Aligning Impact Investing & Corporate Investment in Asia

Impact investing is a growing industry defined by the intention to generate positive and measurable social and environmental impacts alongside financial returns. The challenges, however, are many. As a relatively new asset management class it is subject to misinterpretation, misrepresentation, and sometimes misappropriation.

Beyond the normal headaches of establishing a new investment concept amidst rapid change, there is the matter of how to scale great ideas that are good for planet and people. Venture capital is moving in droves into the impact space in the belief that entrepreneurs are best equipped to tackle new challenges that both make money and solve ESG problems. Hundreds of new solutions are hitting the Asia market, but impact – real impact – is dependent on taking great ideas and getting them to scale. Governments can help by clearing the way, revising regulations, and creating the right incentives. But it is corporates with the commercial acumen, resources, and reach that are best positioned to make the real difference on scalability.

In this Asia Corporate Leadership Council session, we will explore ways in which impact investors are identifying “investable” social, environmental and climate problems, enlisting entrepreneurial fire power, and deploying hundreds of millions of investment dollars against profitable ESG targets. In the first half of the session, we will take a hard look at the issues and challenges facing the impact investing community and share examples of impact investing successes and failures. In the second half we will identify areas of shared interest between the early-stage impact and corporate communities and hope to hit upon areas worthy of near-term collaboration.

We will ask:

• What are the challenges and pitfalls of impact investing in this part of the world and what are the barriers to the growth and success of impact investing in Asia?

• What does the Asia impact investing heat map tell us? Which areas are prime for impact investing and which ones will take more time to manifest?

• How might venture capital (VC) firms, entrepreneurs, governments, and corporates align and collaborate on impact investing opportunities?

• Are there opportunities for quick wins by aligning VC and corporate agendas in key markets or industry/product segments?

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Agenda details are as follows:

8:30-8:40am:      Welcome to Members, Guests, and Session Set-up

8:40-9:30am:      Asia’s Impact Investing Landscape and Early Signs of Success

9:30-10:30am:    Member and expert guest dialog to identify areas of common interest and future collaboration, followed by Q&A

10:30am:             Close

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