Greetings, Agents of Impact!
Welcome to ImpactAlpha’s weekly “follow the talent” roundup of impact investing career moves, job openings, events and opportunities. Help the growing ImpactAlpha community follow your talent: Send job moves, mandates, event announcements and other news to [email protected].
– Dennis Price, editorial director
Agent of Impact
Derrick Morgan of KNGDM Impact Fund. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck wasn’t the first NFL veteran to step away from football on his own terms this summer. In July, Derrick Morgan, a linebacker with the Tennessee Titans, retired after nine years in the league to pursue a long-time passion: impact investing. Over the last few years, Morgan built up a portfolio of investments in social justice startups, including community investment platform CNote, tech ecosystem Bitwise Industries, affordable housing financier Community Housing Capital and Macro, a production company representing perspective of persons of color. Now, Morgan has launched KNGDM Impact Fund to mobilize hundreds of millions of dollars for Opportunity Zones investments in Nashville (where he played pro ball), Atlanta (where he went to college), Austin (where his business partner lives) and Coatesville, Penn. (his hometown). Morgan’s goal: promoting ownership, empowerment and upward mobility in underestimated communities.
Morgan is redefining what it means to be an athlete. In an essay, Morgan shares how an injury early in his career left him alone on the sidelines. He discovered himself outside of the game, became a father and reconsidered his future. While continuing on in the NFL, he invested in himself – getting an MBA – and companies that represented his values. He built a network that includes long-time impact investor Morgan Simon, whose Candide Group advises Morgan, to help fill gaps in his investing knowledge. With the NFL behind him, he plans to leverage his new platform for good, he says, and write a new narrative for what athletes are supposed to be. “The types of projects we’re doing, they’re going to change the whole market,” Morgan told ImpactAlpha. – Dennis Price
- “Like” Derrick Morgan’s story on Instagram.
Seize the Opportunity
ImpactAlpha is hiring: Director of Growth. Hot business trend meets scalable media model. Our new Director of Growth will drive subscription marketing to grow recurring revenues so we can serve the growing community of Agents of Impact even better. Join ImpactAlpha’s team (and spread the word).
Triodos is looking for an investment process manager in Zeist, the Netherlands… Open Road Alliance is hiring a director of communications in New York, Washington DC or Seattle… Salesforce is hiring a senior manager director of ethical and humane use in San Francisco… Frankfurt School Financial Services seeks a principal in Frankfurt for a new fund investing into waste and recycling companies in developing countries… Finance in Motion is recruiting a senior investment officer in Bogotá… UBS is looking for an analyst of sustainable investing in Hong Kong…
Impala Energy is looking for an ESG manager in London… Pact seeks a project manager of financial inclusion in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania… New Media Ventures is hiring an entrepreneur-in-residence in Oakland… Uncharted is looking for a director of business development and an accelerator director in Denver… Sustainalytics seeks a senior associate or manager in New York… Mission Driven Finance is recruiting a senior manager of content and communications in San Diego.
Follow the Talent
Shobana Mani joins Upstart Co-Lab as a partner… Allison Shapiro, ex- of JP Morgan Chase, joins Closed Loop Partners as executive director… Jeff Hilton, previously with Aura Financial, joins Opportunity Fund as senior vice president of capital markets… Christina Lukeman, ex- of Agora Partnerships, joins MCE Social Capital as senior business development manager.
Apply, Respond, Submit
Australian real estate group Mirvac and INCO, a network of environmental and social start-ups, launch The Impact Accelerator for entrepreneurs solving sustainably challenges in urban real estate… Opportunity Virginia launches to connect investors, project sponsors and communities in the state’s Opportunity Zones.
Get Smarter
Roots of Impact’s Bjoern Struewer will lead the Initiative for Blended Finance at the University of Zurich’s Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth.
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].
