Entrepreneurship Summit 2024: Keynote speech by Christian Kroll

Summary

In the keynote speech, ‘How to start a successful social business,’ Christian Kroll, founder of Ecosia, talks about the founding and development of the search engine, which invests 100% of its advertising revenue in climate projects, particularly tree planting. He explains how Ecosia regenerates ecosystems worldwide, sequesters CO₂, and at the same time supports local communities by providing local people with income through tree planting.

Kroll addresses the practical challenges of social entrepreneurship, such as securing the company's mission by transferring the company's shares to the Purpose Foundation, which ensures transparency in finances and projects. He also talks about the social impact of small measures, the scalability of ideas and the opportunities for start-ups to succeed against large tech corporations. A central theme is that profit does not have to be the only goal and that companies can generate targeted social and environmental impact.

He also shares examples of Ecosia's social engagement, such as the attempt to buy the Hambach Forest or to help shape the tree decision in Berlin. The keynote speech shows in a practical way how to combine innovation, sustainability and entrepreneurial spirit to achieve real impact.

Key insights for founders

1. Put mission before profit:
Consistently aligning the company with a social or environmental purpose creates long-term stability and social impact.

2. Bootstrapping works:
Ecosia was built without external investors; self-financing is possible if users and resources are used efficiently.

3. Transparency creates trust:
Disclosing income, expenditure and project results strengthens credibility among users, partners and employees.

4. Scalable impact through simple mechanisms:
Small everyday actions by users, such as search queries, can have a major global impact when designed correctly.

5. Competing innovatively against larger competitors:
Creative solutions, a clear mission and community support enable small start-ups to succeed against massive market players (David versus Goliath principle).

About the speaker

Christian Kroll is the founder of Ecosia, a sustainable search engine that invests 100% of its profits in climate protection projects. With a background in business administration, he built Ecosia on his own (bootstrapping), without external investors. Kroll is a pioneer in social entrepreneurship and is committed to combining technology, sustainability and social engagement. Under his leadership, Ecosia has planted over 215 million trees worldwide, supported ecological projects in developing countries and established transparency as a core principle.

He is also active in promoting ClimateTech start-ups, including as co-founder of the World Fund, one of the largest venture capital funds for climate innovation. Kroll advocates an approach that combines entrepreneurial success with measurable positive impact on the environment and society.