Events

Investing, Philanthropy, & Impact

Currently, people are investing in both non-profit and for-profit institutions both locally and around the world to support everything from affordable housing to alternative energy projects. Kat Taylor and Julia Sze participated in a discussion about how people are using capital to effect change and earn returns through impact investing. They discussed the unique model of One PacificCoast Bank and how it leverages the impact of loan and equity capital on transformative sectors of the economy, as well as participation opportunities for individuals and institutions and other recent developments in the field.

Slow Money

The program of Slow Money National Gatherings integrates internationally recognized thought leadership, next generation social entrepreneurship, and an environment that fosters shared learning across the full spectrum of backgrounds—from the most sophisticated financiers to individual investors, from farmers to food entrepreneurs.

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Reinventing Global: Shared Challenges, Local Innovations.

Julia Sze served as a judge for the 2013 Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC).

Many of today’s most pressing social problems are found on a global level, all over the world, yet within very specific local contexts. These issues cannot be tackled with one blanket solution. Innovation can come from anywhere, and the GSVC is poised to encourage and take advantage of entrepreneurial solutions, implementing them within different environments. The GSVC provides aspiring entrepreneurs with mentoring, exposure, and $50,000 in prizes to transform their ideas into businesses that will have positive real world impact.

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SRI/ESG Breakfast Meeting: Impact Investing

Raúl Pomares participated in a discussion providing an overview of the impact investing landscape, where interest in the field is coming from, and why clients are pushing for access to impact investment opportunities. The panel also explained how it is relevant to an advisor’s business and of interest to clients, describe how to measure returns (financial and social), discuss how to evaluate investments, and talk about ways to access and structure impact investments.

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Impact Investing Panel Discussion

Impact investments are investments made into companies, organizations, and funds with the intention to generate measurable social and environmental impact alongside a financial return. Justina Lai participated in a roundtable discussing issues related to the historical and current trends in impact investing, as well as opportunities and various capital structures for the field.

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Presidio Presents: Impact Investing

Julia Sze participated as a panelist along with several world-class entrepreneurs at the leading edge of the impact investing field. The conversation was part of the Presidio Graduate School Speaker Series and was facilitated by Presidio President and CEO William Shutkin.

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Capital Roundtable Master Class

Martin Whittaker, Ph.D., participated on a panel addressing best practices for cultivating relationships with wealthy families and individuals — and their advisors — who invest in private equity funds and make direct investments in companies.

This Capital Roundtable conference provided insight on how to gain access to family offices and other discreet capital sources — investors who have no interest in branding themselves publicly, but who control great assets, who have far more decision-making flexibility than do most endowments and foundations, and who are gaining appreciation for non-traditional investment models, structures, and other new ways of thinking.

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Institute for Private Investors Winter Forum

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2013 Harvard Social Enterprise Conference

Raúl Pomares participated as a panelist in a session on impact investing, which included three other eminent panelist and was moderated by Dr. Vinay Nair of Columbia Business School and Ada Investments. The panel explored the possibility and challenges of scaling up impact investments.

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Confluence Philanthropy – Catalyzing Change

Raul Pomares was a speaker in this session. Even as MRI advocates are eager to dispel the myth of return, we must admit that not all impact investments go as we hope. In recent years Solyndra, Shorebank, and E+Co all seemed like good bets yet didn’t make it around the track. What actually happened and what did we learn? Looking at these three investments as case studies we joined financial experts to reflect upon the challenges that these companies faced and what we can take away from their stories.

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