The Impact Alpha: Prudence, materiality and impact in the Trump era

Not just another swing of the pendulum ... The latest Labor Department guidance on on ESG considerations for investors queues up the right question.
Duty bound... If ESG factors are material to long-term financial performance, prudent pension-fund fiduciaries have to consider them.
Game on... David Bank tackles "Prudence, materiality and impact in the Trump era" in his column this week.

Apply a racial lens, and other lessons from Living Cities’ impact investments

Investing in economic security... Living Cities has deployed $57 million into 33 transactions from two structured debt funds to drive outcomes for low-income people in America.
In a new series with ImpactAlpha... Living Cities will explore how foundations and financial institutions can deploy capital to better create jobs, income and wealth in America’s cities.
First up... the biggest lessons from Living Cities’ 10 years of impact investing.

Deals lag hype in ‘Blockchain for Good’ investments

Hype-cycle... For all the promise of blockchain-enabled technologies to solve a variety of global challenges, “blockchain for good” ventures have been slow to emerge.
The latest signal... Consensys' $50 million in-house venture fund is scaling back the social impact-focus of the fund.
Market development... If interest in blockchain-for-good is indeed ebbing, that just might mean it’s an opportunity to buy in.

Philadelphia Story: Good Capital Project, ImpactPHL and ImpactAlpha team up at Total Impact

There’s a reason ImpactAlpha has been publishing so many stories on Philadelphia, even beyond the fact that our own Dennis Price and his family moved back last year. We’ve been tracking locally-driven economic revival across the U.S.; Philly is testing approaches also taking hold elsewhere. Can local institutions and impact investors effectively direct capital to entrepreneurs and other agents of

Rise Fund’s Impact Multiple of Money: A conversation with TPG’s Bill McGlashan

Largest impact investment fund... TPG Growth's Rise Fund quickly raised $2 billion from a Who’s Who of global billionaires and institutional investors, making it the largest impact investment fund to date.
On-stage conversation...Bill McGlashan, Rise Fund founder and CEO, sat down with ImpactAlpha's David Bank at an event hosted by the Commonwealth Club in Mill Valley, California.

Welcome to the new ImpactAlpha

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Women’s World Banking plans new, larger fund for women’s financial inclusion

A bigger mission… WWB’s funds—and new evaluation methodology—are part of a plan to improve gender diversity at all levels of the financial world.
A step further… WWB is aiming to raise $100 million for the new fund.

Swedish pension fund adds $100 million to Dutch SDG-loan fund

More capital... The fund’s first close was expected in late 2017, but was reportedly 25% higher than the initial target.
Co-investment… The fund lets institutional investors co-invest with FMO in loans to financial institutions, clean energy projects and agribusiness in developing markets.

Techtonic Group raises $2 million to teach software skills and diversify tech

Beating tech’s diversity stats… Fifty people have participated in the program since its mid-2016 launch: 30% are women, almost 50% are from minority backgrounds and some 25% are veterans.

Enuma secures $4 million to fill early learning gaps

Current round… Seoul-based Yellow Dog, HG Initiative and C Program led this round of financing. NX Venture Partners and DSC Investment also participated.
Previous funding… Enuma earlier had raised $5 million from K9 Ventures, TAL Education Group and SoftBank Ventures.

Racial-lens investing, blended-finance action plan, global health-tech, fintech in Africa and India

Racial-lens investing, blended-finance action plan, global health-tech, fintech in Africa and India