Shiva Susarla: Making Asian cities more liveable

This week our TTI Interview Series covers our member Shiva Susarla. Shiva is the Founder of RENERGII, a Singaporean venture studio that creates and invests in startups that make Asian cities more liveable, with the goal of establishing and investing in 35 new enterprises over the next decade.

In this interview, Shiva shared their work on how they envisioned making Asian cities more liveable. He also shared how they started their business venture in creating and capitalizing on startup companies.

Making up a holistic company-building ecosystem

Shiva, tell us about your work and how it intersects with the impact space.

I am the Founder of RENERGII, a Singaporean venture studio Creating and Capitalizing on startups that make Asian cities more liveable. We have 5 startups in our portfolio and we plan to build another 30 in the next 8 years. All our work helps further SDGs 9,11,12,13 and 14.

Realization of 4Z Societies

What is your own definition of impact?

Realization of 4Z Societies: Zero-Waste, Zero- Pollution, Zero-Carbon and Zero-Poverty.

Food and Income Security

What do you believe is one of the most important issues that need to be solved over the next 10 years?

  • Food Security

  • Income security for small businesses operating at the margins

Capital Availability

What do you think are some of the biggest challenges in the impact space?

  • Availability of Capital

  • Successful investment models that can scale

  • Consumer Awareness

Creating & Capitalizing 35 Startup Businesses

Tell us more about the long-term vision you have for your work and how you measure & quantify your impact.

We have the vision of creating & capitalizing 35 startup businesses in the next decade or so. All our businesses will use circular economy principles and help further the SDGS of 9,11,12,13 and 14.

Impact as non-profit in nature

What are some of the misconceptions you’ve noticed regarding what “impact” is all about?

  • That impact work is necessarily non-profit in nature

  • That it is not possible to ''do well'' and ''do good'' at the same time.