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Top Stories
Don’t mess with Texas’s lead in the low-carbon energy transition
Climate and Clean Tech | March 27, 2023
Four steps to set foundations on the path to net zero
Climate Finance | March 27, 2023
Mamotest secures $3.3 million for breast cancer screening in Latin America
Dealflow | March 27, 2023
Featured: Climate Race
Don't mess with Texas' lead in the low-carbon energy transition. Everything’s bigger in Texas. That goes for the state’s role in the transition to a greener and cleaner economy. The Lone Star state already leads the U.S. in wind power. Within a few months, Texas will surpass California in total solar-generation capacity. And Texas is padding its lead, with more solar and wind capacity in development than any other state. An oil-pumping, Republican-led state seizing the lead in the U.S. clean energy race? Texas’ green gold poses a quandary for conservative leaders in the state and across the country who have ratcheted up their rhetoric against climate action and lined up against federal clean-energy policies. “Texas is as well suited or better suited than any place in the world to lead the energy transition,” Austin-based energy consultant Doug Lewin tells ImpactAlpha at the University of Texas’ Global Sustainability Leadership Institute. “If,” he adds, “we have the will to do this.”
Dealflow: Energy Efficiency
Mixergy raises £9.2 million to convert hot water tanks into energy storage systems. Individuals wanting to lower their carbon footprints – and energy bills – are adopting solar panels, electric vehicles, heat pumps and induction stoves. Oxford-based Mixergy wants to add hot water systems to the list. Hot water tanks “are a pragmatic, low-cost solution for energy storage—one that already has an established supply chain,” Mixergy’s Pete Armstrong told ImpactAlpha. “They’re a resource that’s not really being used.” Mixergy’s smart tanks heat only the water that is needed, using technology developed by Armstrong and co-founder Ren Kang at the University of Oxford. Mixergy’s funding round will finance R&D for its smart water tanks and other products, like a combined smart tank-heat pump. The round was backed by the venture arm of Portuguese utility EDP and U.K. social innovation nonprofit Nesta.
Impact Voices: Philanthropic Assets
Four steps to set foundations on the path to net zero. More than 40% of Fortune 500 companies have set targets for zeroing out emissions. Foundations, which in the U.S. hold more than $1 trillion in assets, have been slower to commit. “As foundations, we have the flexibility of [using] philanthropic tools like grants, investments, communication and convenings that are highly valuable in aligning mission-oriented pools of capital to a common goal, like net zero,” Kathleen Simpson of the Russell Family Foundation writes in a guest post on ImpactAlpha. TRFF late last year made its own commitment to reach net zero by 2030. Since then, it has invested $500,000 in Carbon Direct, which supports growth-stage climate tech, and helped Confluence Philanthropy convene net zero workshop for foundations. It also signed on to the Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance. “It was an important first step to align with as we build the playbook,” writes Simpson.
Agents of Impact: Follow the Talent
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Podcasts | March 24, 2023
How bank failures and interest rate hikes have changed the dynamics of impact investing.
Host Monique Aiken has the headlines and Atlas Impact Partners’ Robert Brown and ImpactAlpha contributing editor Imogen Rose-Smith join David Bank to parse …
Impact Investing | March 24, 2023
Mindy Lubber, Ceres: Making the business case for responsible investing
ImpactAlpha, March 24 – Hundreds of companies and investors this week urged policymakers to protect their “freedom to invest responsibly,” marking a new …
Dealflow | March 24, 2023
Dealflow spotlight: Catalyzing capital for Africa’s water and sanitation infrastructure
Providing access to clean water and sanitation has long been a public-sector responsibility. But lower-income countries struggle to fund and implement critical water …
Editor's Picks
Podcasts | March 24, 2023
How bank failures and interest rate hikes have changed the dynamics of impact investing.
Host Monique Aiken has the headlines and Atlas Impact Partners’ Robert Brown and ImpactAlpha contributing editor Imogen Rose-Smith join David Bank to parse …
Impact Investing | March 24, 2023
Mindy Lubber, Ceres: Making the business case for responsible investing
ImpactAlpha, March 24 – Hundreds of companies and investors this week urged policymakers to protect their “freedom to invest responsibly,” marking a new …
Dealflow | March 24, 2023
Dealflow spotlight: Catalyzing capital for Africa’s water and sanitation infrastructure
Providing access to clean water and sanitation has long been a public-sector responsibility. But lower-income countries struggle to fund and implement critical water …
Top Stories
Don’t mess with Texas’s lead in the low-carbon energy transition
Climate and Clean Tech | March 27, 2023
Four steps to set foundations on the path to net zero
Climate Finance | March 27, 2023
Mamotest secures $3.3 million for breast cancer screening in Latin America
Dealflow | March 27, 2023
Mixergy raises £9.2 million to convert hot water tanks into energy storage systems
Clean Energy | March 27, 2023
Dealflow spotlight: Catalyzing capital for Africa’s water and sanitation infrastructure
Africa | March 24, 2023
This season’s shareholder resolutions are proxies in the ESG culture war
ESG | March 23, 2023
Pepsico commits $216 million to three organizations fostering regenerative agriculture in the U.S.
Climate Finance | March 23, 2023
Piclo raises £8.3 million to add clean energy sources to electricity grids
Clean Energy | March 23, 2023
Putting a ‘price on water’ and other opportunities to address the H2O crisis
Muni Impact | March 23, 2023
Metrics and mood music in impact reports from Founders First, Mercy Corps Ventures, Upstart Co-Lab and ALIVE
Impact Management | March 22, 2023
Impact Reporting: Frequently asked questions (and answers!) from impact investors
Impact Investing | March 22, 2023
Verod-Kepple Africa Partners secures $43 million to invest in tech businesses in Africa
Africa | March 22, 2023
Catalytic Capital
Catalytic Capital | March 15, 2023
Caisse Régionale de Refinancement Hypothécaire raises $274 million for affordable housing in West Africa
ImpactAlpha, March 15 – Caisse Régionale de Refinancement Hypothécaire in Togo raised $274 million via a long-term bond issuance to invest in affordable …
Sustaining Impact | March 9, 2023
Leveraging catalytic capital to transform economic systems in Africa
Editor’s note: This blog is part of ImpactAlpha’s series, “Sustaining Impact,” authored by participants in the Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) Sustaining Learning Labs. Key insights …
Catalytic Capital | February 22, 2023
Opportunity International raises $101 million to catalyze loans to boost livelihoods in low-income countries
ImpactAlpha, February 22 — Chicago-based nonprofit lender Opportunity International has raised $101 million in philanthropic capital from backers including the Bill & Melinda …
Sustaining Impact | February 15, 2023
Beyond the fairy tale: Investment strategies that catalyze real impact
Editor’s note: This blog is part of ImpactAlpha’s series, “Sustaining Impact,” authored by participants in the Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) Sustaining Learning Labs. Key insights …
Catalytic Capital | February 2, 2023
Four principles to help catalytic investors optimize allocations and scale impact
Editor’s note: This blog is part of ImpactAlpha’s “Scaling Impact” series, authored by participants in the Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) Scaling Learning Labs. Key insights …
Catalytic Capital | January 27, 2023
Why development finance institutions are being pressed to ‘publish what you fund’
Development finance institutions are essential to the mobilization of capital to slow climate change and to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. So why …
Catalytic Capital | January 26, 2023
Invest Appalachia secures $19 million to bridge investment gaps in Appalachia
ImpactAlpha, January 26 — Central Appalachia’s forests and ecosystems are some of the most biodiverse in the world, and its mountains among the …
Impact Management | January 25, 2023
To catalyze climate capital, development finance institutions are pressed to ‘publish what you fund’
ImpactAlpha, January 25 – Six trillion dollars. That’s roughly how much is needed annually to fight climate change and meet the U.N.’s Sustainable …
Scaling Impact | January 23, 2023
How to get more international money flowing in local currency
Editor’s note: This blog is part of ImpactAlpha’s “Scaling Impact” series, authored by participants in the Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) Scaling Learning Labs. Key insights …
Climate Finance | January 23, 2023
Variations on a theme: Securitizing fees and taxes to finance climate adaptation
Ghana securitized an education tax to improve access to education and a petrol tax to pay off legacy debts in the banking sector. …
Scaling Impact | January 12, 2023
Indispensable growth factor for impact funds, strategies and fund managers: catalytic capital
Editor’s note: This blog is part of ImpactAlpha’s “Scaling Impact” series, authored by participants in the Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) Scaling Learning Labs. Key insights …
Climate Finance | January 10, 2023
Matching local projects with climate capital to deploy community infrastructure
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 10 – The Great Deployment is on. The capital is teed up. The technology is ready. The Inflation Reduction Act and …
Muni Impact
Water | March 23, 2023
Putting a ‘price on water’ and other opportunities to address the H2O crisis
ImpactAlpha, Mar. 23 – In financial markets, water is becoming the new carbon. From early stage startups and corporate supply chains to public policy …
Muni Impact | March 1, 2023
The winding road to ESG standards in the municipal bond market
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 29 – In October 2021, a paper manufacturer in Kalamazoo, Michigan, issued $100 million of what it called “green bonds” through …
Muni Impact | February 9, 2023
Engaging racial-equity risks and opportunities in municipal finance (video)
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 9 – The fatal beating by police of Tyre Nichols in Memphis last month exposed risks to the city’s finances that have …
Muni Impact | February 9, 2023
Munis 101: Players, capital flows and mechanics in the $4 trillion municipal-bond market
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 9 – Municipal bonds have been called the original impact investments, the source of much needed capital for highways, bridges, schools and …
Impact Management | February 6, 2023
Accounting for impact at Candide, MicroVest, Echoing Green and other investment managers
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 6. 2023 – The age of ad hoc impact reporting may be coming to an end. In the meantime, we’ve taken a …
Podcasts | February 3, 2023
Finding the opportunities in (and the problems with) the municipal bond market
ImpactAlpha’s David Bank joins Host Monique Aiken to to share some takeaways from this week’s Agents of Impact Call on the steps that …
Muni Impact | January 31, 2023
Activest’s FIRE strategy seeks to bend the arc of municipal finance toward ‘fiscal justice’
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 31 – It’s distressingly easy to find places where city finances are distorted by systemic racism or outright bigotry. It’s harder …
Muni Impact | January 24, 2023
‘You can’t do impact on a passive basis’: Q&A with activist muni-investor Eric Glass
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 24 – After 15 years as an analyst, trader, and portfolio manager at AllianceBernstein, Eric Glass was asked in 2015 to develop …
Muni Impact | January 24, 2023
Market hypocrisy, political opportunism, and the common good
The attorney general of Texas earlier this month accused Citigroup of running afoul of a state law that “bars most government contracts with …
Muni Impact | January 17, 2023
Overheard at the Public Finance Conference: Investment opportunities in Emerging Market America
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 17 – A computer glitch that snarled air traffic last week presented a fitting backdrop as government and finance leaders gathered …
Muni Impact | January 12, 2023
The billion-dollar cost to the ESG culture wars
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 12 – Banks that use environmental, social, or governance, or ESG frameworks in their investing practice are being targeted by state legislators …
Climate Finance | January 10, 2023
Matching local projects with climate capital to deploy community infrastructure
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 10 – The Great Deployment is on. The capital is teed up. The technology is ready. The Inflation Reduction Act and …
Impact Careers
Impact Careers | March 24, 2023
The Week’s Impact Jobs: March 24, 2023
ImpactAlpha, March 24 — Impact investors are looking to add new talent across all continents, from senior associates and investment officers in India and Tanzania …
Impact Careers | March 17, 2023
The Week’s Impact Jobs: March 17, 2023
ImpactAlpha, March 17 — Employers in the fast-growing global impact investing market are hunting for talents. From impact associates and analysts to impact …
Impact Careers | March 3, 2023
The Week’s Impact Jobs: March 3, 2023
ImpactAlpha, March 4 — From interns and associates to executive directors and board members, impact firms are on the hunt for your talent. Just …
Impact Careers | February 24, 2023
The Week’s Impact Jobs: February 24, 2023
ImpactAlpha, February 24 — Opportunities in impact investing are global. Need proof? Check out this week’s roundup of impact jobs. Global locations i2i …
The Brief | February 17, 2023
The Week’s Impact Jobs: February 17, 2023
ImpactAlpha, February 17 — The U.S. economy added roughly 517,000 new jobs last month, dropping the unemployment rate to a record low 3.4% …
Impact Voices | October 11, 2021
10 tips to speed your transition to an impact finance career
There is no denying that impact finance is one of the most sought after spaces in finance right now, but what does it …
Agents of Impact | September 20, 2018
How to get a job in impact investing
ImpactAlpha, September 20th (original post date 2/6/18 on Medium.com by Lauren Cochran). I get 4–5 requests to do an informational interview/coffee chat/career session per …
Agents of Impact
Bold leaders. Taking action. Driving impact.
February 17, 2023
Rihanna: Shining star power on inclusion in music and business
December 2, 2022
Seth Bannon, Fifty Years: Big swings at big challenges (podcast)
November 4, 2022
Mia Mottley, Barbados: Shaping the global finance agenda.
October 7, 2022
Regina Kline, Enable Ventures: Closing the disability gap
September 23, 2022
Suzanne Biegel, GenderSmart: Making markets work for women and the world
July 8, 2022
Amy Bell, The Cook’s Nook: Planting seeds for impact
June 25, 2022
New Climate Leaders: Winning with a green agenda
Explore ImpactAlpha
March 27, 2023
Four steps to set foundations on the path to net zero
March 24, 2023
The Week in Impact Investing: Algorithms
March 24, 2023
The Week’s Impact Jobs: March 24, 2023
March 21, 2023
Privately owned working forests are a climate asset
March 21, 2023
ImpactAlpha Open: Metrics madness + social cost of carbon
March 17, 2023
The Week in Impact Investing: Madness
March 17, 2023
The Week’s Impact Jobs: March 17, 2023
March 14, 2023
Jordan’s first green bond secures $50 million from IFC
March 14, 2023
ImpactAlpha Open: Banking impact + regenerative economy
March 10, 2023
The Week in Impact Investing: Gender+
March 10, 2023
The Week’s Impact Jobs: March 10, 2023
March 10, 2023
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: Representation matters
March 10, 2023
Scaling purpose built impact with Priya Parrish
March 6, 2023
Want to wring impact from ESG? Look to governance
March 3, 2023
The Week in Impact Investing: Grounded
March 3, 2023
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: ESG in private markets
March 3, 2023
The Week’s Impact Jobs: March 3, 2023
February 28, 2023
Six trust-based practices to help investors shift power to communities
February 28, 2023
ImpactAlpha Open: Impact in real estate + BIPOC-led climate startups
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