This month the Citizen Mint team attended the SOCAP conference in San Francisco to connect with other leaders at the intersection of money and meaning. “SOCAP Global is the thought leadership platform for the accelerating movement towards a more just and sustainable economy.”
SOCAP CONFERENCE • IMPACT INVESTING • PRIVATE MARKETS
During the conference we heard from social entrepreneurs, investors, foundations, nonprofit leaders, academics, and more. From all of the events and conversations during SOCAP we couldn’t help but notice some key trends emerging at this intersection of money and meaning.
*Left to right Kelly Rogan VP of Marketing, Josh Hile CEO, Marshall Dunford CTO
Top Impact Investing Trends
Here are the top takeaways we learned from industry leaders that we are excited about in the field of impact investing:
Collaboration Marks the Difference
One of the key differences between traditional finance and impact finance is the ability and willingness to collaborate. According to Luke Sorenson from the Sorenson Impact Center, this advantage will allow impact-focused financial institutions to get ahead as we build strategic partnerships and increase the amount of capital shifting from traditional investments to impact investments that solve social and environmental challenges.
Impact Investing is not Philanthropy
Being at SOCAP reinstated the fact that positive impact and solid financial returns can coexist. We need capital from many different sources to tackle global challenges, which can generate returns to be put back into these solutions and build a virtuous cycle. Many of the speakers during SOCAP were investors who use their money as a force for good while still generating returns.
A great resource we discovered at this conference was the Climate Finance Tracker by ImpactAlpha. “The Climate Finance Tracker (CFT) is designed to help climate funders and ‘ecosystem builders’ better collaborate by easily exploring: who is funding what, who to talk to for shared learnings, where are the gaps, and what type of capital would be most effective where.” In this tool you can see how 44% of funding for climate solutions is venture backed while 54% is grant backed. The opportunity to invest in these solutions is massive and will only continue to grow.
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More Diverse Leadership Leads to Optimized Solutions
Each panel we saw and company we spoke with had a unique and diverse background, which clearly was part of their strength. As the panel on family offices mentioned, having women and underrepresented individuals involved in the investment decision making process will only enhance the potential for both positive returns and impact. We must be conscious and intentional when selecting our team members, leaders and advisors to invest in optimized solutions that build a better world for everyone.
Did we miss you at SOCAP? We would love to chat about how you see the future for impact investing. Contact us now to get in touch!
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