The Importance of Policy in the Transition

This episode is part of our new Capital Series hosted by Jason Jacobs. This series explores a diverse range of capital sources and the individuals who drive them. From family offices and institutional LPs to private equity, government funding, and more, we take a deep dive into the world of capital and its critical role in driving innovation and progress. 

James Lindsay is a principal on the Builders Initiative Investment Team, which is part of Builders Vision. 

In late 2021, Walmart heir Lukas Walton publicly launched Builders Vision, a platform that combines philanthropy, direct investment, and advocacy in four key areas: food, ocean health, energy transition, and community building. At Builders Initiative, James leads an investment vehicle focused on the energy transition and climate justice, in addition to co-leading a key effort to promote innovative funding in the ocean space. Both platforms attempt to provide innovative solutions and invest in emerging venture capital and private equity fund managers, accelerators, and emerging startups. 

We have a great discussion in this episode about James' journey, the important work that they're doing at Builders Vision, and most importantly, how to get other significant family offices to pursue similar work, putting impact front and center.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [02:13]: An overview of Builders Vision (BV), its mission, and origin story
• [07:18]: Collaboration among BV's teams and programs
• [08:25]: BV’s involvement in the 1000 Ocean Startups coalition tracking ocean sector investments
• [11:29]: How BV is distinct among family offices
• [13:10]: James’ transition from oil and gas to impact investing
• [18:04]: Overlaps and distinctions between BV and Seed 2 Growth (S2G) 
• [24:18]: BV's core fund size preference 
• [26:33]: How the company measures impact and thinks about returns
• [32:23]: BV's distinct strategies for oceans (opportunistic) and energy (thesis-driven)  
• [36:33]: Accelerating adoption of new technologies in hard-to-abate sectors 
• [39:35]: Potential for market-rate investors with creative structuring
• [44:08]: Barriers holding back other ultra-wealthy families from impact investing, including generational divides and reluctance towards hard tech  
• [47:53]: BV's approach to the built environment, with a focus on retrofits and microgrid improvements
• [50:50]: BV’s involvement in policy discussions and the need for clearer federal and regional policies
• [54:35]: The importance of investing in harder tech solutions to accelerate the transition
• [55:40]: Parting words: Builders Vision is hiring!

Get connected: 
James Lindsay LinkedIn
Jason Jacobs Twitter / LinkedIn
MCJ Podcast / Collective

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Episode recorded on Jul 3, 2023 (Published Aug 2, 2023) 

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant