We need to move past the idea that impact and profit are opposites - Tobias Ørskov Madsen, Contribe

Tobias Ørskov Madsen is the co-founder of Contribe, a Danish impact-driven startup that aims to revolutionize the shopping experience by giving all users the power to engage with on-brand impact projects with every purchase. 

This is Tobias’ second startup, after having co-founded A Better Ocean - a startup involving businesses in cleaning the ocean from plastic waste, which is now a non-profit. From that experience, Tobias says he has learned a lot that proved valuable in launching Contribe:

“The years I spent building it (while also working within business law), confirmed my passion for creating impact - but the non-profit industry has its own difficulties, and a lot of them. 

Non-profits need resources to do their important work, but businesses need their resources to grow. Launching Contribe was the clear next step for me, allowing e-commerce businesses to do good impact while also having a good business impact.”

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In both startups, he was a co-founder, and says that this is absolutely the better and easier way to start and grow a venture:

“Having co-founders makes the journey less lonely, far more balanced and even more fun. You challenge each other, share the pressure, and complement one another’s strengths. My co-founders and I share backgrounds in tech, consulting, strategy and law. 

The key is trust and shared ambition - you have to be fully aligned on why you’re doing it. 

A common mistake is choosing someone too similar to yourself. Diversity in skills and mindset is what really drives the progress.”

Contribe has recently raised $550K as part of its Pre-seed round. Last year, the startup announced a €1 million in funding from Rockstart, Human Act Development, and the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark. 

“We extended our pre-seed round because we’re seeing strong momentum right now - both in market demand and in our product's performance. The additional capital allows us to double down on scaling in Europe, particularly in Benelux and the UK, while continuing to prove our product and grow the team. 

Right now it’s all about preparing the company for the next phase of global growth.”

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When pitching to investors, Tobias says that the most important thing is to have clarity:

“Investors need to instantly understand the problem you’re solving, the value you create, and the size of the opportunity. Remember that you don’t have to close the investment in those 15-20 minutes of pitching. You simply need to spark enough interest to continue the conversation. 

Early on, I probably tried to tell too many stories at once. Now I focus on the one that truly matters: how Contribe benefits everyone in the ecosystem - it’s a win-win-win situation. One thing that’s worked well is being transparent about both our vision and our metrics - showing that we’re building something ambitious, but grounded in real data.”

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One of the case studies Tobias and the team are proud of is their collaboration with A.KJÆRBEDE.

“They’re a strong brand, with a customer base that really “gets” the concept of doing good impact. Through Contribe, they’ve been able to make every purchase even more meaningful. 

‍The partnership not only showed a +32% sales lift on orders made with Contribe, but also amplified their customers’ engagement and loyalty - proving that doing good can directly drive growth.” 

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In the next 3 years, Tobias says that their main focus is scaling their GTM and category creation:

‍“We want to make “impactful shopping” a new norm of the e-commerce experience worldwide. Key metrics for us are active users, partner growth, and total donations facilitated through our platform. But ultimately, it’s about proving that good impact and commercial success go hand in hand.”

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Lastly, we wanted to know Tobias’ take on what we need in order to see more impact-driven startups scaling successfully:

“We really need to move past the idea that impact and profit are opposites. The startups that will scale are the ones proving that purpose is a growth driver - not a cost. 

Investors also play a big role here: they need to reward long-term value creation, not just short-term gains. 

The good news is that this mindset shift is already happening - especially among younger generations.”

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Thank you, Tobias Ørskov Madsen!