Julianne Zimmerman | August 3, 2016

Is it just us, or is the impact investing conversation heating up this summer?

We are thrilled to see an ever-quickening pace of news stories and thought pieces on the topic, and it seems the past month has been particularly active.  As a special break from our usual rhythm of Ed Talks and You Get the Future You Invest In dispatches, we’re delighted to share some particularly worthwhile links that you might otherwise have missed.

First, our friends at SOCAP reposted a great “Preseed” discussion between Better Ventures’ Rick Moss and DBL Partners’ Nancy Pfund.  It’s well worth watching the full clip — consider pouring yourself a nice tall iced tea before you start so you can be invigorated and refreshed at the same time:

Next up, a brief Devex interview with Jean Case, CEO of the Case Foundation, in which she (like Nancy Pfund) emphatically rejects “the notion that investors must sacrifice profits for purpose.”  We concur*.  See the rest of her comments:

Nancy Pfund and Jean Case are each unique, but they are far from alone.  There are quite a few women leading and shaping the field of impact investing.  NASDAQ’s On Wall Street contributor poses the provocative question whether impact investing is a haven or a ghetto for women.  We think that’s a false dichotomy — that it is neither — but the article is worth a critical read, particularly for characteristically sensible comments by Jackie Vander Brug:

And while women are certainly prominent in the field, it is definitely not for women only.  Fast Company’s co.exist notes that important developments are happening within communities of color, including a growing number of black angel investors:

The value of impact hasn’t gotten lost in the crush of ideas, either.  Open Democracy (Motoko Aizawa) and Forbes (Devin Thorpe) both commented on impact investing’s potential to solve global challenges:

For even more great news, articles, discussions, and updates, we leave you with Pacific Community Ventures’ Patrick Duggan:

Want to take up the conversation?  We’d love to hear from you.  Please email us.

Happy summer reading!

At Reinventure, we’re reinventing investing. We’re proud to be in extraordinary company with others who are also investing to both generate competitive returns and create a more just and equitable future for all. Please join us.

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*While there’s no such thing as a guarantee in investing and no one can reliably predict the future, Ed’s record at UNC Ventures provides some historical evidence that it is indeed possible to invest for both financial returns and social impact. To learn more, please contact us.