Note: This is the archived 2021 CIIS. Looking for the 2022 Chicago Impact Investing Showcase?
Key Takeaways
From the Chicago Impact Investing Showcase 2021
In their own words, three Impact Engine team members share highlights from last month's virtual Showcase sessions, which garnered over 600 attendees.
Chicago impact investing landscape
Chicago Landscape Summary
In 2020, we completed a landscape of Chicago's impact investing ecosystem, done with the support of Loyola’s Baumhart Scholars MBA program and the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.
chicago impact investing showcase 2021 RECORDINGS
Our 2021 Showcase highlighted impact investors, entrepreneurs, and other leaders who are intentionally leveraging business to positively impact Chicago through people, place, process, product or paradigm (The 5Ps).
The three virtual sessions are accessible via recordings below.
Session #1 - Investing in People and Place to Close the Racial Wealth Gap in Chicago
In this session, we explored the various forms that the racial wealth disparity takes in Chicago and how different types of investment capital and approaches are intentionally creating more equity.
““Just open your eyes, your paradigms, your perspectives, and give us the opportunity.””
Session #2 - Any Company Can Be an Impact Company: Using Business Process to Create Impact
In this session, we demonstrated how any company, through being intentional and positive in their business practices, can be impactful. We heard from panelists representing a B-Corp, a Fortune 500 company with a team of sustainability professionals, and a software company with no official certifications and fewer resources, but lots of intentionality.
““If you work for a big company, get connected to your sustainability team...One of our team’s most fun activities is trying to connect dots for someone who may think they don’t have an impact job, but then find out they do.””
Session #3 - Investing in Health Equity: How Chicago Companies are Building Products to Improve Outcomes and Access
In this session, we highlighted how investing in and building companies with products that intentionally improve health access and outcomes can improve equity, and how this way of thinking about product-based impact can apply to any equity gap.
“On the access front, we look at how patients are served from a geographic perspective. Are they operating in provider shortage areas, such as correctional facilities, Native American reservations, or rural hospitals?”