In this episode of 0100 Impact Talks, we sit down with Kelley Luyken, Fund Investor and Impact Lead at Aurum Impact, a family office at the forefront of transparent, catalytic, and impact-driven investing. With a background that bridges climate science, sustainable finance, and early-stage venture capital, Kelley brings a systems-level understanding of how private capital can address today’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.
Aurum Impact stands out in a sector known for discretion. Unlike most family offices, it publishes its impact frameworks and methodologies openly, hoping to inspire peers to move from silent capital to catalytic capital. “Transparency is key because it drives change,” Kelley explains. “We want to lower the barrier for other families to take the leap into impact.”
Kelley outlines Aurum’s dual investment strategy — combining direct startup investments and fund commitments — while leveraging the flexibility of a family office to go beyond the typical 10-year fund cycle. This allows them to back hardware-heavy climate solutions, experiment with debt mechanisms, and invest with patience, especially in areas underfunded by traditional VC.
A core part of the conversation is Aurum’s use of the capital continuum — from traditional investing to philanthropy — and how the family office positions itself along this spectrum. For Kelley, understanding this continuum helps investors recognize when to pursue market-rate impact investments versus catalytic capital that accepts higher risk or lower returns to achieve deeper societal outcomes. “Impact investing isn’t inherently concessionary,” she emphasizes. “Financial sustainability is key, because scalable businesses drive scalable impact.”
Aurum Impact’s portfolio spans climate and energy, circularity, natural ecosystems, and equitable societies, investing primarily in Europe but also exploring fund opportunities globally — including in the Global South, where catalytic impact is most visible.
Kelley also reflects on the growing momentum among next-generation family members who are steering legacy wealth toward impact, as well as the need to professionalize family offices in Europe to make the ecosystem more robust. She highlights Aurum’s collaborations across Europe — from Germany and the Netherlands to Belgium — as examples of a more open, networked impact investment community.
The conversation touches on one of the most debated topics in finance today: defining “impact”. As the boundaries blur between climate resilience, defense, and social innovation, Kelley calls for clarity rooted in global well-being. “For us, impact means addressing the biggest challenges facing people and planet — not just within our national borders.”
From shaping SFDR-aligned fund selection (only investing in Article 8 and 9 funds) to exploring alternative financing mechanisms and catalytic partnerships, Aurum Impact offers a forward-looking blueprint for how family offices can invest with purpose, patience, and transparency.
“We care about financial sustainability because if impact is to scale, the businesses behind it must also scale.” — Kelley Luyken, Aurum Impact
