The Impact Investing Podcast

Interviewing the leaders in Impact Investing and Social and Environmental Entrepreneurship to help build and strengthen communities by sharing the best practices and inspiring stories of these amazing problem solvers.

Rehana Nathoo on Social Finance, Next Gen Leaders, and the Impact Investing Network Map 08/15/2017

John Kohler on Impact Capital, Micro VC Firms and Launching the Demand Dividend 02/28/2017

John Kohler on Impact Capital, Micro VC Firms and Launching the Demand Dividend For the past several years, John has been Director of Impact Capital at Santa Clara’s Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship and has also been a mentor to social entrepreneurs at the Global Social Benefit Accelerator. In 2011 he authored a report on impact investing entitled Coordinating Impact Capital: a New Approach to Investing in Small and Growing Businesses and recently co-authored a chapter on equity investing in New Frontiers of Philanthropy (Oxford Press-2014). He is now pioneering a new investment vehicle – the Demand Dividend - that presents investors with a ‘structured exit’ alternative to equity. In addition, he is co-founder and Director of Toniic, a syndication network of impact investors. John manages investments through Redleaf Venture Management, a venture capital operating company founded in 1993. John's earlier background includes twenty years of executive level positions at Hewlett Packard, Silicon Graphics, Convergent Technologies and Unisys. He was one of the founding executives at Netscape Communications. He led investments at AdRelevance (JMXI), Mosaic Communications (TWX), NetGravity (DCLK), RedCreek Communications (SNWL), and Wireless Online. John serves as a board member at PACT, an NGO based in Washington D.C. He received his bachelor’s degree concentrating in international economics from UCLA and completed executive programs at Wharton and Stanford business schools. Over the last 15 years, he was a managing member of the UCLA Venture Capital Fund and still serves on the UCLA Sciences Board of Visitors. Other recent advisory committees include the World Economic Forum, and HUB Ventures. John has a vast wealth of knowledge when it comes to financing early stage companies, and he is now applying his skill set to helping social entrepreneurs build investment ready companies at the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University. It's not often you get to have discussions with someone who launched the first micro VS firm back in 1993, and is now applying lessons learned from tech investing in Silicon Valley to the companies and entrepreneurs who are trying to build businesses addressing climate resilience, bottom of the pyramid customers, and is financing them through innovative means. Rather than always taking equity, there are alternative ways to fund social enterprise startups that align long term goals of both the investor and the company, and create a more sustainable model, and John is at the forefront of these methods. Show Notes and Resources: Demand Dividend | | Facebook.com/impactinvestingpodcast twitter.com/impinvpodcast /episode/index/show/impactinvestingpodcast/id/5123441

Matthew Weatherley-White: The Philosopher King of Impact Investing 02/01/2017

Matthew Weatherley-White: The Philosopher King of Impact Investing "The capacity for truly independent thought is first of all rare, and second of all lonely. And so to pursue that as an investor is critically important, yet really, really difficult." Matthew Weatherly-White is the co-founder and Managing Director of the CAPROCK Group. A multi-family office based in Boise,ID with over 2 Billion dollars under management. Matthew has accomplished a ton, but maybe most interesting about him is his philosophical approach to investing, and the numerous mental models he applies to the endeavor. If you’re interested in exploring philosophical questions within Impact Investing, this is the episode for you. From applying mental models to your investment approach, to evolution, tribalism and Adam Smith, to shareholder activism, opting out, and why true impact investors are still so rare, and what it takes to develop the required skills to be one - this episode is designed to make you think deeply about impact investing, and how the markets, and the people working in them, operate as a whole. "If the enemy of the good is perfect, then capital doesn't flow for fear of being wrong or unprofessional, or years later being looked back at with derision." Shaping The CAPROCK Group’s initiative in Impact Investing, Matthew is a sought-after speaker and thought leader in the discipline. In addition to keynoting the 2013 European Commission's Annual Award for Social Innovation, Matthew has guest-lectured on sustainable business management and non-financial value creation at Harvard, Tuck, Kellogg, Booth and the American University in Paris business schools, has presented at conferences throughout the US and Europe, serves as a strategic adviser to several Impact Investing funds, and has been quoted in Barron's, International Business Daily, Bloomberg Business Week, Forbes and The New York Times. More recently, he successfully shepherded two pieces of legislation through the Idaho Statehouse, the first authorizing Pay For Success Contracting and the second awarding legal status to businesses structured as Benefit Corporations. Prior to co-founding The CAPROCK Group, Matthew was a partner in The Owyhee Group, a boutique advisory team within Smith Barney. During his fourteen years with the company, he was a member of Citigroup’s elite Leadership Development Program and helped craft the firm’s Private Wealth Management platform. Matthew graduated from Dartmouth College, has competed internationally in five different sports and continues to serve as a Director for the Lee Pesky Learning Center, an organization he helped launch nearly 20 years ago. When not working, Matthew can usually be found outside, running, skiing, mountaineering, cycling... and generally encouraging his daughter to enjoy wilderness with the same irrational exuberance as her father. Show Notes and Resources: | /episode/index/show/impactinvestingpodcast/id/5043006

Kusi Hornberger on Development Economics and Global Partnerships 12/31/2016

Mark Horoszowski on MovingWorlds, Volunteering and the Impact of your Skillset 11/09/2016

Mark Horoszowski on MovingWorlds, Volunteering and the Impact of your Skillset Mark Horoszowski is co-founder and CEO of , a global platform that helps people volunteer their expertise with social impact organizations around the world, on their own or through corporate-sponsored programs. Since its launch in 2011, MovingWorlds.org has already helped unleash over 5 million dollars worth of professional skills to social enterprises around the world and is the originator of the term, . Mark holds a Master's in Accounting and a BA in Business from the University of Washington, serves as a volunteer co-chairing the American Cancer Society's National Volunteer Leadership Team, and is a contributor at Huffington Post Impact. Moving Worlds is also a B-corp that has taken investment from the impact investing group, Investors Circle, and has gone through the challenges in taking a social enterprise from idea, to market, and scale. In this interview, Mark and I dive deep into the hard and soft skills that are most needed in emerging markets, and the ones that can have the biggest impact in your impact career. Things like accounting, sales and marketing, and technical know-how are highly coveted skills abroad, and MovingWorlds gives individuals the opportunity to volunteer their unique skillsets to help social enterprises around the world solve their grand challenges. Most importantly, Mark and I discuss the need for empathy when helping others, how to develop empathy, and how to make sure your impact is lasting, even after you’ve returned home from experteering. Volunteering can change the direction of your career, and open doors you never would've imaged possible. It has played such a large role in Mark's life, and mine as well, so I cannot stress its importance enough. It's something I continue to do through organizations like SCORE and Maine Startup and Create Week, and I highly encourage anyone listening to find ways you can volunteer. Whether you go on an experteering trip with Moving Worlds, or just find an organization or cause in your local community. Volunteering can have a massive impact on not only your life, but the people you’re volunteering for. I believe the quality of our life is greatly influenced by the quality of people in our lives, and volunteering is a great way to exponentially increase both. www.movingworlds.org Facebook: ImpactInvestingPodcast Twitter: @impinvpodcast www.impactinvestingpodcast.com /episode/index/show/impactinvestingpodcast/id/4815821

Jean Case on the Impact of Inclusive Entrepreneurship and Solving Grand Challenges 10/12/2016

Jean Case on the Impact of Inclusive Entrepreneurship and Solving Grand Challenges Jean Case is the CEO of the Case Foundation and Chair of The National Geographic Society Board of Trustees. Currently an actively engaged philanthropist, investor and pioneer in the world of interactive technologies, her career in the private sector spanned nearly two decades before she and her husband, Steve Case, created the in 1997. A passionate believer in all things digital and the amazing potential of technology to change the world for the better, the Case Foundation is recognized for its innovative efforts to address significant social challenges, harnessing the best impulses of entrepreneurship, technology and collaboration to drive exponential impact. In addition to her role as CEO of the Case Foundation and Chairman of the National Geographic Society Board of Trustees, Jean also serves on numerous other boards around the globe, all focused on the forefronts of innovation, diversity and the education of our emerging leaders. Jean has also repeatedly been recognized for her incredible work by a wide variety of organizations, receiving accolades such as top Business Women, "Most Admired Nonprofit CEO, and "one of the 9 Most Generous Tech Entrepreneurs" by Fast Company. Jean is also an active contributor to civil causes and Government. In June 2006, she was appointed by President George W. Bush to chair the President's Council on Service and Civil Participation, and the Case Foundation is known for their work promoting an inclusive society. This conversation is a absolutely fantastic, as Jean and I talked about diversity in social entrepreneurship and impact investing, failure, innovation in government, the rise of conservation technology, the impact of millennials and much, much more. To anyone looking for a role model on how to think about impact, how to lead, or how to leverage your work for the greatest good, Jean is your woman. Twitter: @jeancase @impinvpodcast @CaseFoundation Facebook: Case Foundation, Jean Case, The Impact Investing Podcast /episode/index/show/impactinvestingpodcast/id/4740545

Songbae Lee on SME Lending, Career Advice, and the Impact of the Calvert Foundation 08/31/2016

Jack Knellinger on Capria and Building the First Accelerator for Impact Fund Managers 07/07/2016

Clara Miller on Building a Foundation for the 21st Century 05/05/2016

Michael "Luni" Libes and his Blueprints for Building Accelerators and Funds for Social Good 04/20/2016

Benjamin Stone on How to Launch Your Career in Impact Investing and Social Entrepreneurship 04/07/2016

Bryan Birsic on Techstars, Finding Your Co-Founders, and the Impact of Wunder Capital 03/23/2016

Charlie Spies on the Impact of the New Markets Tax Credit Program and Rural Community Development 03/09/2016

Flory Wilson on Metrics, GIIRS and B-Analytics 02/24/2016

Matt Davis and the Impact of Entrepreneurship, Perseverance and Investing in Ethiopia 02/11/2016

Amy Novogratz on Raising a Fund and the Future of Aquaculture 01/20/2016

Amy Novogratz on Raising a Fund and the Future of Aquaculture Amy Novogratz is a Managing Partner of AquaSpark - the world's first aquaculture-only venture investment fund. Founded in 2013, AquaSpark invests with a focus on sustainable aquaculture businesses around the world. The small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) they invest in are working toward the production of safe, accessible aquatic life - such as fish, shellfish and plants, as well as innovations in fish feed and technical systems; all which operate in ways that do not harm the planet's oceans. The funds investors value the fact that each investment aims to create triple impact—specifically, each investment is chosen for its potential to generate significant financial returns while also activating positive environmental and social outcomes. Specifically, Aquaspark chooses SMEs that meet the following three principles of sustainability; Economic sustainability—the business generates enough cash to be able to reinvest in its own growth and provide an equitable return to its stakeholders; Environmental sustainability—the business sets high standards of environmental management and seeks to maintain or enhance ecosystem services; and Social sustainability—the business creates jobs, reduces poverty, empowers the underserved, and helps to strengthen communities*; Their investments start at $250,000, and the fund purposely does not seek controlling stakes in thier investments. The team at AquaSpark prefers to be a minority investor holding between 20-49%, alongside other investors. Every business they invest in is a reflection of their trust in the entrepreneur to lead their companies’ development and growth in the most effective way. Prior to AquaSpark, Amy was the Director of the TED prize for 8 years, leading more than twenty global collaborations across a broad spectrum of sectors, including healthcare, education, science, technology, conservation, art, and activism. On top of her work at AquaSpark, Amy is also working alongside Sylvia Earle and her project “Mission Blue.” The project aims to educate the world on the importance of ocean conservation and how much we depend on the marine ecosystems and how important they are to our planet’s survival. As well, the overarching goal of the Mission Blue project is to establish a global network of protected areas in the ocean - Hope Spots – special places that are vital to the health of the ocean – through the creation of a global network of marine protected areas to safeguard 20% of the ocean by 2020.” As some of you may have figured out by now, I'm wildly bullish on aquaculture. In the past it has been associated with environmental harm rather than doing good, but as our climate changes, our fisheries are subject to the "," and our resources decline - aquaculture is becoming a necessary solution and one that can have many positive impacts while limiting the negative. It is projected that we will need to increase our food production by 60% by 2050 to feed a world population of 9.5 Billion people. Current agriculture methods aren't going to - and can't - make it happen. We're going to have to start looking to the ocean. This mean conservation, strict regulation, and innovative ways to grow and harvest aquaculture related products such as kelp, shellfish, sea cucumbers and fin fish. If you are an early stage investor or interested in investing in food systems or environmentally conscience companies - aquaculture is an area I would look long and hard at. Facebook: The Impact Investing Podcast Twitter: @impinvpodcast www.aqua-apark.nl /episode/index/show/impactinvestingpodcast/id/4090240