Konfidens
Establishing sustainability early
How a Norwegian pre-seed startup systematically established carbon accounting, identified credible offsetting projects and built a future-proof ESG strategy.
Project Framework and Objectives
Company Profile
- Sector: Mental Health Tech / SaaS
- Size: Pre-Seed Startup
- Location: Norway
- Business Area: Practice management software for psychotherapists
- Founded: 2020
Project Objective
Establishing cost-effective carbon accounting, selecting credible offsetting projects and integrating flexible ESG clauses in the pre-seed phase – as a foundation for scalable sustainability reporting during future growth.
The Challenge
As part of their pre-seed funding round, Konfidens AS under the leadership of CEO Aleksander Erichsen faced the task of systematically integrating sustainability – without the typical resources of established companies.
Specific Challenges
Integrate carbon accounting cost-effectively
Konfidens aimed to integrate carbon accounting into their early business operations in a manageable and cost-effective manner – without complex enterprise software.
Identify credible offsetting projects
Identifying reliable and impactful CO2 offsetting projects beyond greenwashing represented a central challenge.
Establish future-proof ESG strategy
Adaptation of company policies with flexible yet impactful ESG clauses – with potential for future adjustments during scaling.
Solution Approach
Calculating the carbon footprint
Deployment of the SME Climate Hub calculator – an accessible online tool for CO2 emissions estimates based on operational data. This provided a quantitative foundation for subsequent reduction and offsetting decisions, without significant software investments.
Assessment of offsetting projects
Fiegenbaum Solutions emphasised the importance of careful selection of CO2 offsetting projects. Focusing on projects verified by reputable organisations (Gold Standard, Verra and beyond), various options were evaluated – with emphasis on credibility rather than pure cost optimisation.
Establishing an ESG policy
Guidance on an ESG clause resulted in a balanced and adaptable approach. These clauses reflect commitment to sustainable operations and align with growing expectations from investors and regulators – with flexibility for future adjustments.
Results
Informed selection of offsetting projects
The collaborative assessment process enabled Konfidens to make informed decisions regarding CO2 offsetting projects and ensure alignment with their sustainability goals.
Enhanced ESG framework
The revised ESG clause, which permits flexibility in project selection, laid the groundwork for a dynamic approach to carbon offsetting within Konfidens' corporate strategy.
Scalable foundation for future growth
Through early implementation of a systematic approach, Konfidens is growing with a solid foundation in sustainability reporting – whilst internal processes are still emerging and figures are not yet overly complex.
Building Blocks Used
Corporate Carbon Footprint
SME Climate Hub calculator for fundamental CO2 understanding
Carbon Credits
Verified offsetting projects with focus on credibility
ESG Clause
Flexible policies for strategic ESG integration
Client Testimonial
Thanks to Johannes, we now measure our environmental impact and offset emissions based on actual figures from our carbon accounting. This provides much more clarity about our operations and our carbon footprint. Moreover, it's much easier to internalise ESG reporting as a core activity when we implement a system from an early stage, whilst our internal processes are still emerging. This way, we're growing with a solid foundation in sustainability reporting.
Aleksander Erichsen, CEO – Konfidens AS
Why Early ESG Integration Matters for Startups
Investor Relations
ESG clauses signal systematic risk management and future-proof governance to investors – increasingly relevant for Series A and later rounds.
Scalability
Establishing systems in early phases is significantly easier than retrofitting during scaling – when processes are complex and data difficult to reconstruct.
Market Positioning
Early ESG integration positions startups for sustainable growth and can create competitive advantages in customer acquisition and talent recruitment.
Establish ESG strategy in the pre-seed/seed phase?
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