The purpose of this policy is to formalize and clarify IPR.VC’s commitment to principled investment decisions, uphold ethical standards in our deployment of capital, and define our approach to politically sensitive financing and independence from the political positions of other investors.
1. Scope
This policy applies to all investment and co-investment decisions made by or on behalf of IPR.VC, including due diligence, portfolio governance, and ongoing capital deployment.
2. Ethical Investment Principles
2.1 Guiding Values
IPR.VC is guided by a set of core values rooted in respect for human dignity, the integrity of markets, and the long-term sustainability of innovation ecosystems. Our investment approach seeks to balance financial return with ethical responsibility. We acknowledge that capital flows through complex global networks, and while it may be impossible to eliminate every indirect connection to actors that do not uphold these values, we strive to avoid engagement with investments that fundamentally contradict them.
2.2 Responsible Capital Allocation
We give preference to investments where the underlying business model, and governance practices demonstrate:
- Responsible capital allocation: We invest in companies whose business models aim to generate long-term value without causing disproportionate harm to individuals, communities, or democratic institutions.
- Integrity and transparency: We expect honest governance, transparent reporting, and lawful operations from the companies we support.
- Respect for human rights and the rule of law: We avoid investments that directly enable systematic violations of internationally recognized human rights or undermine core legal protections.
- Long-term societal impact: While financial performance is central to our mandate, we consider broader societal implications when evaluating investments.
2.3 Case-by-Case Assessment
Every investment opportunity is reviewed proportionately, taking into account the nature of the entity’s activities, the degree of IPR.VC’s influence or control, the clarity of source information, documented remediation efforts, and available alternatives.
Ethical evaluation is not a box-ticking exercise but an integral part of our investment judgment and ongoing portfolio stewardship.
3. Approach to Politically Sensitive Financing
3.1 Risk-Based Evaluation
IPR.VC evaluates politically sensitive financing issues on a case-by-case basis. Rather than applying blanket prohibitions, we assess context, intent, foreseeable impact, and alignment with our values. Our due diligence considers potential political, ethical, or human rights concerns as part of overall investment risk.
3.2 Minimum Compliance and Beyond
Compliance with applicable international laws and sanctions is a baseline requirement. However, legal compliance alone does not substitute for our broader ethical judgment.
3.3 Defined Ethical Boundaries
We will avoid financing that:
- instrumentalize capital: We do not invest where capital is primarily intended to serve political agendas, state propaganda, or coercive power structures rather than commercial or cultural merit.
- enables projects, companies or business models designed for systematic repression or the violation of fundamental freedoms;
- directly supports coercive state instruments without appropriate safeguards;
- is structured primarily to advance political agendas over commercial value.
4. Independence from Other Investors’ Political Positions
IPR.VC remains an autonomous investment firm whose decisions are guided by our own ethical framework and fiduciary obligations. Accordingly:
- Independent judgment: Investment decisions and portfolio positions reflect IPR.VC’s own analysis and values, not those of co-investors.
- Non-endorsement of external political views: Participation alongside other investors does not imply endorsement of their political views, affiliations, or activities.
- Founder clarity: We commit to transparent communication with founders about our stance and expectations, free from external political influence.
- Institutional neutrality: IPR.VC does not act as a political actor nor seek to influence public policy through its investment choices.
5. Conclusion
IPR.VC’s value-based stance reflects a balanced approach: principled without being ideological, independent without being indifferent, and commercially driven without losing sight of ethical responsibility. This framework guides how we invest, how we partner, and how we position ourselves in an increasingly complex global environment.