I sat down with Maja Beckstrom of the Pioneer Press to talk about impact investing. Check out our conversation:
Though it’s a new buzzword, impact investing is an old concept.
“If you really trace this movement of aligning investments with your values, you need to go back to the Quakers and the 17th century,” says Susan Hammel, executive in residence for impact investing at the Minnesota Council on Foundations. As abolitionists, most Quakers wouldn’t invest in the slave trade and as pacifists they didn’t invest in war.
Smart impact investors see and invest in talent others overlook. For example, only 2% of venture capital funding flows to female-founded companies (2022 data, World Economic Forum). Does anyone think that makes sense on any level? Anyone? Let’s get beyond the tired debates and focus on investing in talent across gender, race, color, ethnicity, geographic location, and socio-economic status. We will all be stronger when talented people have a decent shot at growing their ideas and companies.
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