Beats
SunColombia
Impact Management | September 29, 2022
To understand the impact of electrifying schools in Colombia, ALIVE Ventures listens to parents and teachers
At Acumen Latam Impact Ventures (or ALIVE Ventures), one of our solar energy investments has reached over 100,000 beneficiaries with their solar installations …
Photo by Numida.
Inclusive Economy | September 29, 2022
Numida raises $12.3 million to provide loans to small businesses in Uganda
ImpactAlpha, September 29 — Kampala-based Numida provides unsecured working capital loans, ranging from $100 to $5,000, to micro and small enterprises in as …
Photo by Moxion Power.
Clean Energy | September 29, 2022
Moxion Power secures $100 million to decarbonize mobile power
ImpactAlpha, September 29 — Construction sites, outdoor events, film productions and disaster response teams need temporary power generation. “There’s enormous demand for cleaner …
Kakuma Refugee Camp | Photo credit: Dominic Chavez / International Finance Corp.
Refugee Lens Investing | September 28, 2022
Displaced East Africans remake camps into testbeds for refugee-lens investing
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 28 – A settlement camp in a remote area of northwest Kenya is abuzz with economic activity – and a signal of the …
Photo by MDIF.
Democracy and Peace | September 28, 2022
Nearly a dozen independent news organizations in Nigeria get support from Media Development Investment Fund
ImpactAlpha, September 28 — Last year’s youth-led uprising against police brutality spurred Nigeria’s biggest anti-government protests in a generation. MDIF launched a three-year …
Impact Voices | September 28, 2022
Move over New York: Clean energy action shifts to industrial Pittsburgh
The spotlight may have been on Climate Week NYC last week, but 370 miles away, Pittsburgh was the site of additional high-level climate …
Photo credit: Kenyan EV maker Equator Mobility, a Maris portfolio companie
Frontier and Growth Markets | September 27, 2022
Maris raises $12 million from Proparco for climate resilience in Africa
ImpactAlpha, September 28 – Maris invests in renewables energy, agriculture and forestry, as well as gold mining, real estate and services. French development finance …
Impact Investing | September 27, 2022
A dozen charts that map the uneven but hopeful path to a carbon-free economy
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 27 – Transitions are rarely a straight line. That is especially true of the massive global shift underway to a low-carbon economy. …
Signals | September 27, 2022
U.K. impact investing nears £8 billion on strong growth
ImpactAlpha, September 27 – The pound is tanking and U.K. energy prices are skyrocketing, but here’s something to be chuffed about: Impact investments in …
Photo by Mirova.
Clean Energy | September 27, 2022
Mirova raises $1.5 billion for fifth energy transition infrastructure fund
ImpactAlpha, September 27 — Paris-based Mirova is the $27 billion impact unit of French asset management firm Natixis Investment Managers. The B Corp …
Climate Finance | September 27, 2022
AXA’s €500 million initiative to invest in reforestation and land conservation
ImpactAlpha, September 27 – AXA has launched a €500 million ($482 million) Natural Capital Strategy that will make equity investments and offer project financing …
Gender Smart | September 26, 2022
How women-led funds in South Africa are unlocking capital for women and small businesses
ImpactAlpha, September 26 – Gender-lens investing is no longer a niche or little-known strategy. Still, too little capital is making it into the hands …
Impact Voices | September 26, 2022
How asset managers are digging in on diversity to stand out from their peers
ESG begins at home. As increasing numbers of investors are looking for environmental, social and governance investment opportunities, asset managers are directing more …
Image by standret on Freepik
Women Rising | September 26, 2022
African Women Impact Fund secures initial $60 million for gender-lens investments
ImpactAlpha, September 26 — South Africa’s Standard Bank Group and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa are looking to raise $1 billion …
Photo: Cédric Frixon, Pixabay
Impact Investing | September 25, 2022
Barbados debt-for-nature swap unlocks $50 million for marine conservation and ‘blue economy’
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 25 – Barbados is the latest nation to restructure its high-priced debt to free up funds for conservation. The Caribbean island …
Climate Week NYC. Photo: Luiz C. Ribeiro for the Climate Group
Climate Finance | September 23, 2022
Trillions are the talk of Climate Week, as opportunities drive climate action.
ImpactAlpha, Sept.23 – The energy transition is moving from talk to action. Those not moving fast enough are finding themselves on the hot …
Photo by Hedgeweek.
Return on Inclusion | September 23, 2022
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: Inclusive fund managers
ImpactAlpha, September 23 — First-time impact fund managers tend to outperform more experienced peers. This week, VC Include selected a dozen impact-oriented venture …
Photo by Jingming Pan on Unsplash
Climate Finance | September 22, 2022
A safe, low-carbon way to store your gold: Leave it in the ground
What’s the most eco-friendly way to mine gold? Not to mine it. Nature’s Vault, a blockchain-based finance company headquartered in Singapore, is buying …
Photo by Pie Insurance.
Inclusive Economy | September 22, 2022
Pie Insurance raises $315 million to provide workers’ comp coverage for small businesses
ImpactAlpha, September 22 — Most U.S. businesses are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance, which covers medical expenses, lost wages and rehabilitation costs …
Photo by Jacoblund/iStock.
Low-carbon transition | September 22, 2022
Future scores $5.3 million to reward consumers for reducing their carbon footprint
ImpactAlpha, September 22 — More U.S. consumers are looking to make climate-friendly purchases to reduce their carbon emissions. “There’s a common misconception that …
Impact Voices | September 21, 2022
How emerging market impact funds can reverse the curse of low (return) expectations
Nowhere is impact investing needed more urgently than in emerging markets (EMs). Private investment is needed to lift billions out of poverty, create …
Photo credit: The Good Roll
Climate Finance | September 21, 2022
How The Good Roll and Wangara Green Ventures are saving trees and creating green jobs in Ghana
ImpactAlpha, September 21 – A startup in the Netherlands is teaming up with a fund manager in Ghana to demonstrate the green, resilient, local …
Photo by Skoll Foundation.
Inclusive Economy | September 21, 2022
Common Future acquires Community Credit Lab for combined community wealth-building
ImpactAlpha, September 21 — Oakland-based Common Future earlier this year merged with nonprofit impact accelerator Uncharted. Now, the organization led by Rodney Foxworth …
Photo credit: Hero Future Energies
Clean Energy | September 21, 2022
KKR leads India’s Hero Future Energies’ $450 million raise to expand into battery storage and green hydrogen
ImpactAlpha, September 21 — New Delhi-based independent power producer Hero Future Energies was launched a decade ago by industrial equipment giant Hero Group. …
VC Include BIPOC First-Time Fund Manager fellows | Photo credit: VC Include
Return on Inclusion | September 20, 2022
VC Include to accelerate investments into a dozen diverse first-time fund managers
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 20 – First-time fund managers tend to outperform their more experienced peers but face structural barriers and biases in raising capital, and …
Image credit: Westend61 / Getty Images
Impact Investing | September 20, 2022
Will a new EPA fund serve low- and moderate-income people? Five principles to promote success
On August 16, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, federal legislation that invests nearly $400 billion over 10 years in renewable energy …
CNote co-founder and CEO Cat Berman | Photo by CNote.
Corporate Impact | September 20, 2022
CNote raises nearly $7.3 million to tap corporate cash for community development
ImpactAlpha, September 20 — CNote has raised $7.3 million to expand its network of more than 2,000 CDFIs, low-income designated credit unions and …
Photo by The Sauce.
Inclusive Economy | September 20, 2022
PowerToFly raises $30 million to upskill and connect underrepresented talent with jobs
ImpactAlpha, September 20 — New York-based PowerToFly has raised $30 million to upskill and connect underrepresented talent with jobs. Millions of professionals use …
Capitalism Reimagined | September 20, 2022
Tanking one holding to boost returns and reduce risks across your portfolio
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 20 – Few big institutional investors would deliberately encourage their portfolio companies to make moves that hit their valuations. The Shareholder Commons, …
Climate Finance | September 19, 2022
New momentum and stubborn challenges as Climate Week kicks off (Call No. 44)
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 19 – Investors, entrepreneurs, corporate executives and world leaders have descended on New York for Climate Week, the annual gathering alongside the …
Climate Finance | September 19, 2022
Speeding the energy transition: A seven-point action plan
ImpactAlpha, September 19 – Clean-tech research firm Clean Edge has been tracking the investment, policy, and technology trends of the modern energy transition for …
Photo by HCAP Partners.
Good Jobs | September 19, 2022
HCAP Partners raises $353 million to take its good jobs strategy nationwide
ImpactAlpha, September 19 — San Diego-based private equity impact investor HCAP Partners invests in underserved lower middle-market businesses. By working with businesses to …
McKeever “Mac” Conwell | Photo by Kaitlin Newman.
Inclusive Economy | September 19, 2022
Emerging fund managers form pooled investment vehicle to raise capital for overlooked founders
ImpactAlpha, September 19 — Baltimore-based RareBreed Ventures, Oregon’s Rogue Women’s Fund and VitalizeVC in Chicago are combining efforts to raise a collective $10 …
Yvon Chouinard | Photo by Ian Allen.
Dealflow | September 16, 2022
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: Exit to stakeholders
ImpactAlpha, September 16 — Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and his family have given away the $3 billion outdoor apparel company. The new owners …
Climate Finance | September 15, 2022
Overheard at India’s ‘Impact 2022’: Climate investment tipping point
ImpactAlpha, September 15 – India is experiencing a surge of interest in climate investment and innovation, thanks to the country’s bold commitments at COP26 …
a crypto mining "rig"
Blockchain/AI/IoT | September 15, 2022
Ethereum transition points the way to a carbon-free blockchain
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 15 – By the time you read this, energy consumption equivalent to that used annually by Chile and the carbon footprint of Hong …
Photo by Sahyadri Farms.
Smallholder Agriculture | September 15, 2022
Sahyadri Farms raises nearly $40 million to digitalize India’s smallholder farmers
ImpactAlpha, September 15 — Sahyadri Farms is a farmer-led fruit and vegetable processing and export business that works with more than 18,000 farmers …
Photo by Jonathan Hung.
ESG | September 15, 2022
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan-backed Ethic raises $50 million growth investment
ImpactAlpha, September 15 — New York-based Ethic has raised $50 million to expand into new markets and products. The tech-driven asset management platform …
Climate Finance | September 15, 2022
Investors in India are betting on climate tech’s financial opportunity
ImpactAlpha, September 15 – Climate finance in India surged in 2021, reaching about $20 billion in equity, green bonds and other types of capital. …
Policy Corner | September 14, 2022
Reclaiming ESG as pro-business and pro-worker
The culture wars have come for sustainable investing. Right-wing politicians at both federal and state levels have started latching onto the well-known term …
Muni Impact | September 14, 2022
To manage climate risk, municipal bond insurer taps data on community vulnerability
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 14 – Public finance investors buy hundreds of billions of dollars in municipal bond issuances each year, providing much needed capital for …
Photo by Terawatt Infrastructure.
Green Infrastructure | September 14, 2022
TeraWatt Infrastructure rakes in more than $1 billion for EV charging for commercial fleets
ImpactAlpha, September 14 — A lack of charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles is slowing the deployment of electric trucks. San Francisco-based TeraWatt Infrastructure …
Photo by Shutterstock.
Clean Energy | September 14, 2022
Energy Impact Partners raises €390 million for its first European fund
ImpactAlpha, September 14 — Europe leads the clean energy transition and is a key market for the low-carbon transition, says Hans Kobler of …
Impact Investing | September 13, 2022
Bringing the energy transition to every building and neighborhood, with public and private capital
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 13 – Green jobs in South Los Angeles. Low-carbon retrofits and cost savings in New York public housing. Electric vehicle and battery …
Impact Management | September 13, 2022
Seven ways organizations can foster personal, organizational, and social well-being
We recently engaged a consultant to help us examine and ultimately overhaul our internal governance and decision making systems. One of the exercises …