Why the impact investing world is buzzing

We periodically share highlights from our trips to conferences and events.

Our resident health equity expert VP Sophia Friedman, pictured above with Pear Suite's head of partnerships Stefan Savicic and CEO Colby Takeda, files a dispatch from last week's HLTH conference in Las Vegas:


"I had a whirlwind 24 hours at the HLTH conference in Las Vegas this week! It was a busy, productive day during which I had 11 one-on-one meetings (in 12 hours there), attended two formal networking events and had a ton of other run ins with peers from the healthcare industry. HLTH puts on a great event with really impressive turnout. There are attendees from all sub-sectors of the healthcare industry there - founders, investors, industry executives (payors, providers, pharma, biotech, services), key opinion leaders and even public figures. The event was productive on several dimensions, including related to direct deal diligence, meeting with various fund managers, gaining industry insight and better understanding trending topics and areas within healthcare. It was incredibly busy and jam packed but well worthwhile!"


IE CEO Jessica Droste Yagan files a dispatch from last week's GIIN Impact Forum in Amsterdam: 


"It was great to get outside of the US bubble and hear more about what institutional asset managers from around the world are thinking about impact investing. Climate and nature were clearly most on the minds of investors, in particular regarding investments in the global south. It was especially exciting to see the largest players in the financial system engaged in this important work, alongside the 100% impact firms like us who continue to push the bar forward."


The Little Book of Impact Investing is now available wherever books are sold.

Published by Wiley and written by our very own Chief Investment Officer Priya Parrish, the book is already generating buzz in both the impact investing community and the broader investing world... as well as inspiring cake designs at Priya's alma mater, Babson College, which held a book launch party this month!

"Clearly in the climate world, more and more large Fortune 500 companies have made commitments to become carbon neutral. Well how are they going to do that?" Priya asks on Bloomberg. "Impact investors are looking for those companies with those solutions that are really meeting those very, very large demand drivers in a number of sectors. So it's a great way to make money and make a change in the world."

Above: Priya interviewed by Professor Gertner at a book launch event we hosted with Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business this week.

Selected Press:

Bloomberg | Interview With Priya Parrish

Impact Alpha | Stuck in the mud: When impact gets complicated

Fortune | Why ESG assets are heading toward $50 trillion despite attacks on ‘woke capitalism’

Fintech TV | Interview With Priya Parrish


Circuit, the electric last-mile transport solution, is now serving riders in 49 cities with this month's addition of Orlando, Florida. The company also celebrated its 100,000th rider in Bellevue, Washington, with a total of 8 million riders served over its 10 year history.

PadSplit, the coliving marketplace has surpassed a new milestone: 15,000 rooms listed on their platform in the United States. PadSplit, which now operates in 19 cities, reports that a majority of its members see an improvement in their credit scores while saving an average of $332 per month on rent.

Pear Suite, the operating system for community health workers, recently celebrated its three year anniversary by hitting a new milestone of 100 institutional customers across 24 states, reaching as many as 350,000 patients through partnerships with health plans and providers. The company also won the Rising Star in Health Equity award at the HLTH conference in Las Vegas last week.