Beats
Joe Scantlebury, CEO of Living Cities
The Reconstruction | October 21, 2021
Living Cities’ Joe Scantlebury sees cities as the template for an inclusive America
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 21 – U.S. President Joe Biden wants to ‘build back better.’ Joe Scantlebury is out to make sure the rebuild includes all …
Catalytic Capital | October 21, 2021
$100 billion is just a down payment on financing the climate transition in developing nations
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 21 – For want of a nail…the kingdom was lost, as the old proverb goes. For want of $100 billion, a …
Illustration by The Nation.
Dealflow | October 21, 2021
SMBX raises $11.5 million to democratize small business lending
ImpactAlpha, October 21 — San Francisco-based SMBX raised $11.5 million to democratize financing for small businesses. Launched in 2016, SMBX lets retail investors …
Illustration by Pacific 8.
Dealflow | October 21, 2021
Republic raises $150 million to ride the growth of equity crowdfunding
ImpactAlpha, October 21 — Roughly 250,000 retail investors are funding startups and small businesses online each month. That trend has spurred fundraising for …
Photo credit: Ejara
Innovative Finance | October 21, 2021
Cameroon’s Ejara raises $2 million for impact-focused crypto
ImpactAlpha, October 21 – Crypto is having a moment in Africa. Dozens of African fintechs promising to democratize access to cryptocurrencies across the …
Catalytic Capital | October 20, 2021
Deploying catalytic capital to bridge financing gaps for climate action
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 20 – Climate finance is on a roll. Climate finance is stuck. Both statements are true. Investors have poured record sums …
Impact Management | October 20, 2021
Optimizing for Impact: Assign an ABC goal type to each investment (video)
Optimizing for Impact. Want to learn more about Optimizing Impact for the Sustainable Development Goals? Over the next few weeks, ImpactAlpha will offer a …
Catalytic Capital | October 20, 2021
MacArthur’s Debra Schwartz on catalytic capital, cost curves and contributing to solutions (podcast)
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 20 – The readers have spoken. When ImpactAlpha asked subscribers last year to rank the topics where they wanted to see more …
Photo credit: Offshore Technology.
Climate Finance | October 20, 2021
CarbonCapture secures $35 million to suck carbon from the atmosphere
ImpactAlpha, October 20 — Direct air capture technology that can remove billions of tons of carbon from the atmosphere may be critical in …
Sao Paulo | Photo credit: UWA
Dealflow | October 20, 2021
Brazil’s Monashees targets $700 million for early- and growth-stage impact
ImpactAlpha, October 20 — São Paulo Monashees is looking to raise two $350 million funds to invest in Latin American tech companies addressing …
Personal Finance | October 19, 2021
How to ride the climate transition with more than a dozen exchange-traded funds
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 19 – Clean energy. Batteries. Smart grids. ESG funds and clean energy ETFs tracking elements of the climate transition took off in …
Screenshot from Blue Bayou | Image courtesy of Entertainment One Ltd.
Creative Economy | October 19, 2021
New narratives for inclusion and investment at SOCAP21
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 19 – The arrival of Gen Z is upending culture and commerce. “They have very strong values around inclusivity,” said Marcy Ventures’ …
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
The Reconstruction | October 19, 2021
Echoing Green and Goldman Sachs team to back Black women social innovators
ImpactAlpha, October 19 — New York-based Echoing Green will receive $1 million to create fellowships (applications are open) for Black women social entrepreneurs …
Dealflow | October 19, 2021
Sudan’s first foreign venture capital investment in 30 years: $5 million for Alsoug.com
ImpactAlpha, October 19 — Macroeconomic, political and currency risks can make investors wary of infrastructure and private equity in Africa (for context, see …
Vanessa Roanhorse
The Reconstruction | October 18, 2021
The Reconstruction: The Indigenous wisdom of lending based on character, not collateral (podcast)
ImpactAlpha October 18 – Current systems of credit are not working. Indigenous wisdom points to more promising approaches: deep local engagement and character-based …
Ba Ria, Vietnam | Photo credit: Dong Nhat Huy
Impact Voices | October 18, 2021
Taking action against violence and sexual harassment at work through gender-lens investing.
In the past eighteen months, the global community has clearly seen that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on women. The …
Photo credit: Construction Review.
Dealflow | October 18, 2021
Actis’ sustainable energy infrastructure fund raises $4.7 billion
ImpactAlpha, October 18 — London-based Actis has raised $19 billion since 2004 for private equity, energy and real estate investments. The new fund, …
Photo credit: Life & Thyme.
Dealflow | October 18, 2021
Smallhold secures $25 million to grow organic mushrooms in local warehouses
ImpactAlpha, October 18 — Consumers are demanding locally-grown and climate-friendly food options. Brooklyn-based Smallhold is growing organic mushrooms in local warehouses for nearby …
The Reconstruction | October 15, 2021
Call No. 32: Black tech, green solutions for the planet and the people (video)
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 15 – Invest in climate action for the planet – and the people. “Climate change is a public health issue, it’s a …
Impact Investing | October 14, 2021
TPG’s billion-dollar bet on EVs in India
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 14 – Fresh off an initial $5.4 billion close for its first climate-focused fund, TPG is investing a chunk of those …
Climate Finance | October 14, 2021
Yawning ‘ambition gap’ threatens global climate summit
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 14 – The International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook is full of stark warnings just 18 days before a make-or-break global …
Impact Management | October 14, 2021
Optimizing for Impact: What are the five dimensions of impact? (video)
Optimizing for Impact. Want to learn more about Optimizing Impact for the Sustainable Development Goals? Over the next few weeks, ImpactAlpha will offer a …
Dealflow | October 14, 2021
LeapFrog leads CarDekho’s $250 million raise for its online car marketplace in India
ImpactAlpha, October 14 — Jaipur-based CarDekho partners with fintech lenders and car insurance companies to provide flexible financing for new and used cars. …
Copenhagen, Denmark
Smart Cities | October 14, 2021
2150 raises nearly €270 million to reimagine cities
ImpactAlpha, October 14 — Europe-based 2150, launched earlier this year by Danish real estate fund manager NREP, is looking for tech companies making …
Kenyan farmer | Photo credit: Jen Watson
Catalytic Capital | October 13, 2021
Researchers ready a dozen-plus deep dives into the complexities of catalytic capital
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 13 – Aceli Africa provides a first-loss cushion of up to 8% to lenders as a way to spur them to back …
New York, NY
The Reconstruction | October 13, 2021
Racial equity planks in a new Community Reinvestment Act can expand the American Dream
When most Americans think about civil rights, we think about the violence perpetrated upon Black Americans and the nonviolence movement that finally helped …
Catalytic Capital | October 13, 2021
Gathering evidence to put catalytic capital to its highest and best use
Disclosure: Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) sponsors ImpactAlpha’s coverage of catalytic capital. Today, we are excited to announce 14 new awardees of the Catalytic …
Photo credit: The Motley Fool.
Dealflow | October 13, 2021
Center Creek impact fund raises $30 million to invest in affordable single-family homes
ImpactAlpha, October 13 — Single-family properties represent more than half of all rental housing in the country. Nearly two-thirds of Black and Hispanic …
Photo credit: TechFinancials.
Catalytic Capital | October 13, 2021
Lendable taps European alternative structure for $100 million emerging markets fund
ImpactAlpha, October 13 — Lendable provides debt financing for fintechs that help mostly low-income and largely women borrowers increase their incomes or reduce …
Quito, Ecuador
Frontier and Growth Markets | October 13, 2021
AXA takes a minority stake in Blue Like an Orange sustainable investment firm
ImpactAlpha, October 13 – Blue Like an Orange was launched in 2017 by former World Bank officials Bertrand Badré, Amer Baig and Suprotik …
Founders David Snydacker, Nick Goldberg, Tom Wilson. Photo credit: Lilac Solutions.
Climate Finance | October 12, 2021
Lilac Solutions raises $150 million to ramp up low-carbon lithium production
ImpactAlpha, October 12 — Electric vehicle and battery makers are facing a shortage of lithium, an essential element for production. Most of the …
Photo credit: Workable's Resources.
Capitalism Reimagined | October 12, 2021
Omidyar Network commits $10 million in grants for reimagining capitalism
ImpactAlpha, October 12 — Markets can be, and are being, reshaped by movements, policies and investments. Omidyar Network, which has spun off a …
Sherrell Dorsey of The Plug | Photo credit: Mecca Gamble Photography
Podcasts | October 8, 2021
Impact Briefing: Covering Black tech ecosystems, with The Plug’s Sherrell Dorsey (podcast)
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 8 – On this week’s podcast, The Plug’s Sherrell Dorsey joins host Monique Aiken to talk Black tech ecosystems, the origins of …
Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi (photo: Ill. Niklas Elmehed © Nobel Prize Outreach)
Agents of Impact | October 8, 2021
Climate scientists
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 8 – Climate scientists are having a moment, decades overdue. Private investment funds are seeking out climate soothsayers to inform decision-making. Prescient …
Impact Management | October 7, 2021
Consortium launches Novata to drive ESG reporting in private markets
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 7 – Private companies and private markets represent the majority of the world’s economic activity, but their environmental, social and governance, or …
Hachita, New Mexico | Photo credit: Tony Prato.
Place-Based Investing | October 7, 2021
How place-based investors are pooling endowment capital for local affordable housing and small-business lending
ImpactAlpha, October 7 — In New Mexico, a nonprofit community health organization, a hospital and a local foundation all wanted to put more …
Five Season's founders | Photo credit: Five Season.
Geographies | October 7, 2021
Five Seasons Ventures raises €180 million for European foodtech
ImpactAlpha, October 7 — Investors deployed €3 billion in European food tech ventures last year. “There are lots of companies that have raised …
Photo credit: Talkspace.
Dealflow | October 7, 2021
Hearst’s Level Up Ventures to invest in Black and Latinx tech founders
ImpactAlpha, October 7 — Media conglomerate Hearst launched Level Up Ventures to make cash investments in pre-seed and seed rounds for Black- and …
Smallholder Agriculture | October 7, 2021
Tazah raises $2 million to connect Pakistan’s farmers to small food retailers
ImpactAlpha, October 7 – Tazah wants to streamline Pakistan’s $60 billion food supply chain and help farmers secure better prices by cutting out …
General Motors's Mary Barra addresses investors on Wednesday at the GM Tech Center in Warren, Michigan. (Photo: Steve Fecht for General Motors)
Corporate Impact | October 7, 2021
The EV race is on as GM and Ford move to overtake Tesla
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 7 – GM will double its revenues by 2030 as it rolls out dozens of electric cars, trucks and delivery cars …
Accra, Ghana
Catalytic Capital | October 6, 2021
National advisory boards target local pension funds for small-business financing in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, October 6 – Impact investing in emerging markets has long been dominated by international development finance institutions. The national advisory boards, or …
Photo: Raad Adayleh, AP
Refugee Lens Investing | October 6, 2021
Refugee bond attracts $14 million to support displaced people in Jordan and Lebanon
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 6 – The Syrian conflict has forced 6.6 million people to flee the country; 80% have settled in neighboring countries. The …
Impact Management | October 6, 2021
Optimizing for Impact: Where are you on your impact management journey? (video)
Optimizing for Impact. Want to learn more about Optimizing Impact for the Sustainable Development Goals? Over the next few weeks, ImpactAlpha will offer …
Agrifood Tech | October 5, 2021
Nuveen backs Do Good Foods with $169 million to turn grocery waste into animal feed
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 5 – Roughly 40% of fruit, vegetables and meats sold at grocery stores end up in landfills. The “closed loop” system of …
Troop cofounders Seb Jarquin, Felix Tabary and Zen Yui in Brooklyn
Stewardship | October 5, 2021
Retail investors get new tools to flex their collective power as engaged shareholders
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 5 – When online investors drove up the shares of GameStop in January, stock market watchers were captivated by the drama, …