OUR SYSTEMS LENS MODEL

The dots shape how we act: the mindset, capital, and infrastructure that make systemic work possible. The next question is where we act.

That’s where our Systems Lens comes in. Traditional impact investing often aims for measurable outcomes through individual projects. Systemic investing goes deeper. It seeks to shift the very systems; economic, ecological, social, and narrative, that shape those outcomes.

When we began, we tried to design full system maps and feedback loops. We wanted to capture the entire picture of transformation. But soon we realized: it’s impossible to fully “map” systemic change. Systems are too alive, too dynamic, too unpredictable.

At best, we can sketch, learn, and adjust together. At worst, maps can give a false sense of control. You’ll start putting boundaries because of complexity. So it’s not perfect, but a place to start. Don’t worry, the arrows can go in all directions, and you can off course also change the order of the systems in the systems. This will most probably change in the next chapters. We are a doing club, so it’s also a “Yes, we go and iterate later” approach.

Curious where we will be in the next chapters.

So we chose a different path: a practical lens. At the Explorers Club, we focus on four interconnected systems that our members care deeply about, and where we can imagine portfolio dynamics that matter. The WAIC Explorers Club uses a four-systems lens; ecological systems, economic systems, social systems and narrative systems. And then we think of Systemic infrastructure as well (chapter 2). And than, we feel like we need to work on this. Another Chapter ahead.

Projects may work across several subsystems at once, reflecting the reality of interdependence. For example, a valley restoration project may simultaneously regenerate ecosystems, strengthen the local economy, and foster social cohesion.The point is not to master the system, but to move within it, with awareness, intention, and trust in collective wisdom. Thatiswhat makes this a lens rather than a fixed map.

We deploy more than financial capital: economic resources are joined by social (networks and trust), cultural (skills and knowledge), and symbolic capital (reputation and influence). Each type has its own superpower. By combining them intentionally, we unlock systemic impact that no single form of capital could achieve on its own.

Systemic investing is therefore both mindset and practice: a way toask deeper questions, design more synergistic portfolios, and create conditions for transformative change.

LEVERAGE POINTS

Inspired by Donella Meadows, we recognize that change can occur at many levels: from surface events to deeper structures and mental models.

Our portfolios aim to balance interventions across these leverage points—from practical technologies and policies to narrative shifts and cultural imagination.

BOUNDARIES

Systems thinking often feels like “everything is connected to everything”.

Yet investing and granting capital requires pragmatic boundaries. We define our scope as the four subsystems above—broad enough to capture systemic interdependence, specific enough to guide action.

OUR ROLE

As capital holders, we are more than funders. We weave connections across sectors, projects, and capital types. We engage in iterative learning, collective wisdom, and trust-building. We want to be cheerleaders of progressive initiatives and cherish do-ism. Orchestrating is a topic.

EXPLORING THE WHOLE ICEBERG

We don’t act only where crises are visible. We work where patterns, structures, and beliefs are formed.

• We explore the whole iceberg:
• The visible events that call for response,
• The patterns and trends
• The structures and flows that sustain them,

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And the mental models that shape how the system behaves.

Our four system lenses, ecological, economic, social, and narrative, help us navigate this depth.

They remind us that every visible problem is rooted in invisible systems and that change must flow across all layers. We wanted to deeply intergrate this into our Due Diligence Process (that we call We Diligence) as the Founders of systemic initiativesare in a great position to share their vision on systems change in their area of expertise. Let’s dive into this process.