Power dynamics in funding – with Marta Zaccagnini and Ben Wrobel
Release Date: 03/31/2022
Insuring climate risk - with Helke Waelde and Daniela Zimmermann
Financing Impact
In episode 15, we discuss how insurance can increase resilience to climate risk. Our two guests and their respective organizations cooperate to provide climate risk insurance for developing countries. Dr. Helke Waelde is a senior sector economist at the KfW Development Bank, and Dr. Daniela Zimmermann is senior manager for regulatory affairs at the reinsurance company Hannover Re. In cooperation on climate risk solutions such as the Natural Disaster Fund (NDF), insurance policies are provided which lead to a quick payout to beneficiaries in developing countries in case of an extreme weather...
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Bridging the climate finance divide – with Mahmoud Mohieldin
Financing Impact
For our 14th episode, I invited Dr Mahmoud Mohieldin to discuss the climate finance divide and how to overcome it. The climate finance divide is the gap between the funding needed and funding available to tackle the global climate crisis. It is particularly stark in developing and emerging economies, as these countries face high levels of debt and limited sources of public revenue. Because developing countries are responsible for far less of the Co2 emissions than developed countries, yet suffer more from the consequences of it, bridging the climate finance divide calls for international...
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Financing climate tech – with Baris Efe and Danijel Višević
Financing Impact
In our 13th episode, Baris Efe and Danijel Višević discuss the financing landscape for climate tech. Danijel Višević is General Partner and Co-Founder of World Fund, a Berlin-based climate tech VC (fund size € 300 M, 18 investments so far). Baris Efe is the Co-Founder and Head at Vali Berlin, the entrepreneurship hub of ESMT business school. We discuss why we need tech to tackle the climate crisis and the role of venture capital to finance it. Baris and Danijel analyze the state of European competitiveness and what can be done to improve it. Links ...
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Research-Practice Partnerships - with Katia Halabi and Raji Jayaraman
Financing Impact
In our 12th episode, Katia Halabi and Raji Jayaraman explain and discuss research-practice partnerships (RPPs) and share their experiences. Katia is a practitioner and head of the TVET (technical and vocational education and training) component of a project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Rwanda with co-funding by the European Union. Raji is a researcher and professor of economics at ESMT Berlin as well as the co-director of the Forward Society...
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Impact investing in frontier markets – with Patrick Nussbaumer and Winnie Odhiambo
Financing Impact
In our 11th episode, and discuss impact investing in frontier markets. Patrick works for ’s innovative finance division, and Winnie is an impact investing professional whose career spans working with pension funds, VCs, in private equity and in private debt. We explore the role of development finance institutions (DFIs) in impact investing and how to mitigate country risk in emerging markets. We also discuss the need for more investments into climate adaptation, and the specific challenges of impact measurement in this field. Links: · ...
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Malengo - with Gladys Amule, Johannes Haushofer and Richard Nerland
Financing Impact
In our 10th episode, we take a deep-dive into Malengo, an organization that facilitates international educational migration. Malengo helps students from low-income countries with admissions and financing for a bachelor’s degree in a high-income country. We discuss why migration is an important lever for development, and how income-share agreements can make supporting it a worthwhile impact investment. Our guests bring in 3 different perspectives. Johannes Haushofer is a development economist who founded Malengo based on findings from his research. Richard Nerland is an economist with a...
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Institutional investors and net zero - with Brunno Maradei and Wiebke Merbeth
Financing Impact
In our ninth episode, Brunno Maradei and Wiebke Merbeth discuss the role of institutional investors in achieving net zero. Institutional investors such as pension funds or insurers invest on behalf of others. Wiebke is member of the Sustainable Finance Advisory Committee to the German Government and a partner at Deloitte, and Brunno is Global Head of Responsible Investment at Aegon Asset Management. Both point out that the sheer trillions of € that institutional investors manage make them key stakeholders for a transformation agenda involving financial markets. We discuss the toolbox...
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Impact investing in EdTech - with Marie-Christine Levet and John Soleanicov
Financing Impact
In our eight episode, we discuss impact investing in EdTech. Our guests bring a complementary perspective: Marie-Christine Levet is founding partner at Educapital, a European EdTech VC that closed its second fund with a €150 million closing. John Soleanicov works for the Jacobs Foundation, which committed CHF 30 million to impact investments into EdTech, and CHF 10 million funding for accompanying research. We discuss the rationale for promoting EdTech and the complementary roles of grants and impact investments. We hear about Educapital’s and the Jacobs Foundation’s approach to...
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Impact investing in public markets - with Krisztina Tora and Eric Rice
Financing Impact
In our seventh episode, we discuss impact investing in public markets with Krisztina Tora and Eric Rice. Krisztina is Chief Market Development Officer at GSG, the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment. Eric is head of Active Equities Impact Investing at Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager. In our conversation, we discuss what makes impact investing through the stock market different from investing in private equity or other asset classes. We talk about what it takes to democratize impact investing and the role of shareholder engagement to achieve impact. Eric shares...
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Deep impact investing - with Charly Kleissner
Financing Impact
In our sixth episode, Charly Kleissner shares his investment philosophy, which he calls “deep impact investing”. Charly came into wealth as a technologist building several very successful companies in Silicon Valley. He developed the basis for what later became Apple’s OS with Steve Jobs at Next, but considers the B2B eCommerce company Ariba his masterpiece. Since selling his Ariba stock, Charly has devoted himself to impact investing to give meaning to his wealth. He co-founded Toniic, a network for likeminded impact investors, to share knowledge and deal flow. Under the umbrella of...
info_outlineIn our third episode, Marta Zaccagnini and Ben Wrobel discuss power dynamics in funding within the impact investing space and in philanthropy. They explain why shifting decision-making power to those with lived experience of the problem at hand is both timely and leads to better outcomes. For impact investing, we look into the peer selected investment approach of Village Capital, where Marta is a manager. Ben, who co-wrote a book on participatory approaches in philanthropy and impact investing, analyzes what decision making processes in foundations and investment funds have in common. We hear examples of organizations that have introduced participatory approaches around funding decisions, and address reservations funders may have towards ceding decision-making power. In an outlook beyond the world of impact investing and philanthropy, we hear about the potential for participatory budgeting to restore trust in democracy.
Links
- Village Capital’s “Flipping the Power Dynamics” report presents findings on the outcomes of the peer selected investment approach regarding both diversity and commercial success.
- Letting Go, the book Ben co-authored with Meg Massey, explores how philanthropists and impact investors can do more good by giving up control.
Additional resources mentioned by Ben:
- The Grantcraft Guide to participatory grantmaking
- Shari Davis' TED talk on participatory budgeting
- The People Powered Hub for Participatory Democracy
For feedback on the show or to suggest guests for future episodes, contact us at [email protected]