Better Money Better World

In the most recent episode of Better Money Better World podcast, Daniel speaks with Mike Winterfield, Founder and Managing Partner of Active Impact. Active Impact Investments is Canada's largest climate tech seed fund. They provide money and talent to accelerate the growth of early-stage climate tech companies that are capable of achieving massive scale while solving the most urgent environmental issues.While many early-stage investors are still chasing “paper” gains, Mike's team has realized returns, with 7 out of their first 32 investments sold, and most of their original capital already back in their LPs' pockets. Sometimes, a quick sale means the company is better suited for someone else. Above all, it de-risks Active Impact's astonishing fund, with 38 of 39 companies still operating.Mike's journey proves there's no single path to impact investing. Whether you're a founder or aspiring investor, his advice is simple: Hustle matters. Show you can get things done with speed, adaptability, and creativity—even if you're not a battle-tested entrepreneur (yet).If you enjoy this conversation and want to learn more about how investing for impact drives returns, visit us at www.impactcapitalmanagers.com. 

In the latest episode of BMBW, Daniel speaks with Martin Hahn, CEO of Capital Dynamics, and Verena Rossolatos, Chair of the Responsible Investment Committee at Capital Dynamics.Capital Dynamics is a leader in clean energy and the lower middle market investing.  Capital Dynamics manages over $14 billion by targeting strong returns while leading on impact – including becoming one of the first signatories of the UN Principles for Responsible Investing in 2008 and their Clean Energy and Infrastructure Fund earning a 5-Start rating from GRESB.Verena and Martin discuss how Capital Dynamics developed its responsible investing strategy, highlighting key milestones like launching its clean energy business line, creating the R-Eye rating system ( Capital Dynamics' proprietary ESG scoring system) and dedicating themselves to transparency and engagement in the ESG realm. They explore how to align with evolving European and American perceptions of impact and ESG with a focus on the significance of financial materiality and ethical business practices.Tune in to discover how Capital Dynamics is investing not only for solid returns but also to ensure a sustainable future. These expert insights provide valuable lessons for both seasoned investors and industry newcomers.If you enjoy this conversation and want to learn more about how investing for impact drives returns, visit us at www.impactcapitalmanagers.com. 

In the latest Better Money Better World  podcast episode, Daniel is joined by Brian Wayne, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of CurvePoint Capital. CurvePoint Capital is a private investment firm dedicated to advancing climate-focused innovation. Founded in 2024, it is committed to generating attractive returns for investors while fostering a sustainable and prosperous economic future. Brian shines the spotlight on the missing middle in capital for middle-stage companies. By filling a capital gap in the investment landscape, CurvePoint aims to balance risk and reward uniquely, driving significant environmental and economic progress. Tune in to hear how CurvePoint's approach to debt financing offers flexibility and lower costs compared to traditional equity. Brian shares his approach to balancing capital, risk, and return expectations, emphasizing the goal of getting invested money back with interest and equity upside. 

In the latest BMBW podcast episode, Daniel is joined by David Su, a Managing Partner and co-head of the Apax Global Impact team based in New York. Apax Global Impact invests in visionary businesses that deliver tangible impact. It partners with management teams to drive transformational outcomes for people and the planet.David was drawn to Apax's authentic approach to impact investing and a large firm's global platform, collaborative culture, and resources. Having spent most of his career on the West Coast, where investors chase the next “unicorn,” David is excited to invest in and work with a different and more meaningful type of “unicorn,” one where the value is not only determined by headline dollars but where valuation and social impact are equally regarded.Apax's strategy intertwines impact with financial performance, particularly at scale. While unique impact elements rarely drive alpha, the fund continually enhances business and impact dimensions. Intriguingly, Apax aims for private equity returns that are parallel to traditional funds but with an added layer of positive social and environmental outcomes. David is optimistic, citing increased employee and customer preferences for impactful companies and favorable borrowing conditions for such businesses.  

In the latest from the BMBW podcast, Daniel joins Sabari Raja and Yigal Kerszenbaum, co-managing partners of JFFVentures. The conversation delves deep into the future of work, the growing need for upskilling, and how innovative solutions are shaping emerging job markets. JFFVentures is operationally independent but strategically aligned to Jobs for the Future (JFF), a forty-year-old national nonprofit working across the U.S. education and workforce systems to achieve equitable economic advancement for all. Together, they're working to get 75 million people facing systemic barriers to advancement into quality jobs by 2033.Sabari and Yigal share how JFFVentures supports founders by leveraging JFF's unique strengths and mobilizing JFF's extensive networks to help founders scale impact across the learn-to-work ecosystem. Their focused strategy includes investing in solutions that benefit middle- to low-income earners and leveraging tech-enabled scalable solutions to ensure a broad impact.Tune in to the full episode for a thought-provoking conversation on building a better workforce and driving meaningful economic impact.

Blue Earth Capital, a specialist global impact investor, is making waves in the world of impact investing by pioneering impact secondaries among other strategies. As Managing Director and Head of Private Equity Partnerships at BlueEarth, Nicolas Muller is focused on delivering social and environmental impact combined with market-rate returns.In this episode, Nicolas shares how BlueEarth isn't just talking about change—they're making it happen. Under his leadership, his team has built a powerful portfolio, with notable investments including  African FinTechs, an EdTech in the US, in innovative bioagriculture companies, and a Ukrainian gender-smart strategy to support quality jobs. With over $1.2 billion in assets under management, BlueEarth is globally impacting both developed and emerging markets.To discover how BlueEarth is not just investing in the future but actively building it, one investment at a time, tune in as Daniel dives into how BlueEarth is making a real difference in impact investing by combining profit with purpose.

Shundrawn Thomas, Founder and Managing Partner of The Copia Group, built Copia to provide bespoke capital solutions to privately held, U.S.-based companies that are committed to economic Inclusion. Copia is one of the only impact-driven private debt funds.Shundrawn shifted his focus to private investing after serving as President of Northern Trust Asset Management -- where he was responsible for an over $1 Trillion business. A unique combination of career experiences shaped his entrepreneurial path and inspired him to start The Copia Group.This episode is a treasure trove of insights for anyone interested in the intersection of social impact and finance. Whether you're an investor, entrepreneur, or just curious about making a difference, this episode is one you can't miss. Tune in now to gather inspiration and actionable strategies for inclusive investing!

In this episode, Daniel is joined by Dan Prawda, Founding Partner of GEF Capital Partners and co-head of the U.S. investment practice. GEF makes lower middle-market buyout investments in environmentally focused companies addressing climate change and/or pollution remediation.Join us for this insightful conversation delving deep into the world of climate-focused lower mid-market buyout investments in the United States and exploring how GEF Capital aims to address climate change and pollution remediation profitably. Daniel and Dan also discuss the rich history behind GEF Capital Partners, the extensive experience in private equity, and the importance of a global team.

In today's episode, Daniel is joined by Todd Leverette, an indisputable authority on employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). Todd's insights into the intricate dynamics of ESOPs leave no doubt about their transformative potential.Todd is a founding partner of APIS & Heritage Capital Partners. APIS & Heritage invest in companies going through ownership transitions to implement Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), which aim to empower employees by giving them a stake in the company's success.Join us as Daniel engages in a captivating discussion with Todd Leverette, uncovering the complexities of employee ownership and its significant implications for wealth creation and corporate resilience.

In this episode, Daniel delves into the thesis and track record of Blackhorn Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund investing in founders transforming how we build, power, and move our world. Melissa Cheong, Managing Director at Blackhorn, sheds light on the company's transformative role in reshaping legacy industries.Melissa has a long career in impact investing and in addition to her role as General Partner at Blackhorn, she's an investment committee member of Blue Earth Capital, a leading alternative investor in impact, and Bonfils Stanton Foundation, a Denver-based organization focusing on arts and culture.Join us for a conversation with one of the few female GPs in venture capital; a leading investor with a track record of identifying technological innovation for societal impact, and learn how Blackhorn Ventures approach is transforming transportation, energy, construction, supply chain and logistics for a brighter and more sustainable future. 

H/L Ventures integrates venture studio and investment fund strategies for purpose-driven businesses and was founded 16 years ago. Now, H/L Ventures stands out as a trailblazer in holistic company building, home to entities like H/L Studios and City Rock Ventures. Diverging from conventional venture firms, H/L Ventures is most differentiated for pioneering a deeply hands-on approach, actively participating in the daily operations of portfolio companies showcasing a profound commitment to their success.In this episode, Daniel is joined by Oliver B. Libby (co-founding Managing Partner) as they explore the nuances of investing with a focus on impact. 

Nuveen, the wholly-owned asset manager of TIAA, a renowned financial services company specializing in retirement savings, manages over a trillion dollars of AUM, with TIAA's capital exceeding $350 billion. Rekha Unnithan leads Nuveen Private Equity Impact in the alternative asset class, managing over $1 billion. Focusing on climate and inclusion within the growth equity space, Nuveen Private Equity Impact has thrived, resulting in the creation of Nuveen Climate Inclusion strategy, following the success of Fund 1 in 2020.Join Daniel and Rekha (Managing Director and Global Head of Private Equity Impact Investing) as they unravel Nuveen's journey, showcasing a harmonious blend of financial success and impactful change in the world of climate and inclusion.

GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset manager with over 50 years of experience investing across private equity, real estate, infrastructure, credit, and absolute return strategies. They are a pioneer in customized solutions and a leader in providing innovative turn-key multi-client products. They provide clients with flexible access to alternative investments through a range of implementation strategies, including funds, co-investments, secondary transactions, and direct investments.  Listen as Daniel takes a deep dive into the world of sustainable investing with Jonathan Hirschtritt, Head of Sustainability at GCM Grosvenor, providing nuanced insights into the intersection of investment and diversity.  

In 2017, Ford Foundation President Darren Walker embarked on an ambitious proposal to invest 8% of its then $12.5bn endowment – or roughly $1 billion – into impact investing and hired Roy Swan to run the effort.  What could one of the most well-known foundations in the world do with the “other 95%” of their assets?  The Foundation recently released a report on their efforts – highlighting a 28% compound annual return.  Listen as head of Mission Investments Roy Swan describes the journey.

Jed Emerson co-authored the first book on impact investing and led a “portfolio lifestyle” with academic appointments at Harvard, Stanford and Oxford business schools while helping to start leading organizations like ImpactAssets and Pacific Community Ventures.  He currently serves as Global Lead, Impact Investing for Tiedeman Advisors, a wealth manager with over $25bn of assets under management.  Jed quotes wisdom from Buddhist scriptures to Martin Luther King to lead the impact investing industry back to its roots.

Autism Impact Fund (“AIF”) Founder Chris Male aims to become the investment and innovation arm of the autism community. AIF's mission is to revolutionize diagnosing, treating and living with autism through a venture capital model. With 1 in 44 children in the US diagnosed on the autism spectrum, over $350 billion in direct spend (over $60,000 per child with autism) and an 85% unemployment rate for autistic adults, AIF hopes to harness the power of the capital markets to create transformational change for people on the spectrum and with other neurodiverse challenges. AIF is advised by silicon valley heavyweights like Emergence Capital's Brian Jacobs and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.

Equilibrium Capital has gathered over $4.5 billion across its platform of sustainability driven investment strategies. Equilibrium became one of the largest impact native investment firms by not referring to itself as an impact investor, but instead by developing strategies for institutional investors wherein sustainability drove the financial returns. Equilibrium created a series of thematic financial “products” that appealed to institutional investors – such as Equilibrium's Carbon Transition Infrastructure and Controlled Environment Foods strategies. Founder Dave Chen has been a professor at Northwestern's Kellogg Business School for 13 years where he talks about “building an army” of sustainable investors by teaching and encouraging students to pursue sustainable investing.

JPMorgan Chase is America's largest bank and its Private Banking business, the firm's wealth management arm for high and ultra-high net worth clients, is committed to building a sustainable investment platform that enables clients to direct dollars towards sustainable investing. Global Head of Sustainable Investing at J.P. Morgan Private Bank drills down on how to then measure that impact in both the public and private markets. J.P. Morgan's Global Impact Fund represents a portfolio of impact-focused private vehicles focused on advancing towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals applying the rigor of the bank's diligence process to identify and evaluate impact fund managers. On the public side, J.P. Morgan acquired OpenInvest, enabling the personalization of portfolios to align clients' values and preferences to their investment goals.

Less than 3% of venture capital funding goes to women founders.  Yet studies show that women founders drive two times as much revenue as male founders and have better IRRs. Bobbi Kurshan and Kathy Hurley wrote InnovateHERs to highlight female business leaders and discover how women can leverage their entrepreneurial mindset to advance their careers. The book features the stories 29 entrepreneurial women, including those that overcame immense adversity including abject poverty, to achieve successes.  Each story is more inspiring then the prior, but decades of research into Entrepreneurial Mindset Profiles provides a framework to view their successes. Kurshan describes how purpose driven female leaders tend to overcome the propensity of women to be risk adverse.  In effect, female entrepreneurs are more likely to find their calling from a passion borne of empathy. Bobbi Kurshan describes how women can build their network, discover their passion, to become INNovateHERs.

As there will never be enough philanthropy dollars to solve major problems and opportunities driven by global crises like climate change, Apollo Global Management is looking to invest in large, scaled companies where growing profits is directly tied to impact. Apollo named Lisa Hall Impact Chairperson in 2020. Hall has been a leader in impact investing since the 1990s when she joined Calvert Impact Capital. Since then, she has been at the forefront of impact trend setting from serving as CEO at Calvert to joining the Brenninkmeijer family in 2010 to begin the transition of their family office investing towards impact and sustainability.

Purpose is a competitive advantage for the Builders Fund, which leads growth equity and buyouts of lower middle market companies driven by impact. Builders has invested in companies like PosiGen Solar, bringing solar power to low income homeowners; Traditional Medicinals, the leading wellness tea brand in North America; and Mixt, a plant-based restaurant chain. Mike Dutton and Tripp Baird founded Builders to fill a gap for impact-focused capital for emerging growth stage companies, and to be a purpose-driven partner as these businesses scale their impact.

Wireframe Ventures backs early-stage founders focused on the health of people and the planet. Co-founders Harsh Patel and Paul Straub make initial investments of $500K to $2m at the seed or pre-seed stage, and then work closely with founders to turn their world changing ideas into scaled companies. For example, Wireframe led the seed round in Span.io, to reinvent the hundred year old electric panel, and has since raised over $120M to bring his vision from concept to commercial deployment, and frequently makes early investments in companies at the forefront of scientific innovation like Mammoth Biosciences, co-founded by Trevor Martin and Nobel Prize winner Professor Jennifer Doudna.

Lumos Capital Group invests $10-30M into growing companies defining the future of learning and work. Founded by Victor Hu and James Tieng, Lumos looks to partner deeply with companies that are growing impactful tech-enabled products and services in the global education sector. With the digital transformation of education, traditional products and distribution channels are being disrupted by a new category of customer-centric platforms and services, which in turn has created a new class of high growth education companies.

UBS, the world's largest truly global wealth manager, has a long history in sustainability and is taking a lead in providing sustainable and impact investing advice and solutions to its clients. The firm has a view that wealth managers and advisors play a critical role in helping clients to deploy their philanthropic and investment capital for a better world. Andrew Lee, Managing Director and Global Head of Sustainable and Impact Investing for UBS Global Wealth Management, estimates that 1 in 4 family offices have impact investments as of 2022. Impact and sustainable investing has emerged as a driver of positive change and performance for high-net-worth families.

Jennifer Kenning tells her inspiring story of founding Align Impact after struggling with severe depression which led her to volunteer with the homeless. These experiences led her to found Align Impact – a $2.3 Billion under advisement impact investing firm. Named 40 under 40 by Investment News and amongst the 50 most influential women in private wealth by Private Asset Management, Kenning believes that capitalism can be a force for good bringing people centered solutions to global issues ranging from climate change to education.

Note: Better Money Better World host Daniel Pianko is co-Founder and Managing Director of Achieve Partners.  Information presented on this program is believed to be factual and up-to-date, but we do not guarantee its accuracy and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed.  Discussions and answers to questions do not involve the rendering of personalized investment advice, but are limited to the dissemination of general information.  Achieve Partners is registered as an investment advisor with the SEC and only transacts business in states where it is properly registered, or is excluded or exempted from registration requirements.

The Mosiac Fellowship brings a skilled and diverse pool of talented young professionals into the world of impact investing through a summer internship program – to help create the impact investing leaders of tomorrow. Meet four Mosaic fellows from top graduate programs who spent 10 week summers embedded with ICM members and are now bringing their diverse experiences to impact investing and entrepreneurship. The Mosaic Fellows is a fully paid fellowship that you can apply to on the ICM website.

Ballentine Partners is a multi-family office with $20 billion under advisement across 270 client families. Ballentine was one of the early pioneers in private impact investing given their long-term view on wealth management and their goal of helping clients to align their values and their practices through allocation of capital. While clients often start seeking alpha creation, Ballentine's clients derive the most value from work to ensure healthy family relationships around money. In particular, raising children who are grounded, engaged and empowered to use their family resources toward goals for family, community and society.

Caprock has invested in over 100 private impact investments with 40 fund managers, including 20 Impact Capital Managers. Mark Berryman, leads Caprock's Impact Investing and previously served as co-head of Deutsche Bank's Global Social Investment Funds Group. Berryman is a recovering camel rider, which he learned as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali at the start of his career 25 years ago. Caprock has provided catalytic capital across strategies ranging from sustainable infrastructure to fintech in the developing world to EdTech. Because of its size, Caprock works closely with clients to create bespoke impact strategies and even strategy specific investment vehicles.

Rural America is underserved by traditional investors. Blue Highway Capital is investing in cash flow positive business with strong management teams in niche markets where there is little (or frequently no) competition for deals. Karin Gregory has been investing in the rural economy for over 20 years. Gregory and her colleagues have backed companies like Aryv, the Uber for non-emergency medical appointments and LED Dynamics, manufacturing smart lighting solutions to reduce energy costs. In rural Ameica, there is a structural break in valuations that allows Blue Highway Capital to invest in great companies that happen to be based on the “Blue Highways” of America.

Capricorn, originally formed to manage the assets of Jeff Skoll and his foundation, created the Sustainable Investment Fund to investing in impact native general partners to accelerate the growth of missioned aligned capital. By growing investment firms, Capricorn is catalyzing private sector capital to close the gap between the UN's Sustainable Development Goals' unmet needs. Bill Orum and Michaela Edwards, partners at Capricorn, have backed 11 managers ranging from impact-driven carbon finance provider to innovative strategic debt financier Community Investment Management.

Third Sphere funds are top quartile or decile on a net TVPI basis backing pre-customer companies that are transforming global energy systems. Ranked by Techcrunch as one of the top 10 VCs founders love the most, co-founder Shaun Abrahamson describes how he backs Climatetech Superheroes and then leverages his vast network of advisors and angel investors to build a full stack early-stage climate investing platform.

Jeff Meyers is a lifelong Citi banker and founding member of Citi's $200 million Citi Impact Fund, investing in for profit, for purpose venture scaleable businesses driving impact. Jeff's volunteer role with StreetWise Partners, a NYC-based nonprofit – bringing job skills to the unemployed – served as the impetus to bring impact into his role at Citi. The Fund invests in four areas: Environment/Sustainability, Financial Inclusion, Physical and Social Infrastructure and Workforce Development from Series A and B to pre-IPO. Citi also allocated $50M to investments in black founders.

ECMC Group (“ECMC”) is a non-profit that grew out of a Student Loan guarantor focused on empowering underserved communities to thrive through education with a mission to help students succeed. ECMC recently doubled its commitment to its Education Impact Fund to $250M, including a growing direct investment portfolio and commitments to a number of Impact Capital Managers, including Achieve Partners, New Markets Venture Partners and ReThink Education, to invest across the full spectrum of capital deployment in pursuit of its mission.

Laird Norton Wealth Management (“LNWM”) serves as long-term partners for families wanting to achieve their greatest impact through their investments, legacy planning and philanthropy. Ron Albahary is the Chief Investment officer of LNWM. He started his career at Merrill Lynch when stockbrokers called clients around dinner time to sell a specific stock or financial product. Today, Ron and his team of client advisors work with families, foundations, and non-profits to allocate capital in an intentional way consistent with their goals and objectives.

This week is unique as veteran Wall Street Journal writer David Bank starts by asking your normal Better Money Better World podcast host Daniel Pianko some questions about Achieve Partners and the founding of Impact Capital Managers. Then your host gets to turn the tables and ask some tough questions of David's role moderating the impact conversation on the pages of ImpactAlpha, the water cooler of the impact investing industry.

Community Investment Manager (“CIM”) provides credit facilities to help solve structural challenges that women and people from disadvantaged communities often face when accessing capital. According to co-founder Jacob Haar, CIM thinks about how small, incremental changes to the 1970s banking model of lending based on assets and inventory can be evolved for the modern age by bringing a technology and data driven impact lens to underwriting. Jacob realized the power of even a little bit of credit to transform lives when he provided micro-credit loans in Azerbaijan. Today, CIM's capital helps transformative companies demonstrate and scale in responsible lending innovation to reach the underserved.

The Social Entrepreneurship Fund (“TSEF”) invests in business that that tap into previously underserved markets to generate returns while improving quality of life for everyday Americans in the process. For example, Cushion uses AI to negotiate down bank overdraft fees. Alice helps hourly workers get access to thousands of dollars of federal benefits like flexible spending accounts and Transitchecks. Together this bottom of the pyramid approach to investing is creating a free market approach to making the social safety net work.

American Student Assistance (ASA) is a 65-year-old student loan guarantor run by CEO Jean Eddy and board Chair Larry Gennari. Jean and her team are reconstituting ASA's billion-dollar asset base towards impact investing in support of ASA's mission: to provide tools and resources so students can have a plan for their future as they leave high school. While historically ASA has focused on grant making, Jean and Larry have worked with the board to think of ASA as an advocacy and innovation organization – and the shift towards impact investing logically followed. Listen as Jean and Larry describe how they hired outside consultants, built their internal team, and are now deploying capital into mission aligned funds that embrace impact as a core part of their DNA.

The Covid pandemic has accelerated education delivery model trends – effectively collapsing 15 years of growth into 15 months – creating a global market for the future of learning. Susan Cates and Elizabeth Chou co-founded Leeds Illuminate to partner with entrepreneurs passionate about scaling positive outcomes for learners, workers and investors. The all-female investment team is backing growth-oriented, primarily minority investments in high quality, rapidly growing companies with $10M or more in revenue.

Impact Engine backs transformative companies across the investment life cycle – from early-stage VC style investing to a PE/funds strategy. With the flexibility up and down the capital stack, Impact Engine is able to back companies like Workit Health, an online addiction resource center which has 84% of its clients in treatment 30 for over 30 days, from its earliest stages up through a growth investment. Jessica Droste Yagan describes her evolution from leading the creation of the McDonald's Corporation global and US sustainable sourcing strategies to immersing herself into becoming CEO of leading impact investment firm where 3 of 4 partners are female and non-white creates.

Peter Bruce-Clark describes backing transformative companies that some traditional venture capital firms pass on because at first glance the startup appears to be a charity rather than an industry changing unicorn. Social Impact Capital dives deep through its network of advisors to identify contrarian breakthrough technologies that have the chance to transform the world – from covalent drug therapies to DARPA backed IP that could cut deaths in automobile collisions by over 80%. With exits like OpenInvest and follow on investors like Andreessen Horowitz, Google Ventures, and Founders Fund, Silicon Valley is taking note of Social Impact Capital's uncanny ability to identify seed stage companies driven by the 21st Century transition to an ESG driven economy that can represent outsized returns through structural revolutions in our society.

Arborview co-founder Karl Khoury realized that investing in niche services and consumer businesses at the lower end of the middle market can often drive more impact and alpha than a cool app. Karl left a successful venture career to start an impact fund after realizing how wasteful consumer products were after the birth of his first child. There had to be a better way. Since then, Karl has been backing entrepreneurs often overlooked by impact investors and venture capitalists alike – with results like turning a metal roofing company from a 19 GIIRS rating to over 90 while tripling revenue and gross margins.

Arif Naqvi used the language of impact investing to attract luminary limited partners like the Gates Foundation, CDC Group, and Bank of America to invest in his multi-billion dollar private equity firm Abraaj partners that turned out to be a fraud. Naqvi was stealing hundreds of millions of dollars to support his lavish personal spending. Simon Clark broke the story for the Wall Street Journal wrote the definitive book Key Man about the fall of Abraaj (available here) and provides a unique perspective on what the impact investing community to wrestle with the potential underbelly of the enlightened capitalism we preach.

Claudine Emeott leads Salesforce Ventures Impact Fund – a $100M vehicle targeting venture capital returns in impactful companies that partner within the Salesforce ecosystem. With over 30 companies, Salesforce Ventures Impact is part of a growing number of corporate venture arms that are embracing impact to drive their balance sheet investing. A unique investor, Salesforce employees advise and mentor portfolio companies and often make joint introductions to key customers or even to potential vendor relationships with Salesforce itself in key focus areas: education & workforce development, sustainability, Diversity and Inclusion, and social sector technology.

Nasir Qadree raised an oversubscribed first fund through Covid from large institutional capital sources like PayPal, Bank of America and Truist Bank to rethink the building blocks of wealth in our society. Nasir's pathway into venture was not a straight line. After starting his career at Goldman Sachs, Nasir found his way to the private markets after opening a coffee shop in the West Village and discovering that many of his patrons were venture capitalists. Today, Nasir is building a new type of community around his values with posts ranging from his goal of running 51 marathons, DJ-ing at a club each week, and meditation. Together, Zeal represents a new VC firm to deploy capital from some of the largest institutions in America to bridge the economic opportunity gap.

Liesel Pritzker Simmons and Ian Simmons challenged orthodoxy when they invested 100% of their family wealth into impact investing by creating a new type of family office -- Blue Haven Initiative. Blue Haven invests through third party managers with an impact lens across asset classes, from public equities to private equity to early-stage VC to hedge funds. The only in-house invested platform is Blue Haven's $50M allocation to an evergreen fund to support mission-driven, tech enabled startups in sub-Saharan Africa. Liesel and Ian have an intergenerational view on performance and the impact that their capital has on the world as they are invest for their children and their children's children. They view ESG as a way to mitigate risk, which helps maintain and grow their assets.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick partnered in impact with buyout behemoth Bain Capital. Together, they created Bain Double Impact which was recently selected by PEI as the top impact fund in the world. By investing in mission-driven, scaled middle market companies operating in traditional industries with clear impact metrics, the Bain Double Impact team is bringing impact into middle market private equity. With three major exits already under their belt, Governor Patrick believes that while the planet is in trouble, communities are in trouble and capitalism itself is in trouble, there is room for optimism as new thinking pushes through the orthodoxy of the past to create a new system of capitalism that maximizes value for all stakeholders.

With over 1,000 data scientists and engineers and 70 petabytes of data, Two Sigma is uniquely positioned to seek to bring data science to impact investing. Warren Valdmanis co-founded the Two Sigma Impact team after 14 years at Bain Capital, including a role in creating Bain Double Impact. Warren is focused on solving two threats to our economy: companies and executives prioritizing short term profits over long term growth and and the hollowing out of the middle-class workforce.  Both topics have social impact metrics where private capital can play a role in helping to shape the future.

Brian Trelstad has been a driving force of virtually every innovation in impact investing for the last 20 years. He helped start the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs when Chief Investment Officer of Acumen Fund and Brian helped lead the creation of the widely used Impact Reporting and Investing Standards (“IRIS”). Now, he's telling the impact investing community to stop innovating and start implementing to provide a clear, concise description of what impact is and how to judge it. After all, if Robert Parker can distill the quality of a fine wine to one number, why can't impact investors pick a simple way to describe impact? Brian challenges core aspects of private investing business models. Is the 2 and 20 economic model of private equity a bug in the impact system as it perpetuates inequality? Should LPs pay more carry to firms that deliver above promised impact? After all, today, (almost) no one gets compensated on their impact metrics. But some day, LPs will be able to incent impact the same way they incentivize performance – with cash payments to good managers. Brian dispels the myths of impact investing and then builds back towards a more equitable future.

Closed Loop Partners invests in products and services that don't depend on natural resource extraction or the disposal of those products in land fill to be successful. Closed Loop is a VC through buyout stage investor in the circular economy – proving that the circular economy is much more economical and higher quality than the companies of the last century. Through their investments, Closed Loop is showing that “those that profited in the previous era will be consigned to their rightful place: the waste bin of history”. Ron Gonen learned about the value and cost of waste as New York City's Deputy Commissioner of Sanitation and brings that lens to reshape how our economy uses resources and then recycles.