http://www.re8el.com/">www.re8el.com</a> </p><p><br><strong>Follow the Podcast<br></strong>Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/venturecapitalfm/<br>Twitter: https://twitter.com/vcpodcastfm<br>LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venturecapitalfm/<br>Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7BQimY8NJ6cr617lqtRr7N?si=ftylo2qHQiCgmT9dfloD_g&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=7b868f1b72094351<br>Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/venture-capital/id1575351789<br>Website: https://www.venturecapital.fm/<strong><br></strong><br><strong>Follow Jon Bradshaw</strong></p><p>LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrbradshaw/</p><p>Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjonbradshaw/<br>Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrjonbradshaw</p><p><strong>Follow Peter Harris<br></strong>LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterharris1</p><p>Twitter: https://twitter.com/thevcstudent</p><p>Instagram: https://instagram.com/shodanpete</p><p>Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@peterharris2812</p>

Venture Capital

Jon Bradshaw & Peter Harris

Scaling the Circular Economy: Inside a $200M Non-SaaS Fund w/ Costas Papaikonomou

NOV 25, 202543 MIN
Venture Capital

Scaling the Circular Economy: Inside a $200M Non-SaaS Fund w/ Costas Papaikonomou

NOV 25, 202543 MIN

Description

In this episode of The Venture Capital Podcast, Jon Bradshaw and Peter Harris sit down with Costas Papaikonomou, co-founder of the $200M Una Terra Early Growth Fund, to unpack what it really takes to scale the circular economy.Costas shares how his background in engineering, innovation consulting, and a successful exit to Accenture shaped Una Terra’s thesis: backing “drop-in” solutions that plug into existing industrial infrastructure instead of trying to rebuild the world from scratch.They get into: • Why packaging, waste and food ingredients are massive, underrated VC markets • How regulation in Europe is reshaping single-use plastics and recycling • Why Una Terra focuses on real-world unit economics first, impact second (but still runs as an Article 9 impact fund) • Case studies: pulp-based bottle packaging, Greyparrot’s AI for waste sorting, and circular fashion brand Another Tomorrow • Power law vs “normal distribution” returns, and why most exits will be strategic acquisitions, not unicorn IPOsIf you care about climate, industrial innovation, and non-SaaS venture opportunities, this one’s loaded.Follow the Unaterra HQ: www.Unaterra.vc Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/una-terra-vs Costas Book (Disruption Fallacy): www.re8el.com Follow the PodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/venturecapitalfm/Twitter: https://twitter.com/vcpodcastfmLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venturecapitalfm/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7BQimY8NJ6cr617lqtRr7N?si=ftylo2qHQiCgmT9dfloD_g&nd=1&dlsi=7b868f1b72094351Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/venture-capital/id1575351789Website: https://www.venturecapital.fm/Follow Jon BradshawLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrbradshaw/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjonbradshaw/Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrjonbradshawFollow Peter HarrisLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterharris1Twitter: https://twitter.com/thevcstudentInstagram: https://instagram.com/shodanpeteYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@peterharris2812