By: Zach Miller
Max Studennikoff, the Founder and Chairman of CC Forum, has been working for over twenty years, helping industries such as event management, property development, and education find and implement solutions for progress. Max is an entrepreneur, investor, and advisor to startups worldwide, with an MBA from Imperial College London. His one-of-a-kind CC Forum has become the premier investment event worldwide, where policymakers, investors, entrepreneurs, and intellectuals discuss each string of their bow and focus on saving mankind from global threats like climate change, inequality, and the like. In this interview, Max explains the background of the creation and establishment of CC Forum, its growth plan, and its mission to create a sustainable world.
Max, what inspired you to establish CC Forum, and how has your vision for the forum evolved since its inception in 2018?
CC (Climate Change) Investment Forum was not born unexpectedly. Having been a serial entrepreneur for over 25 years and wearing many hats, I have been a sought-after speaker at various conferences worldwide. But every time I attended those events, I could not help thinking that most were missing the essence – they did not suggest solutions, or at least they were not based on investment. Since I have always believed in private capital more than in any sweeping statements by policymakers, I decided to set up a special type of conference – rather than a club of impact investors, an elite congregation of UHNWs and HNWs willing to make a difference. Apart from that, I have been highly motivated on a personal level by sometimes daunting questions that my very own kids were asking me, like “Why is there, not enough snow to ski?” or “How are we gonna feed all the population in Africa?” It is fair to say that CC Forum has evolved over six years from an unpretentious London conference to one of the world’s prominent must-go-to investors’ events covering such topics as climate tech, renewable energies, waste management, healthcare, education, finance, fintech, emerging technologies, agriculture, social impact, and diversity.
CC Forum connects policymakers, entrepreneurs, scientists, and investors. What strategies does the forum use to facilitate meaningful collaboration among such diverse stakeholders?
The two groups that CC Forum represents are the investors’ community, which is represented by SFOs, investment funds, VCs, and angels and projects – startups and scaleups at various stages of their development – from seed stage to NASDAQ or LSE-listed. But this is not all. To ensure these two diverse groups exchange fruitfully, we add a third element, essentially a mixture of policymakers, members of royal families and celebrities. We firmly believe that the interaction of all of these layers can achieve some meaningful results of both on-stage and off-stage discussions.
How does CC Forum ensure that the sustainable investments it supports have measurable and long-term impacts on environmental and social issues?
This is not for us to judge. By doing what we are doing, we are ensuring that our decisions today will positively impact generations to come if we really want to preserve the world as we know it. CC Forum has been showcasing investable and scalable solutions capable of making a difference when it comes to environmental and social issues.
The participation of global leaders and influencers like Prince Albert of Monaco, Ban Ki-Moon, and Dame Jane Goodall has set a high standard for CC Forum. How does the forum leverage these partnerships to create tangible impacts?
Inviting figureheads and thought leaders has been part of CC Forum’s DNA since our inception. Indeed, we attach great importance to our eager and responsive audiences’ experiencing the impact of an authoritative opinion or a concept off the beaten track firsthand. That is why we utilize a variety of formats – inspiring keynotes, panel discussions, heated debates, and intimate fireside chats. However, what has been equally important is that the gurus do not only appear on stage but mix with the audience and engage in in-person communication with the delegates. That is why the CC Forum is about brainstorming on stage and networking at a high level. That is why we curate many adjacent events like galas, receptions, cocktails, brunches, etc. This is our way of leveraging these partnerships.
What are your aspirations for CC Forum’s future editions, and how will the forum influence global sustainability and development in the next decade?
We have an extremely busy roadshow for both 2025 and 2026. We will be hosting two of our editions. XII edition will take place in Zurich at the end of September during the Zurich Film Festival. It is potentially one of the largest concentrations of private impact wealth as Switzerland has been home to many SFOs, GPs, and LPs, as well as numerous banking and financial institutions. It will be followed by CC Forum Brazil, which will be held in San Paolo ahead of COP30 in Belem. For 2026, we are planning to host our first Pan-African edition in one of the key African countries, and we are in discussions with the relevant governments as we speak. But before we take the forum on our global journey, we are scheduled to host an exclusive event during WEF in Davos to gather heads of state, ministers, UHNWs, royalty, and global media.
Those are the blueprints for the short term. Our ambition is to make CC Forum the number one investment platform laser-focused on investing in sustainability. We hope to achieve this objective over the next few years.
Published by Elle G.
