Viewpoint: Impact Investing is Driving the Most Exciting Emerging Technologies

Friday, February 1, 2019

Last week, Adam Draper, Managing Director at Boost VC, the Sci-Fi pre-seed fund, tweeted he was looking for Ocean-related tech startups. “The Ocean is the oldest frontier, and it’s time to solve global problems with the latest technology,” he wrote, followed by “I’m obsessed, and want to profitably help the planet.” You might not have pegged Boost VC as an impact investing fund, but that is exactly what they are and have always been, albeit with an emerging tech twist.

The term “impact investing” was coined by The Rockefeller Foundation in 2007, which for perspective, is the same year the first generation iPhone was released. It refers to a double or triple bottom line approach in which a company pursues not only a wholesome return in profit but also a positive impact for people and/or the planet.

The practice has become increasingly popular over the past few years.

Take ESG investing, for example, which stands for environmental, social, and governance. It’s an investment approach that assumes socially responsible practices minimize a business’s operational risk. ESG is proving to be a great way to convince baby boomers to prioritize the interests of society and the environment at the same level as profit simply because it makes good business sense. In fact, ESG investments currently represent 25 percent of all assetsunder management globally.

That’s $22.8 trillion.

 

Source: Venture Beat (link opens in a new window)

Categories
Investing, Technology
Tags
ESG, impact investing