In the 2025 season finale of the Emotional Business Podcast, host Olga Skipper welcomes Daria Saharova, founding partner at World Fund—a €300M venture capital powerhouse tackling climate, tech, and decarbonization. Known for her vision and grounded humanity, Daria Saharova brings over 15 years in tech, investment banking, and entrepreneurship to a profound conversation about belonging, risk, and the relentless pursuit of meaningful innovation.

Together, Olga Skipper and Daria Saharova chart the journey from Riga to Munich, exploring the emotional landscape of immigration, integration, and finding home. The episode pulls back the curtain on Daria’s path: navigating cultural difference, language barriers, building bridges outside her comfort zone, and manifesting resilience that fueled a career spanning multiple disciplines, culminating in the birth of World Fund in the heart of Europe.

Their conversation illuminates the internal calculus behind risk-taking, the mindset required to start—and stay—the course as a founder, and the discipline of seeking impact without succumbing to market skepticism or the turbulence of global politics. Daria Saharova discusses breaking ground as a woman VC, her “capitalistic” drive, building a team and portfolio with integrity, and investing in companies whose products thrive—even in the hands of climate skeptics.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Immigration Journey—how open-mindedness, resilience, and language fluency fuel personal and professional integration
• The Art of Building Social Bridges—proactively stepping out of cultural enclaves to create genuine local connections
• Choosing Entrepreneurship (and Venture Capital)—decoding the pivotal career dots that led from startup founder to investment partner
• Facing Down External Forces—navigating COVID, geopolitical strife, and unsupportive market climates while closing a landmark fund
• VC as a Platform for Change—investing in deep tech and climate solutions, and the necessity of optimism in the face of systemic inertia
• Resilience & Competitive Speed—the “immigrant advantage” of spotting and seizing opportunity, building without a backup plan, and outpacing the market
• Multiplying Impact—how mobilizing communities and teams expands a founder’s reach beyond the constraints of time and resources
• Looking Forward—how Germany and Europe must shift from preservation to radical innovation, and why technological sovereignty is essential for future growth

This episode is essential listening for immigrants, VCs, operators, and executives wrestling with commitment, self-doubt, and the desire to create radical impact in shifting, sometimes hostile environments. Founders and fund managers—especially women and those building in deep tech—will find Daria’s deeply honest journey particularly resonant.

Settle in for this candid, energizing, and unfiltered year-end conversation that moves far beyond investment returns to the emotional reality of pioneering a new future.

Don’t forget to subscribe and share with a founder, investor, or anyone craving courage for bold moves!

Connect with Olga: LinkedIn: Olga Skipper Website: www.olgaskipper.com

Connect with Daria:

LinkedIn: Daria Saharova

Website: https://www.worldfund.vc/

Share your reflections on this episode or reach out with your own emotional business story—Olga loves hearing from you!