PREVIOUS COVERAGE
Download PEI’s 2022 Impact Investing report
Inside: Creating momentum – how private equity is putting its impact capital to work; A deep dive into six impact themes; Keynote interviews and expert analysis from industry leaders; Plus much more…
The growth of impact investing
As the market matures, funds are finding ways to stand out from the crowd while LPs dial up demands for transparency.
Impact themes in focus
We explore six areas where impact investors are putting their capital to work.
Impact themes in focus: Climate
Investor appetite for climate-orientated solutions is growing as a political push for action accelerates momentum.
Impact themes in focus: Education
How impact investors can meet the needs of students in a post-covid world.
Impact themes in focus: Health
The pandemic made existing inequities in healthcare harder to ignore.
Impact themes in focus: Financial inclusion
Reaching unbanked communities is unlocking more opportunities to create impact than ever before.
Impact themes in focus: Food security
Impact investors are looking for solutions to boost global food security.
Impact themes in focus: Gender equality
As gender-lens investing moves up the agenda, Vicky Meek asks whether investors are taking a holistic enough approach.
Adams Street Partners: LP appetite for impact continues to surge
Investors see more impact opportunities and want more rigour behind those strategies, say Matt Autrey, Ana Maria Harrison and Yohan Hill at Adams Street Partners.
Standing out through specialisation
As impact assets under management mushroom, impact managers are fine-tuning their strategies and working to differentiate themselves from the crowd.
Q&A: DEG’s Elleke Maliepaard
Having a shared vision is key when investing in impact funds, says Elleke Maliepaard at German development finance institution DEG.
Apollo: Investing for impact
Impact and financial returns should be mutually reinforcing, says partner and co-head of impact at Apollo, Joanna Reiss.
The search for the ‘holy grail’ of comparable impact data
Impact performance benchmarks – like GIIN’s IRIS+ – are in their nascency, but there are those that believe they will enter the mainstream.
KPMG: Putting data at the heart of impact
Reliable and relevant data is vital for impact investors to demonstrate accountability and to make better decisions, says KPMG’s Tania Carnegie.
Q&A: Impact Investing Institute’s Shadi Brazell
An intentional approach to place is required if economies are to work for all, says Shadi Brazell, senior programme manager at the Impact Investing Institute.
Schroders Capital: Sourcing impact investments post-SFDR
The Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation is becoming inextricably linked with the impact investment process, says Amara Goeree, sustainability director, private equity at Schroders Capital.
Q&A: Big Society Capital’s Douglas Sloan
The UK social impact investing market has grown almost 10-fold over the last decade and continues to accelerate, says Douglas Sloan, managing director at Big Society Capital.
Travers Smith: Incorporating impact into deal documentation
The private equity model is well suited to impact investing, but some additional considerations can help funds drive positive outcomes, say Travers Smith’s George Weavil and Henriika Hara.
The impact secondaries market moves up a gear
The amount of dry powder dedicated to impact secondaries increased markedly in 2022 – if from a very low base.
Paine Schwartz Partners on confronting global challenges with impact investing
There is an opportunity to align closely with portfolio companies and investors to address global challenges such as food supply, climate change and poor health, say Kevin Schwartz, Renata Dinkelmann and Natalya Michaels at Paine Schwartz Partners.
Q&A: Farrell Associates’ Lotti Hawkins
Demand for professionals with impact investing experience continues to rise as more private markets managers launch impact strategies, says Farrell Associates’ Lotti Hawkins.
Nuveen: Driving an equitable transition to a low-carbon economy
Climate change and inequality are interconnected challenges that cannot be addressed in isolation, say Rekha Unnithan, David Haddad and Radhika Shroff
of Nuveen’s private equity impact team.
Data and greenwashing are the key impact concerns ‘keeping LPs up at night’
A panel of client relation experts say GPs should gear up for more questions around impact data.
KKR: Thematic tailwinds drive impact opportunities
Current macro challenges make impact investments even more compelling, says Ken Mehlman, co-head of KKR’s Global Impact strategy.
Stepstone Group: The evolution of impact investing
The face of impact investing has evolved – now it offers a variety of compelling opportunities for investors seeking to align their financial and environmental or social objectives, say StepStone Group’s Suzanne Tavill and Bhavika Vyas.
Download PEI’s special report on impact investing 2021
In the magazine: Private equity’s role in the fight against climate change; The GPs tying carried interest to impact; The LPs targeting impact investing; Keynote interviews with industry leaders; Plus much more…
Impact investment’s role in the fight against climate change
As governments, climate experts and campaigners gather at COP26, how are impact investors tackling the defining challenge of our era?
Key trends in impact investing
From new entrants and approaches to increasingly pressing challenges, the impact investing market continues to grow and become more nuanced.
The GPs tying carried interest to impact
Pioneering fund managers are making the ultimate GP prize – carried interest – contingent on impact or ESG metrics. Is this the future?
BlueMark: Verifying impact
As the impact investing space continues to expand, stakeholders are increasingly seeking evidence that GP claims about impact hold true, says BlueMark’s Christina Leijonhufvud.
Golding Capital Partners on developing a green niche
Investors are embracing green solutions in areas ranging from farming to fintech, but early movers with deep domain expertise will have an advantage, says Golding Capital Partners’ head of impact, Dr Andreas Nilsson.
GIIN: It’s time to act on climate change
Climate action is critical and investing in solutions can make a major impact, says Amit Bouri of the Global Impact Investing Network.
DPI: What investors want from impact
Impact investing is an increasingly prevalent strategy, but LPs need better tools for measuring results, say DPI’s Runa Alam and Vincent Lecat.
Schroders: Supporting a covid recovery in emerging markets
Impact investing has an important role to play in emerging markets in the wake of the pandemic, offering opportunities for investors, says Schroders Capital’s Maria Teresa Zappia.
Anthos: Attitudes to impact are evolving
The pandemic has highlighted that impact investing can be an effective tool for addressing a wide range of challenges, says Anthos Fund & Asset Management’s Dimple Sahni.
KPMG on the opportunity for collaboration in impact
Greater sophistication around impact and ESG, and a heightened focus on value creation, are presenting new ways for GPs and portfolio companies to work together, says KPMG’s Tania Carnegie.
Asia Green Fund on impact in Asia
The opportunity to invest behind China’s carbon reduction goals is immense, says Asia Green Fund’s chairman and CEO, Dr Bo Bai.
The investors targeting impact
Investors are turning to impact to direct their money towards areas that align with their missions and values.
Trill Impact: Creating real returns and lasting impact
Investing with an impact lens will not only make the world a better place; it will also create more sustainable and valuable businesses, say Trill Impact’s Jan Ståhlberg and Pia Irell.
Nuveen: Integrating impact into financial analysis
Quantifying trade-offs can help construct portfolios that best serve risk, return and impact outcomes, writes Gwen Busby, head of research and strategy at GreenWood Resources, Nuveen’s forestry investment specialist.
The bittersweet growth of the impact scene
Frustration or bemusement aside, the pioneers of the impact scene should not be put out by the new arrivals.
Apis Partners on why impact will soon be standard
Taking an impact-focused approach will soon be a requirement and not a differentiator, say Udayan Goyal and Matteo Stefanel, managing partners at Apis Partners.
Raven’s Jeff Cyr on investing in Indigenous communities
A culturally informed impact approach can benefit undercapitalised Indigenous communities, says Jeff Cyr, managing partner at Canadian venture capital firm Raven Indigenous Capital Partners.
Download PEI’s special report on impact investing
In the magazine: Making an impact – how a niche product became an established strategy; The perils of green washing; Keynote interviews with Nuveen, CDC Group, Development Partners International and KPMG. Plus much more…
Impact investing goes mainstream as big players arrive
Private equity heavyweights such as Bain, TPG and Partners Group are moving into impact, making it an established strategy.
Nuveen on maintaining integrity in impact
As the impact investment ecosystem continues to expand, players must be held accountable for delivering on their promises, say Rekha Unnithan and David Haddad, co-heads of impact investing in private markets at Nuveen.
How can managers avoid green washing?
How can we be sure impact investment claims are accurate? Private Equity International goes inside the race to develop better measurement frameworks.
CDC embraces diversity to support returns
Diversity and inclusion have become an increasingly important part of any due diligence when assessing funds or an underlying company, but there is still some way to go, says CDC Group’s Clarisa De Franco.
Rebecca Fries on using a gender lens to increase impact
Value for Women’s Rebecca Fries explains how investors can improve their opportunities to innovate and their impact, particularly in the wake of covid-19.
Impact investing: Is it reinventing capitalism?
The social and economic vulnerabilities exposed by the coronavirus could propel the world of impact investment to new levels.
Development Partners International on integrating impact
As the adoption of ESG criteria becomes mainstream and impact investing continues to evolve, we asked Development Partners International CEO and co-founder Runa Alam and head of ESG and impact Michael Hall about the firm’s approach.
Why impact investment must become the norm
The sector must follow in responsible investment's footsteps, says Jean-Philippe de Schrevel, founder and managing partner at impact investing platform Bamboo Capital Partners.
Six trends in impact investing
From agriculture to zero waste, PEI's A-Z shows how impact has entered the investing mainstream.
Video: A-Z of impact investing
PEI teamed up with an illustrator to show just how diverse impact investing is.
A-Z of Impact Investing: A-E
In the first part of our A-Z, we examine agri-investing, blockchain, clean technology, diversity and education.
Goldman Sachs on the shift to low carbon technologies
The sharp fall in the cost of installing and generating renewable power is driving the shift to low carbon technologies, says Taylor Jordan of Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
Actis: No need to compromise on financial performance in impact
Financial returns and positive social and environmental outcomes are mutually reinforcing if investors take a well-considered and targeted approach, says Shami Nissan, head of responsible investment at Actis.
A-Z of Impact Investing: F-J
The second part of our A-Z looks at financial return, global vision, healthcare, inclusive finance and job creation.
A-Z of Impact Investing: K-M
The third part of our A-Z looks at kids and the future generation, low-cost housing and metrics.
CDC on how creating jobs relieves poverty
As private sources of capital warm to the idea of impact investing, there is much they can learn from DFIs, say Clarisa De Franco and Yasemin Saltuk Lamy of the UK’s CDC Group, which has been deploying capital for positive outcomes for over 70 years
KPMG: Why metrics matter for impact investors
Tania Carnegie, leader of the Impact Venture practice at KPMG, on the power of positive impact measurement to drive opportunity.
A-Z of Impact Investing: N-Q
In the fourth part of our A-Z we look at nutrition, oceans and clean water, public-private partnerships and quality outcomes.
A-Z of Impact Investing: R-U
The fifth part of our A-Z looks at renovation, scale, the ticking clock of global warming and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Paul Hastings on delivering on the promise of impact
Paul Hastings’ Vadim Avdeychik and Runjhun Kudaisya on the questions LPs should be asking to ensure quality impact outcomes.
Nuveen’s guide to scaling with integrity
As the popularity of impact investing grows exponentially, maintaining standards is key, says Nuveen’s Rekha Unnithan.
A-Z of Impact Investing: V-Z
The sixth and final part of our A-Z looks at vulnerable communities, women's empowerment, X-ray vision, younger generations and the move towards zero waste.
Click here to access Private Equity International’s in-depth special reports covering a wide array of topics, plus our digital magazines.
