Jean de Fougerolles is founder of Ascension who taught in post-Berlin Wall Czechoslovakia and worked as an economist advising former Soviet bloc governments on reforms before becoming a VC—experience that's rare among investors and shapes his focus on systems-level change. Under his leadership, Ascension's Fair By Design portfolio has reached around 1.7 million low-income UK households through 25+ companies that materially reduce poverty premiums, demonstrating measurable impact alongside financial returns rather than just impact intent.