Catch the second episode of ImpactAlpha’s #RealDeal video series about getting impact investments done, this Wednesday, June 3 at 9 am PT/noon ET. Our featured entrepreneur is Shelley Saxena, an Atlanta tech entrepreneur who returned to his the founder of SevaMob, a mobile health services and micro-insurance startup in India. In the half-hour show, we’ll […]
Report Assesses Corporate Conflict Minerals Disclosures
By Robert Kropp. The Responsible Sourcing Network analyzes the quality of more that 1,000 conflict minerals disclosures by large cap corporations, and find that many fulfilled only minimal requirements.
Resolutions Request Emissions Reduction Goals by Exxon and Chevron
By Robert Kropp. A process for shareowners to declare their intention to vote in favor of emissions reduction resolutions at the annual meetings of the oil and gas giants does not appear to have led to substantial votes in favor, but signal that investors who choose engagement as a strategy will remain aggressive.
B the Change. B Corps are changing the way we do business.
Do you know the saying “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”? Well, a growing number of businesses are doing just that… Read the full article by Brian Kaminer on LiveHappy.com B the Change | Live Happy Magazine
Retail Co-op: Maine Islanders Band Together to Preserve a Way of Life
Summer 2015 Retail Co-op: Maine Islanders Band Together to Preserve a Way of Life by Gloria J. LaBrecque Cooperative Fund of New England As owners of a valued island business began to think about retiring, the idea of helping their loyal workers form a co-op had real appeal. On the website of the Deer Isle […]
BlackRock, Ceres Launch Investor Guide on US Corporate Engagement
Large Investors Increasingly Expected to Engage on Sustainability Matters, and Better Understand Emerging ESG Risks SOURCE: Ceres DESCRIPTION: NEW YORK, May 28, 2015 /3BL Media/ – The world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock, has teamed up with nonprofit sustainability leader Ceres to create guidance for U.S. institutional investors on engaging with companies and policymakers on sustainability issues. The guide, […]
InvestWithValues.com Launches News Center
InvestWithValues.com is the leading gateway for the sustainable, responsible and impact investing community with its free educational resource and just launched news center. May 27, 2015 10:30 AM ET Tweet This: News Center offers curated articles by leading providers on #impinv #SRI #socfin #communityinvesting http://bit.ly/1IYClZf @InvestValues Press Release ARMONK, N.Y., May 27, 2015 /3BL Media/ […]
M-KOPA Solar Demonstrates Pay-As-You-Go Financing
Nairobi-based M-KOPA Solar announced it has connected more than 200,000 homes to solar power in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, an indicator that pay-as-you-go financing may be a powerful way to accelerate adoption of off-grid solar energy in East Africa and elsewhere. M-KOPA has been credited for unlocking not only solar financing, but for demonstrating that asset-based lending […]
Mabel Cáceres: Giving Peruvians a Voice with Independent Journalism and Media
Mabel Cáceres was through with Peru’s president interfering with her reporting. So she launched her news business. Seeking to hold onto and extend his power, President Alberto Fujimori’s administration was dedicated to manipulating the press. A broad government campaign – including death threats, abductions and libel suits – intimidated many in the media into self-censorship and […]
Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy
By Robert Kropp. Nobel Economist Joseph Stiglitz and Senator Elizabeth Warren speak at the Roosevelt Institute about the pressing need to rewrite the rules governing the economy in order to lessen inequality. Second of a two-part series.
Divestment moves investors off climate sidelines
Shortly before Nelson Mandela passed away I had a chance to ask F.W. de Klerk what impact the anti-apartheid divestment campaign had on his decision to end apartheid. He said it had no impact at all, and then went on for 15 minutes explaining all the ways it had no impact, which made me wonder. […]
Exploring the Purpose of Gift
SOURCE: RSF Social Finance DESCRIPTION: This article was originally published in the Spring 2015 RSF Quarterly. by Kelley Buhles In 2013, a critical op-ed by Peter Buffett was published in the New York Times titled, “The Charitable Industrial Complex”, his term for the growing industry of philanthropy. Buffet explains, “Inside any important philanthropy meeting you […]
Four East Asian Exchanges Commit to Advancing Social Good in Capital Markets – Bringing World Total of “Sustainable Stock Exchanges” to 23
May 19, 2015 6:30 PM ET Tweet This: Four East Asian exchanges commit to advancing social good in capital markets by joining @SSEinitiative http://bit.ly/1PvIwb0 Press Release SEOUL, May 19, 2015 /3BL Media/ – Meeting in Seoul, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the CEO of the Korea Exchange today announced the commitment of the Exchange to promote […]
Venture Exchanges Could Bring Liquidity to Small Firms And Boost The Economy
Three years after the JOBS Act was passed, making it easier for small ventures to raise capital, Congress is tackling the issue of secondary trading. The House Financial Services Committee last week floated a draft bill that would allow the creation of “venture exchanges” tailored to the needs of small companies. In many ways, the […]
Breaking News: Semi-annual Changes to the NASDAQ OMX CRD Global Sustainability Index
The Governance & Accountability Institute Would Like to Call Your Attention to Its Long Term Strategic Partner – CRD Analytics and the Semi-Annual Re-Balancing of the NASDAQ CRD Global Sustainability Index, Effective May 18, 2015. SOURCE: Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc. DESCRIPTION: NEW YORK, May 18, 2015 /3BL Media/ — The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ), and […]
Exclusive Q&A with Audrey Choi, CEO, Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing
Blog Entry by Reynard Loki in Finance and SRI April 30, 2015 – 12:11pm Thursday, April 30, 2015 – 11:30am If you think that sustainable investing requires a trade-off around performance, Morgan Stanley’s Audrey Choi wants to change your mind. (Justmeans/3BL Media) — An important question in the field of sustainable investing is whether or not […]
Solar Lanterns Scale Up as D.light Reaches 10 million Units
Solar-lantern producer d.light said it has sold its 10 millionth unit, and that its off-grid electricity now reaches 50 million people in 62 countries. D.light is backed by the Sand Hill Road venture capital firm DFJ, as well as impact investors including Acumen Fund, Omidyar Network, and Gray Ghost Ventures. It raised $11 million in its […]
Three Socially Responsible Companies with Big Free Cash Flows: Google, Microsoft, and Disney – The Minute
SOURCE: 3BL Media, LLC DESCRIPTION: Can companies with “do good” strategies also generate good profits? That ongoing question from investors continues to get positive answers. Three companies with robust CSR practices—Google, Microsoft, and Disney—have gotten a “thumbs up” from investment advisory The Motley Fool for the huge free cash flow they generate. Free cash flow […]
Wall Street Investment Firms Promote Socially Responsible Investing
(3BL Media/Justmeans) – Impact investing represents a growing segment where the investors back businesses that combine both financial and social returns. The number of investment funds that incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors has gone up from just 55 in 1995 to 925 in 2014, registering a growth of 1,600 percent. The total value […]
TD Bank Leads the Way in Better Banking
(3BL Media/Justmeans) – Businesses are typically the largest direct consumers of natural capital, which is the financial value provided by natural resources and ecosystems. As key stakeholders and consumers, it becomes a critical responsibility of businesses to support the growth and preservation of natural capital in economic, social and environmental terms. TD Bank Group of […]
Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz Takes on Income Inequality
By Robert Kropp. It would be easier, politically, to push for one or two policies on which we have consensus, but that approach would be insufficient to match the severity of the problems posed by rising inequality, his new report states. First of a two-part series.
At Yale, John Fullerton Presents on Regenerative Capitalism
By Robert Kropp. Speaking to the generation that will have to reverse the course of multiple crises, the founder of the Capital Institute envisions a holistic organization of social systems to replace the current reductionist and competitive approach. Third of a three-part series.
Unitus Impact Invests to Improve Lives of Asian Factory Workers
Workers in Asian factories are rarely the subject of good news. Unitus Impact is trying to change that with investments that go the source of most of the controversy: corporate supply chains. The impact venture capital firm’s Livelihood Impact Fund made two investments in companies that leverage the supplier networks of multinational companies to improve the […]
SASB Releases Its 2014 Annual Report
SOURCE: Bloomberg DESCRIPTION: Originally from the SASB 2014 Annual Report: Accounting for a sustainable future. It’s what we do. Our sustainability accounting standards are a reflection of the challenges that affect us today and in the future. They address the things that matter to investors and society —issues with the most risk and opportunity. They […]
Sustainable Investing Advocate, Geeta Aiyer Wins Joan Bavaria Award
MAY 13, 2015 // SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Geeta Aiyer, sustainable investing entrepreneur and Founder and President of Boston Common Asset Management, has been awarded the seventh-annual Joan Bavaria Award for Building Sustainability into the Capital Markets. The announcement was made at the Ceres Conference, which is running today and tomorrow in San Francisco. Nearly three […]
The Apple Interview
Latest from the GreenMoney Interview Series SOURCE: GreenMoney Journal DESCRIPTION: GreenMoney Interview Series: “The Apple Interview” Featuring Jacky Haynes, Senior Director of Supplier Responsibility at Apple being interviewed by Bennett Freeman, former Senior VP for Sustainability Research and Policy at Calvert Investments __________________________ Introduction by Bennett Freeman, who was the Senior Vice President for Sustainability […]
What Is the Triple Bottom line?
The phrase “bottom line” has its roots in traditional business accounting. The term refers to the bottom line of an income statement, where total profit or losses are recorded. In effect, the bottom line indicates whether a business is making or losing money. For many in the business community, showing maximum profit on the bottom […]
Portfolio 21’s Merger with Trillium
By The Portfolio 21 Investment Team Both founded in 1982, Trillium and Portfolio 21 have been in the Sustainable and Responsible Investing (SRI) field for decades. With the growing recognition and popularity of Sustainable and Responsible Investing (SRI), the merger comes at a very natural time. Trillium’s domestic equity expertise, marketing and distribution capability and […]
The Global Impact of CSR
GreenMoney Interview Series: The Apple Interview Jacky Haynes, Senior Director of Supplier Responsibility at Apple is interviewed by Bennett Freeman, Senior VP for Sustainability Research and Policy at Calvert Investments Measuring a CSR Champion by Michael Jacobson, director of Intel’s Corporate Responsibility Office At Campbell’s Sustainable Business is a Long-Term Journey By Dave Stangis, Vice […]
Here Comes Crowdtrading: Robin Hood Raises $50 million
Move over crowdfunding. Robin Hood is taking its zero-fee stock trading platform global with $50 million in follow-on funding. Robin Hood is opening the stock market floodgates to the “crowd,” and particularly to the Millennial generation that has little patience for $7.99 fees adn $500 minimums. US Trust Insights on Wealth and Worth reported that “two-thirds of (high-net-worth) millennials already employ […]
Heroes & zeros: Archer Daniels Midland and Walmart
Hero: Archer Daniels Midland Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), one of the world’s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, has committed to a “no-deforestation” policy in regards to the soy and palm oil it sources. ADM will give its suppliers until the end of 2015 to ensure that neither crop is grown in peatlands […]
Regenerative Capitalism Seeks Radical Overhaul of Financial System
By Robert Kropp. John Fullerton, the founder of the Capital Institute, writes that the transition of an antisocial global financial system to one aligned with our understanding that living systems are both sustainable and regenerative is underway. But is the evolution decisive enough to solve the crises of our age? Second of a three-part series.
Eyes on the Horizon: ImpactAlpha’s Cliff Notes to the GIIN-JPMorgan Annual Impact Report
Latin America and energy are hot. Microfinance? Not. As for social impact bonds, it’s too early to tell. We read Eyes on the Horizon, the fifth annual state-of-the-impact-market report from the Global Impact Investing Network and JP Morgan, so you don’t have to. The bottom line: More investors, more assets, flat commitments. Investors are pleased with their current […]
British Invasion: Bridges Ventures Invests in Springboard Education in America
The U.K.-based private equity impact investment manager Bridges Ventures is investing in Springboard Education in America, its first U.S. deal after opening an office here last year. Bridges, a pioneer impact investor on the U.K. scene, was founded in 2002 and now has more than $800 million under management. Its founding chairman, and current advisory board chair, Sir […]
Tech Moguls Bet on AltSchool to Transform Education
AltSchool has a big new vision for schools and now it has $100 million to roll it out. The financing comes from Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, Andreesen Horowitz, EBay founder Pierre Omidyar’s Omidyar Network and others, another sign of the surge of tech investors into education. Ed-Surge reported that $1.36 billion went into new ed-tech companies in […]
Is Regenerative Capitalism a Spiritual Quest?
By Robert Kropp. John Fullerton of the Capital Institute authors an admirable paper on what he calls Regenerative Capitalism, but how do we get from the here of exploitation to there? First of a three-part series. SocialFunds.com — Several mornings ago, I opened my email and found myself gifted by an intensely creative close friend […]
Shareholders Press PepsiCo to Take Action to Protect Bees and Other Pollinators
May 5, 2015: Shareholders of PepsiCo* (“Pepsi”), concerned about the sharp declines in the number of bees and other important pollinators, are urging the Company to assess the financial risks it faces due to the decline of critical pollinators across its supply chains. The investors will gather at Pepsi’s annual meeting on May 6th, to […]
Making Nature Pay: Bankers Work to Finance Conservation at Scale
Restoring forests, wetlands and wildlife habitat is exciting. Leave it to the bankers to make financing such environmental projects downright boring. As climate concerns and other environmental anxieties mount, Wall Street and global bankers are hammering the complexities of conservation into the kind of mature, repeatable financial products bankers sell every day. That the payments […]
Fifth Annual Impact Investor Survey Reflects on Industry Growth, Past and Projected
SOURCE: JPMorgan Chase & Co. DESCRIPTION: Click here to download the report May 4, 2015 /3BL Media/ -146 of the world’s largest impact investors, including fund managers, banks, development finance institutions, foundations, and pension funds report having committed $10.6 billion to impact investments in 2014, with plans to commit 16% more in 2015. The surveyed […]
Eyes on the Horizon: Impact Report Shows $60 Billion in Assets, but Where’s the Growth?
The results are in from impact investing’s annual report, and while they show clear progress, they raise a serious question: why can’t impact fund managers put more capital to work, even after they’ve raised it? The headline number for the fifth annual report from the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) and J.P. Morgan: global impact […]
Eyes on the Horizon: Impact Report Shows $60 Billion in Assets, but Where’s the Growth?
The results are in from impact investing’s annual report, and while they show clear progress, they raise a worrying question: why can’t impact fund managers put more capital to work, even after they’ve raised it? The headline number for the fifth annual report from the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) and J.P. Morgan: global impact […]
Goldman’s Big Bet on Bitcoin (and Circle Internet Financial)
Think bitcoin is a trending fad? Banks and institutional investors don’t. Goldman Sachs and IDG Capital Partners announced a $50 million investment in Circle Internet Financial yesterday, one of the largest investments yet into the bitcoin space. That kind of interest may be why Richard Branson will be inviting an elite few to his island […]
The Women Effect in Independent Media: Tough Entrepreneurs in Tough Environments
(Editor’s note: The Women Effect in Independent Media series highlights women in media building commercially viable, independent, news businesses in environments hostile to the press. Released in recognition of World Press Freedom Day, ImpactAlpha and the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) will present the series in three parts. The first installment, published today, explores how Natasa Tesanovic’s radio […]
Natasa Tesanovic: Building a Radio Business to Help Rebuild Bosnia and Herzegovina
For the last two decades Natasa Tesanovic’s radio station has challenged a nation to face its violent past and reconcile issues that would otherwise tear it apart. Her independent media outfit has succeeded in a patriarchal society, accustomed to partisan news, for two main reasons: a well-run business and courageous, professional journalists—most of whom happen […]
Changing Capital: Four Strategies for Shifting Capital to Communities
By Sarah Trent This is the third in a three-part series featuring Local Economy Fellow Jessica Norwood. Below, read about four strategies ECN is implementing to change how capital works for under resourced communities in the Black Belt. In part one, learn about Jessica’s journey to Localism and her passion for changing how capital works to support communities. […]
Joel Salatin and Van Jones join speaker slate for #BALLE2015
We are excited to announce that Joel Salatin and Van Jones will join the lineup of visionaries speaking at our 13th annual conference this June 10-12 in Phoenix. Joel of Polyface Farm – often considered America’s most influential farmer – will join Sallie Calhoun (Paicines Ranch), Mark Tilsen (Native American Natural Foods), and Nikki Silvestri […]
Watch It Again: Building an Ecosystem for Place-Based Investing
Purchase Now! Recorded April 2015 Cost $10 With new generations of local financial institutions, community foundations, and supportive public policies, pathways have opened for trillions of dollars to move from Wall Street to Main Street. Innovative leaders are changing the way that capital works, moving away from a system that perpetuates inequality and toward place-based […]
Carbon Tracker Offers Roadmap for Energy Transition
May 01, 2015 Carbon Tracker Offers Roadmap for Energy Transition by Robert Kropp Asserting that many executives in the oil and gas industry assume a business as usual approach in their planning, the NGO warns that unconventional exploration and price volatility will have negative impacts for investors. SocialFunds.com — In advance of November’s SRI […]
Warby Parker Raises $100 Million for Bricks and Mortar Expansion
Neal Blumenthal, CEO of Warby Parker, has long said that calling the designer eyewear company an “e-commerce brand was too narrow a definition.” He demonstrated that this week, raising $100 million to expand the company’s physical locations. The financing valued the company at a cool $1.2 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. The growth […]
Indian Jobs Marketplace Babajob Attracts Follow-On Funding
Babajob, an India-based, informal employment platform, has raised second-round funding from Seek Ltd., one of the largest global employment marketplaces. Babajob, founded in 2007, connects workers to jobs as delivery staff, office helpers, drivers, cooks, maids, security guards, and more. Seek, based in Australia, joins initial investors Khosla Impact and Gray Ghost Ventures, which invested in 2012. […]