Cambridge Executive Business Insights Investing in Regeneration - The Capital Shift
Oct 14, 2025
In this engaging conversation, Sir Ronald Cohen, a pioneering venture capitalist and social innovator, discusses the shift towards impact capitalism. He shares insights on how businesses can be assessed not only on financial returns but also their social and environmental contributions. The potential of impact-weighted accounts and effective measurement systems is highlighted as a means to hold companies accountable. Sir Ronald argues for a new generation of leaders who prioritize impact alongside risk and return, showcasing a roadmap for a regenerative economy.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Career Shift From VC To Social Finance
- Sir Ronald Cohen described leaving Apex to focus on social impact and founding the Social Investment Task Force after a UK Treasury call.
- That work led to Big Society Capital and a twenty-year shift toward impact investing in the UK.
Impact As A Third Dimension Of Value
- Cohen argues entrepreneurs now optimize risk, return, and impact, creating higher-value firms like Tesla.
- He sees impact as a third dimension that can produce superior financial returns when aligned with consumer demand.
Origin Story Of Social Impact Bonds
- Cohen recounts the 2010 invention of the first social impact bond to reduce prisoner re-offending by linking outcomes to payment.
- That model showed investors could fund social solutions and governments pay only for achieved outcomes.