Investing in Impact | Impact Investing

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.----------------------------------------In Episode 55 of the Investing in Impact podcast, we speak with Kevin Tayebaly, Co-Founder of ChangeNow, on building one of the largest impact events in the world, attended by 40,000 people, including 1,200 impact investors!About KevinAfter spending his early career in strategy consulting, Kevin founded his first social venture in Mumbai, India in 2008. The venture aimed to democratize the cultural space in the city by offering local activities targeted towards underprivileged populations. In 2012, inspired by the tech wave, he returned to Europe to work with several tech startups undergoing exponential and global growth.During his time at INSEAD in 2014-2015, Kevin reflected on his career experiences and began exploring the concept of mission-driven companies that combine purpose with a scalable business model. He went on to found his second impact venture, an e-commerce platform supporting local independent retailers in large cities. His efforts earned him the BCG Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2016.In 2017, Kevin co-founded ChangeNOW, the world's largest event for the planet, with the goal of promoting a new, virtuous, and responsible business culture globally. His achievements and leadership in the field earned him a place on the Choiseul 100 list in 2023, recognizing top French economic leaders under 40 years old.About ChangeNowChangeNOW 2023 is a three-day summit that brings together the most innovative solutions and impactful changemakers tackling our planet’s biggest challenges, to take action, together. ChangeNOW builds bridges between the entrepreneurs, business leaders and policy-makers to accelerate change.The 2023 edition of the ChangeNow Summit was held in the heart of Paris, at the Grand Palais, from May 25th to May 27st. The event attracts over 40,000 attendees, including entrepreneurs, investors, academics, and policymakers, from more than 120 countries.One of the highlights of the summit was the exhibition area, which featured over 1,000 projects and solutions from around the world. Attendees had the opportunity to interact with the exhibitors, learn about their products and services, and network with like-minded individuals. The exhibition area was divided into several zones, including Energy & Mobility, Food & Agriculture, Circular Economy, and Social & Inclusive Business.In addition to the exhibition area, the summit featured a series of keynote speeches, panel discussions, and workshops on various topics related to sustainability and innovation. Speakers included business leaders, policymakers, and social entrepreneurs who shared their experiences, insights, and visions for a better future. Some of the key themes that emerged from the discussions were the importance of collaboration, innovation, and the role of technology in driving positive change. ----------------------------------------Thrive in the Impact Economy.Join 20k+. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the latest news, exclusive interviews, and curated products that drive the Impact Economy. Our mission is to highlight and celebrate the founders, creators, investors, and conscious brands shaping the future of conscious business and philanthropy.To learn more, please visit causeartist.com

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.----------------------------------------In Episode 54 of the Investing in Impact podcast, we speak with Milti Chryssavgis, CEO & Founder of Drashta Impact, on reducing risk in Impact Investing to catalyze more capital into impact ventures.Milti started his career in investment management, building a multi-manager portfolio of systematic trading strategies and developing a risk parity approach to minimize risk and volatility while still generating strong returns. Driven to create positive impact in the world, Milti determined that the most effective way to catalyse change was to harness the power of investment to accelerate breakthrough technologies and business models.Milti founded Drashta Impact to solve the biggest pain points impact investors face in order to mobilise a larger quantum of capital for climate solutions. Drashta provides investors with the tools and solutions to allocate to specific impact opportunities of their choice with tailored risk mitigation and additional liquidity. About DrashtaDrashta Impact was founded to solve the key pain points impact investors face, developing de-risking and liquidity solutions to empower investors to substantially amplify their impact securely. This enables investors to allocate capital to specific impact opportunities with a range of unique advantages compared to allocating directly:Reduced risk, with the option of full capital protectionAccess to liquidity through a number of sourcesRetained upside participation even after repayment of initial capitalMore impactful than allocating to the same opportunity directly ----------------------------------------Thrive in the Impact Economy.Join 20k+. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the latest news, exclusive interviews, and curated products that drive the Impact Economy. Our mission is to highlight and celebrate the founders, creators, investors, and conscious brands shaping the future of conscious business and philanthropy.To learn more, please visit causeartist.com

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.----------------------------------------In Episode 53 of the Investing in Impact podcast, we speak with Scott Onder, Co-Founder and Senior Managing Director of Mercy Corps Ventures, on investing in and promoting venture-led solutions to enhance the resilience of underserved communities and individuals.Scott Onder is the Chief Investment Officer at Mercy Corps, where he oversees the agency's global strategy for impact investing, innovative finance, Web3 initiatives, and strategic partnerships with technology ventures.He is also a Co-Founder and Senior Managing Director of Mercy Corps Ventures, the venture capital arm of Mercy Corps. The firm focuses on investing in high-impact startups that develop inclusive fintech, climate resilience, and Web3 solutions in frontier markets.Under Scott's leadership, Mercy Corps Ventures has invested in 43 seed and early-stage ventures across Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Apart from providing capital, the firm offers strategic support, pilot programs, and partnership opportunities to help startups scale their businesses.As an early investor in Wasoko, Goldfinch, Pula, and Ejara, Scott serves on the boards of portfolio companies that drive financial and climate resilience. He is also an active advisor and angel investor in emerging crypto protocols. Scott is a magna cum laude graduate of Duke University and is based in the Pacific Northwest.About Mercy Corps VenturesMercy Corps Ventures is a venture capital firm that focuses on investing in and promoting venture-led solutions to enhance the resilience of underserved communities and individuals.Since its establishment in 2015 as the impact investing arm of Mercy Corps, the firm has facilitated the scaling up of 43 early-stage ventures, helping them raise over $396.7 million in follow-on capital.The firm's portfolio concentrates on solutions in adaptive agriculture and food systems, inclusive fintech services, and climate-smart systems and tech infrastructure.Its goal is to enable those living in frontier markets to withstand disruption and plan for the future by catalyzing the ecosystem towards smarter and more impactful investments.The firm's focus on supporting underserved groups to participate in the global economy has led to its promotion of emerging decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions that accelerate global financial inclusion. In partnership with companies, Mercy Corps Ventures responsibly pilots the use of cryptocurrencies and blockchain tools to provide reliable and direct access to financial services for un/underbanked populations.Mercy Corps Ventures plans to launch Fund II, the Resilient Future Fund, to invest in and support approximately 20 early-stage startups in frontier markets with solutions that build resilience to the accelerating shocks caused by climate change.Entrepreneurs worldwide are deploying disruptive business models and transformative technologies to address the most significant challenges of our time.These startups have the potential to reach 3.3 billion climate-vulnerable people, 1.4 billion unbanked people, and 162 million small businesses with innovative climate-focused and digital finance products that could drive their resilience. However, they often lack sufficient capital and access to resources to ensure their ventures survive and scale. ----------------------------------------Thrive in the Impact Economy.Join 20k+. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the latest news, exclusive interviews, and curated products that drive the Impact Economy. Our mission is to highlight and celebrate the founders, creators, investors, and conscious brands shaping the future of conscious business and philanthropy.To learn more, please visit causeartist.com

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.----------------------------------------In Episode 52 of the Investing in Impact podcast, we speak with Conor Murray, CEO and Cofounder of OpenInvest, on getting acquired by J.P. Morgan and building the technology infrastructure for values-based Investing.Conor Murray is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of OpenInvest, where he guides values-based innovation and integration in partnership with J.P. Morgan Wealth Management. After graduating from MIT, Conor began his career in financial technology at Morgan Stanley and went on to lead teams of engineers responsible for portfolio construction and optimization at Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund.About OpenInvestOpenInvest was founded with a simple yet ambitious goal - to make a positive impact on the world through sustainable investing.The teams background in building scalable and complex financial systems led them to create an asset management platform with personalized value filters. In recent years, there has been a significant shift in the investment industry as investors increasingly seek to align their financial goals with their personal values.This trend has given rise to values-based investing, an investment approach that allows investors to create portfolios that reflect their personal beliefs and values.In 2016, OpenInvest was established as a Public Benefit Corporation, a designation that allowed us to cement the mission in their legal charter: to mainstream values-based investing through technology.The OpenInvest platform allows investors to personalize their investment portfolios based on their values and beliefs. Through technology, they aim to make values-based investing accessible and transparent, empowering investors to align their financial goals with their personal values.OpenInvest was acquired by J.P. Morgan in 2021, with the intention to scale the movement, offering investors an intuitive and personalized investing experience. ----------------------------------------Thrive in the Impact Economy.Join 20k+. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the latest news, exclusive interviews, and curated products that drive the Impact Economy. Our mission is to highlight and celebrate the founders, creators, investors, and conscious brands shaping the future of conscious business and philanthropy.To learn more, please visit causeartist.com

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.----------------------------------------In Episode 51 of the Investing in Impact podcast, Causeartist contributor, Rafael Aldon, speaks with Daniel Kleinman, Founder and CEO of Seaworthy Collective, on empowering early-stage and aspiring Ocean entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds.Seaworthy Collective (501c3) is a startup incubator and community based in Miami, focused on BlueTech (ocean innovation). Their goal is to eliminate barriers and foster inclusivity in ocean and climate impact innovation. The organization aims to create a world of endless opportunities where everyone can contribute to finding solutions that make a positive difference for our planet's oceans.They support and empower Sea Change Makers, including early-stage and aspiring entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds and impact areas globally. These innovators drive progress for our oceans, which cover 71% of the planet, with the ultimate goal of regenerating 100% of the planet.About DanielDaniel Kleinman is Seaworthy Collective's Founder and CEO, and a marine roboticist. Daniel received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida, and a Master of Professional Science in Exploration Science from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.As an undergraduate, Daniel interned with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and became versed in design and systems thinking as a University Innovation Fellow. After graduating in 2015, Daniel started his career as a pilot and test engineer for Bluefin Robotics' unmanned underwater vehicles in Boston. Daniel then served as a Navy contractor and mechanical engineer in maritime systems in San Diego.In 2020, Daniel launched the Seaworthy Collective community in Miami to break the silos he experienced in industry by supporting fellow impact changemakers addressing the ocean’s greatest problems. Through Seaworthy Foundation, Daniel and his team created programs to serve their community, which started with the Sea Change Maker Series and Venture Studio.Daniel also serves as an advisor for Opportunity Miami and The Shrimp Society, a steering committee member for Ocean Visions’ Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions. Daniel is also a member of The Explorers Club, a Miami Global Shaper, and an On Deck Catalyst Founding Fellow. Daniel has been recognized as one of Miami’s Ambassadors for Sustainable Development Goal 14, a 30 Under 30 by the University of Miami, and a Future Climate Leader by the Aspen Institute. ----------------------------------------Thrive in the Impact Economy.Join 20k+. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the latest news, exclusive interviews, and curated products that drive the Impact Economy. Our mission is to highlight and celebrate the founders, creators, investors, and conscious brands shaping the future of conscious business and philanthropy.To learn more, please visit causeartist.com

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.----------------------------------------In episode 50 of the Investing in Impact podcast, I speak with Ladé Araba, Executive Director of AlphaMundi Foundation(AMF), on investing in women and climate to create long-term jobs and  prosperity.Ladé Araba is a senior Development Finance Executive and Board Member with over 20 years of experience. Prior to becoming the Executive Director of the AlphaMundi Foundation, she was the Managing Director for Africa at Convergence Blended Finance.She also sits on the Equality Fund’s Investment Advisory Council, serves as a Non Executive Director on the Board of African Risk Capacity (ARC) Ltd, is the Co-Founder/President of the Visiola Foundation, and was an Advisory Committee Member at the Green Outcomes Fund.She previously served as Technical Adviser to the former Minister of Finance of Nigeria and was the Head of the Strategic Monitoring Unit. She was also an Adviser in the Power Sector Team at the Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (NIAF).She was previously a Senior Investment Officer in Infrastructure Finance at the African Development Bank and served as Technical Adviser to the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa. Ms. Araba was an Enterprise Development Specialist at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and also worked for the QED Group LLC in Washington, DC.She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Thunderbird School of Global Management and a dual Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree in Management Information Systems (MIS) and International Business from the University of Oklahoma (2001). A native English speaker, she is fluent in French and Italian and has basic knowledge of Spanish.About AlphaMundi FoundationAlphaMundi Foundation's mission is to strengthen the long-term commercial viability of SMEs in Africa and Latin America to drive economic transformation. This leads to more jobs and income generation benefiting more people and in turn, increased purchasing power and improved qualities of life.The vision: Economic transformation where SMEs in Africa and Latin America can scale sustainably and create well-paid jobs.What they do:Structured blended financeAccess to capital and technical assistance are two of the biggest barriers to businesses getting off the ground. We're willing to take the risk and invest in these impactful SMEs. We do this by offering SMEs with investments that may have lower returns and/or higher risks through measures like technical assistance grants, first loss guarantees, returnable pre-investment stage grants, concessional loans, and/or scaling capital. All of this is done with the expectation that these investments will be truly catalytic and more likely to bring strong social and environmental rewards.GLIC field buildingWe believe gender and climate issues can't be addressed on an ad-hoc basis. Rather, these complex challenges require an intentional approach, which brings explicit gender and climate solutions into all investment decisions. Over recent years, gender lens investing has gained traction, although as global temperatures rise, the demand for climate investing will only continue to increase. That's how we came to coining a new term: GLIC—Gender Lens Investing for Climate. ----------------------------------------Thrive in the Impact Economy.Join 20k+. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the latest news, exclusive interviews, and curated products that drive the Impact Economy. Our mission is to highlight and celebrate the founders, creators, investors, and conscious brands shaping the future of conscious business and philanthropy.To learn more, please visit causeartist.com

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.----------------------------------------In episode 49 of the Investing in Impact podcast, I speak with Princess Aghayere & John Gough of ICA Fund, on working to close the gender and racial wealth gap in the Bay Area through investing in local entrepreneurs. ICA Fund is a nonprofit organization that works to close the gender and racial wealth gap in the Bay Area by providing coaching, connections, and capital to entrepreneurs who have been overlooked by mainstream funders.Through investment and mentorship initiatives, they help systemically underrepresented Bay Area entrepreneurs grow their businesses.They are also committed to building an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Bay Area. ICA helps business owners increase their knowledge about how to start a business, develop resources needed for success, establish networks with other entrepreneurs, secure financing options that meet their needs, and position themselves for growth.The ICA Impact Note: helping great business grow shared wealthThe new ICA Impact Note is an innovative investment structure that helps entrepreneurs prioritize social impacts–like good job creation, workforce diversity, and profit distribution–as they grow their business. Many founders set out to leverage their business to create change in their community, but those aims can be chipped away while growing and fundraising in a competitive landscape.When a company receives investment through the ICA Impact Note, the business must define the measurable social impact they want to create and the trade-offs they’ll need to make in order to achieve them. The note is designed so that as impact milestones are met, the investor returns ownership percentages back to the company.Through this structure, the investor and the company are able to work in real partnership to scale social returns for the community by growing a profitable business. The design of this note builds off of ICA’s 10 years of experience deploying capital for community-minded growth-stage businesses and is free to use by other investors working to prioritize social impact.About PrincessPrincess is an Investment Analyst at ICA and contributes to sourcing new investment prospects and conducting investment due diligence. She works cross-functionally across ICA, communicating portfolio company needs and identifying areas of growth.Princess has experience working in a minority-owned private equity fund called IMB Partners and co-founded a non-profit called Rebound Liberia. The nonprofit empowers young women through basketball and leadership development. Following the launch of Rebound Liberia, Princess had a short stint playing professionally in Spain in the LF2 league.Princess graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s in Health and Societies and a minor in International Development. Outside of work, she loves traveling and is an avid basketball fan. She believes entrepreneurship is one of the most effective ways to promote economic growth and development. She hopes to facilitate ICA's mission of advising and providing capital for high potential businesses to address the gender and racial wealth gap.About JohnJohn serves as Chief Investment Officer at ICA, a venture-capital CDFI and 501(c)(3) non-profit investment fund, focused on creating good jobs, funding women and entrepreneurs of color, and driving economic opportunity and ownership for employees.   John leads the organization’s Investment team, and oversees the development, funding, and implementation of the ICA Growth Fund and Seed Equity Fund. John has over 20 years’ experience in corporate finance, international banking, impact investing, and has held executive leadership and operating roles in entrepreneurial ventures. John believes that supportive and patient capital can be used to reach, serve, and bring meaningful change to communities.Prior to ICA, John founded True North Capital Management LLC, an investment management business focused on public equities impact and essential services investing.  John also served as Head of Global Corporate Banking in Asia-Pacific for Wells Fargo, living with his family in Hong Kong for 9 years; Managing Director at LoopNet Inc (NASDAQ: “LOOP”), a venture capital start-up; Farallon Capital in San Francisco; and Grameen Bank, a micro-credit lender in Dhaka, Bangladesh.John serves as a Board observer for Firebrand Artisan Breads, and Advisor to NowHer.org focused on Philippines social impact and micro-enterprise investment/development. John holds an MBA from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business (Haas School Scholar), and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis (Magna Cum Laude). ----------------------------------------Thrive in the Impact Economy.Join 20k+. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the latest news, exclusive interviews, and curated products that drive the Impact Economy. Our mission is to highlight and celebrate the founders, creators, investors, and conscious brands shaping the future of conscious business and philanthropy.To learn more, please visit causeartist.com

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.----------------------------------------In episode 48 of the Investing in Impact podcast, I speak with Chirag Gupta, Managing Partner at 8X Ventures, on investing in Deep Tech and its potential to impact the world for billions of people.Chirag has 15+ years experience in venture capital, startup mentoring, strategy design, strategy execution, organisation design, investment banking and business analytics. He trained in Strategy, Finance, Human Capital and Statistics by top global universities – Harvard University, University of Chicago, Nanyang Technological University and the University of Delhi. He has award-winning experience in managing C-suite clients for building organizational level strategic frameworks, organization restructuring, and strategic manpower planning.About 8X Ventures8X Ventures invest and enable startups that will lead disruptive innovation and create sustainable value to industries and economies.Focus areas include:Geographies: Asia (primarily India and Singapore), MENA (primarily UAE, KSA, and Egypt), and Europe Industries: CleanTech (primarily Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Solutions), Smart logistics, Smart mobility, and Industry 4.0Technologies: Artificial intelligence (AI), Big data, 3D printing, Robotics, and Internet of things (IoT) ----------------------------------------Thrive in the Impact Economy.Join 20k+. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the latest news, exclusive interviews, and curated products that drive the Impact Economy. Our mission is to highlight and celebrate the founders, creators, investors, and conscious brands shaping the future of conscious business and philanthropy.To learn more, please visit causeartist.com

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.----------------------------------------In episode 47 of the Investing in Impact podcast, I speak with Lawrence Yen, Founding Partner at MIH Impact Venture Capital, on impact investing, Taiwan, and the future of sustainability in the region.Lawrence is based out of Taipei and Shanghai, currently work with a group of family offices from Taiwan. They setup an impact investment arm starting 2020, with focus in environment+ technology and social value and equality enabling businesses.Lawrence was born in Taipei, raised and educated in Canada and moved to Shanghai in 2005.Their partners come from businesses in hardware, software technology, retail, textile, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and a slew of other businesses in Greater China.The mission is to find passionate business founders with great products that contributes to sustainability and social values, and to invest both financially as well as channel and distribution.Lawrence believes for earlier stage companies and impact companies, by merely contributing funding is insufficient; hence, coming from family businesses in various sectors and supply chains allow them to help up-and-coming companies and ideas grow in Greater China.From Shanghai and Taipei, he explores sustainable businesses across the world, and try to find angles to help aspirational founders build businesses, as well as invest. ----------------------------------------Thrive in the Impact Economy.Join 20k+. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the latest news, exclusive interviews, and curated products that drive the Impact Economy. Our mission is to highlight and celebrate the founders, creators, investors, and conscious brands shaping the future of conscious business and philanthropy.To learn more, please visit causeartist.com

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.----------------------------------------In episode 46 of the Investing in Impact podcast, I speak with Tom Ferguson, Managing Partner at Burnt Island Ventures, on the future of water investments and water technologies.Tom brings a decade of experience in water and startups to lead BIV. His start in water came as the lead author on the first CDP Water Disclosure Report in 2010, and he joined Imagine H2O in 2015 to build out the organization’s programming portfolio, which now encompasses 3 global programs vetting 500+ startups per year.Companies selected under Tom’s tenure have raised $600m+ and achieved 5 exits. He holds an MA from the University of Edinburgh, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.About Burnt Island VenturesBurnt Island Ventures is not a cleantech fund, because in cleantech water is a $900 billion afterthought. You can’t be good at water unless you only do water. Burnt Island Ventures funds the best entrepreneurs in water, worldwide. That’s it. This is a giant, esoteric, and foundational market for the entire global economy.We are at a turning point. From the wildfires of the Western US to flooding in Niger, climate change is here. Water resources across the world will be under increasing stress as the world warms. Products and services that allow individuals, governments and companies to navigate this change will see more and more demand.Entrepreneurs are emerging with the skill and insight to meet that demand, developing solutions to water problems at scale. Burnt Island Ventures exists to find, fund and support the best of these founders. ----------------------------------------Thrive in the Impact Economy.Join 20k+. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the latest news, exclusive interviews, and curated products that drive the Impact Economy. Our mission is to highlight and celebrate the founders, creators, investors, and conscious brands shaping the future of conscious business and philanthropy.To learn more, please visit causeartist.com