The time is ripe for aligning wealth with social change, according to the upcoming fourth annual Capital for Cause Impact Investing summit in Calgary on Nov. 16.
Organizers of the event say the summit brings together leading experts on a variety of issues around impact investing. The purpose is to provide relevant and accurate information to family foundations, portfolio managers, investors and financial advisers on trends and best practices for integrating social purpose with investment portfolio growth.
“We are on the cusp of a paradigm shift in investing; one that moves beyond the boxed idea that there are trade-offs when considering the social context. Yet we’ve only begun to explore the potential of community capital in realizing this shift – we need to build credibility and improve accessibility for local investing,” said Erin Poeta, manager of Local Investing YYC and a panelist at Capital for Cause.
The event is being held at Hotel Blackfoot.
“We’re already living in the gorgeous new ‘good profit’ era. Divorcing financial returns from social impact is no longer cool. Investors want this, regulators watch for it and the new crop of smart talent demands it. The world has moved on, for good,” said Andreas Souvaliotis, CEO of Carrot Rewards.
Organizers said the event is focusing on Stories from the Trenches as presenters tell their stories from their perspectives. Topics to will be explored are social impact bonds and how to integrate them into a financial mix; aligning multiple generations’ investment perspectives within the family wealth conversation; connecting assets with relevant opportunities like investing in emerging markets and startups.
“Supporting families and individuals as they ask the tough questions around impact investing is what this event is all about,” said Gena Rotstein, co-founder of Karma & Cents. “We believe that if money was the solution to these complex social problems, we would have solved them a long time ago. Creating the space for these discussions to happen in a Western Canadian context allows participants to dive into how best to finance solutions and not continue funding social problems in the same way.”
Mario Toneguzzi is a veteran Calgary-based journalist who worked for 35 years for the Calgary Herald, including 12 years as a senior business writer.
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