Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers!
‘Follow the talent’ is one of our mantras as ImpactAlpha covers the daily beat of impact investing. Smart, passionate Agents of Impact are driving change within their organizations and across financial markets.
In this special report, we recap our daily ‘Follow the Talent’ sections and profile a weekly ‘Agent of Impact.’ Read on to catch up with talent on the move, job openings and places to be. Help the growing ImpactAlpha community follow your talent: Send job moves, mandates, event announcements and other news to [email protected].
Don’t miss: “The Impact Alpha Report: Private funds managers deliver outperformance by driving impact.”
Fighting poverty and remaining rich: Ceniarth shifts portfolio to impact-first capital preservation
– Dennis Price, editorial director
Agent of the Week
Agent of impact: Aavishkaar’s Vineet Rai. It took Vineet Rai more than five years to raise Rs 50 million (about $700,000) for his first fund. Since then, the founder of the Aavishkar-Intellecap Group has raised hundreds of millions of dollars across south and southeast Asia and Africa. The goal: to build businesses that deliver employment, health, energy and financial inclusion for “the other three billion” low- to middle-income customers in emerging markets. That was the theme of the group’s 10th Sankalp Global Summit this week, which convened 800 impact entrepreneurs, investors and others in Mumbai. Aavishkaar’s eighth fund is aiming for $300 million to invest in Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar. An Africa-focused fund is looking to raise $150 million. The Bharat fund, Aavishkaar’s largest India-focused fund, is about halfway to its $200 million goal. “We are building an ecosystem for impact investing,” Rai said last year. “That means that you need to invest capital to bring in high quality of senior leadership. You need to bring in technology. You have to invest in incubating innovations that can be disruptive. All of this requires capital.” Follow ImpactAlpha on Instagram.
Sankalp Global Summit targets next three billion emerging consumers
Seize the Opportunity
Boundless Impact Investing seeks a director of climate impact and a head of corporate and business development… New Forests is hiring a manager of investment analytics… Ashoka U is looking for a manager for its Exchange conference… Humanity United is looking for a manager of strategy, learning and impact… Principles for Responsible Investment is looking for a U.S. network manager… Elemental Excelerator is recruiting a portfolio manager for energy and mobility… Root Capital is hiring an impact analyst.
Uncharted seeks a director of operations in Denver… Social Finance US is recruiting a senior researcher for its ‘impact-weighted accounts’ initiative (see ‘Follow the Talent’ below) … Social Finance UK is looking for a director of its social finance accelerator… Rethink Education is hiring a VC analyst.
Follow the Talent
Harvard Business School professor George Serafeim and GSG’s Sir Ronald Cohen will co-lead the ‘impact-weighted accounts initiative’ (see ‘Seize the Opportunity’ above)… Catherine Isabelle Cax is the new director of investments at Soros Economic Development Fund… Former OPIC president Elizabeth Littlefield is the new board chair of pay-as-you-go solar firm M-KOPA… Paula Goldman, previously of Omidyar Network, is the new “Chief Ethical and Humane Use Officer” at Salesforce.
RBC Global Asset Management promotes Ron Homer to chief strategist for impact investing and Catherine Banat to director of responsible investing, both for the U.S… Carbon Tracker’s Mark Lewis joins BNP Paribas Asset Management as head of climate change investment research.
Where to be
The Winter Innovation Summit is bringing together policymakers, funders, nonprofits, and social entrepreneurs to explore the future of social innovation across the globe from Feb. 6 to 8 in Salt Lake City. Register now with code IMPACTALPHA-19 to receive a 10% discount.
Impact Entrepreneur Center’s Laurie Lane-Zucker is convening a virtual fireside chat Jan. 3 to talk “The Year in Impact” with journalists Anne Field and Devin Thorpe (Forbes), Scott Anderson (NextBillion) and ImpactAlpha’s David Bank. There’s a small fee.Register here.
David Bank will also join the New England Impact Investing Initiative’s “Mobilizing the Boston Impact Investing Community,” evening event along with Boston Ujima Project’s Lucas Turner-Owens, Carrie Endries of McVeigh Capital Management, Remmer Family Foundation’s Ellen Remmer, Tracy Palandjian of Social Finance and College for Social Innovation’s Sara Minard on January 10.
Apply, Respond, Submit
Social Impact Investments Initiative in Israel requests proposals from Israeli enterprises focused on education, employment or community development.
That’s a wrap! Help the growing ImpactAlpha community follow your talent: Send your own job moves, new opportunities and event announcements to [email protected].
