Tag: Impact Investing

Driving Economic Transformation In Africa & Latin America — Part Il with Ladé Araba and Hayley Mundeva (Ep. 91)

Driving Economic Transformation In Africa & Latin America — Part Il with Ladé Araba and Hayley Mundeva (Ep. 91)

In part one of this conversation, you heard Ladé Araba and Hayley Mundeva talk about the AlphaMundi Foundation’s mission to strengthen the long-term commercial viability of small and middle-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa and Latin America.

This time, Ladé and Hayley are back to uncover fascinating stories while detailing the impact of supporting SMEs in these regions.

From increasing business performance to incorporating more women in the workforce, find out how the AMF is investing in SMEs to increase their commercial viability, which ultimately leads to strengthening African and Latin American communities.

Ladé and Hayley discuss:

  • The structured blended finance that the AlphaMundi Foundation (AMF) provides to small and middle-sized enterprises (SMEs)
  • AMF’s approach to gender and climate-smart technical assistance
  • Success stories of the recipients of their support and the positive impact the foundation is making in emerging African and Latin American markets
  • Ways the AlphaMundi Foundation is supporting the incorporation of more women into the workforce
  • The foundation’s long-term vision and how it’s closely related to the growth of SMEs
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Ladé Araba:

Connect with Hayley Mundeva:

Connect with Kimberly Griego-Kiel and Johann Klaassen:

About Ladé Araba:

Ladé Araba is a highly-skilled, multilingual Development Finance Executive and Board Member experienced in blended finance, infrastructure/energy project finance, and public-private partnerships (PPP) with over 20 years of professional experience. 

Well-versed in deal origination, investment appraisal, and advising private investors and government stakeholders, Ladé is a strategic leader who is adept at building strong partnerships with private and public clients. 

About Hayley Mundeva:

Hayley Mundeva is a driven professional with a diverse background in Global Health and Development. With an entrepreneurial mindset and a passion for storytelling, Hayley is dedicated to helping people and organizations achieve their goals and maximize their impact.

With extensive experience in communication strategy development, project management, and stakeholder engagement, Hayley has worked on a variety of projects and initiatives, ranging from community-based health programs to international development initiatives.

Driving Economic Transformation In Africa & Latin America — Part I with Ladé Araba and Hayley Mundeva (Ep. 90)

Driving Economic Transformation In Africa & Latin America — Part I with Ladé Araba and Hayley Mundeva (Ep. 90)

Have you heard of the AlphaMundi Foundation?

Also known as AMF, the AlphaMundi Foundation’s mission is to strengthen the long-term commercial viability of small and middle-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa and Latin America to drive economic transformation. 

In this week’s episode, Kim Griego-Kiel is joined by Hayley Mundeva, the communications lead, and Ladé Araba, the executive director at the AlphaMundi Foundation, to talk about SMEs and their critical role in female job creation, economic development, and innovation.

Tune in and learn how the AMF supports these enterprises through technical assistance and gender-inclusive policies leading to a positive social and environmental impact. 

Ladé and Hayley discuss:

  • The AlphaMundi Foundation’s vision and mission and how it supports SMEs in Africa and Latin America
  • Ways the foundation is investing in gender diversity, equity, and inclusion in African and Latin American small and middle-sized enterprises (SMEs)
  • How investors can contribute to the AMF
  • What you should know about the AMF’s Theory of Change 
  • Their approach to scaling gender and climate-smart practices
  • Why companies are not always ‘investable’
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Ladé Araba:

Connect with Hayley Mundeva:

Connect with Kimberly Griego-Kiel and Johann Klaassen:

About Ladé Araba:

Ladé Araba is a highly-skilled, multilingual Development Finance Executive and Board Member experienced in blended finance, infrastructure/energy project finance, and public-private partnerships (PPP) with over 20 years of professional experience. 

Well-versed in deal origination, investment appraisal, and advising private investors and government stakeholders, Ladé is a strategic leader who is adept at building strong partnerships with private and public clients. 

About Hayley Mundeva:

Hayley Mundeva is a driven professional with a diverse background in Global Health and Development. With an entrepreneurial mindset and a passion for storytelling, Hayley is dedicated to helping people and organizations achieve their goals and maximize their impact.

With extensive experience in communication strategy development, project management, and stakeholder engagement, Hayley has worked on a variety of projects and initiatives, ranging from community-based health programs to international development initiatives.

What You Should Know About Investing in Food & Plant-Based Innovation with Elysabeth Alfano (Ep. 78)

What You Should Know About Investing in Food & Plant-Based Innovation with Elysabeth Alfano (Ep. 78)

Changing what you eat has an impact on the planet, but changing how you invest has an even bigger influence.

Investing in plant-based innovations has become more accessible. And a new plant-based innovation ETF is bringing us closer to a more sustainable food system.

This week on Deep Impact Investing, Elysabeth Alfano from VegTech™ Invest details how the firm supports individual investors and companies working with plants to replace animal products and some of the eye-opening foods and products coming to the growing vegan and plant-based arena.

Elysabeth discusses:

  • Reasons the plant-based marketplace is a mega trend and how you as an investor can  participate in its growth
  • Why VegTech™ Invest created EATV, a plant-based innovation ETF
  • Timelines and innovations coming to the vegan and plant-based sector
  • What you shouldn’t know about cultivated meat
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Elysabeth Alfano:

Connect with Kimberly Griego-Kiel:

About Our Guest:

As the CEO of VegTech™ Invest and the advisor to the VegTech Plant-based Innovation & Climate ETF, EATV, Elysabeth Alfano combines her business leadership and investing experience in the plant-based business arena. Helping to define and grow the new investment sector of Plant-based Innovation, her expertise is investing in the companies that are innovating with plants to produce animal-free products for sustainable consumption.

A sought-after speaker, Elysabeth discusses the intersection of sustainability and the global food supply system on radio, TV, at conferences, in boardrooms, and, most recently, at the United National Global Leaders Compact Summit. She also hosts a weekly Plantbased Business Hour interview show.

Digital Transformations Within the Financial & ESG Industry With David Bennell (Ep. 66)

Digital Transformations Within the Financial & ESG Industry With David Bennell (Ep. 66)

Financial services are constantly evolving and becoming increasingly digital. 

Trading digital assets — whether it is ESG data, crypto, or other financial products (across centralized and decentralized finance platforms) — is starting to change the overall investment process.

In this episode, Kimberly Griego-Kiel sits down with returning guest David Bennell, advisor at Transformational Investing in Food Systems (TIFS). Together, they talk about the standardization of impact investing in the government and industry and the effects of decentralized financial trading. Kim and David also unveil easy things we can do to adjust and be prepared for the newest era of the web. 

Kim and David discuss:

  • Standardizing impact investing on the government and industry level
  • How crypto impacts the overall investment process
  • Accepting the new digital era based on trust and time 
  • Understanding the ‘what’ and not the ‘how’ of web 3.0
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with David Bennell:

Connect with Kimberly Griego-Kiel

About Our Guest:

David Bannell is a global leader in ESG and Sustainability engagement between corporations, investors, and non-profits. He bridges the ESG gap between investors and companies by creating engagement tools and collaborations like the investor portal Engage The Chain and the six-part global Food Systems Dialogue for Investors series, which had participation from over 75 major corporations and 50+ institutional investors and major banks.

The Truth About Food Systems Within the Impact Investing & Climate Change Industry (Ep.64)

The Truth About Food Systems Within the Impact Investing & Climate Change Industry (Ep.64)

There is no question that climate change is affecting how we live on a global scale.

The food and agriculture systems are no exception. They are connected to every area of impact investing. As food systems become less resilient, they will create bigger problems for our global markets. 

In this episode, Kimberly Griego-Kiel explains what is wrong with our food and agricultural systems, why they are dying, and why it is in the best interest for investors to take part in making a change.

Kimberly discusses:

  • The serious threat of extinction to cacao, corn, wheat, rice, and coffee
  • The social, environmental, and financial cost of a deteriorating food system 
  • How seed saving, slow food, and organic production processes can help make a change in our food systems
  • The importance of highlighting the food system’s market and impact to investors to generate change
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect With Kimberly Griego-Kiel

Gender Equality for a Sustainable Future (Ep. 63)

Gender Equality for a Sustainable Future (Ep. 63)

Supporting women extends beyond bridging the gender inequality gap. It is also critical to support women to create sustainable developments and social change.

In this episode, Kimberly Griego-Kiel talks about the importance of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. Along with that, Kim highlights the different ways it relates to impact investing. 

Kim teaches you how important it is to focus on breaking down female inequality for the sustainable development of the world and discusses several impactful leaders who are driving change in the financial industry.

Kim discusses:

  • The importance of celebrating women in March — and every day!
  • The interconnective nature of climate change and female inequality globally
  • Influential women in the impact investing space
  • How we can make an impact through different lenses in ESG investing
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Kimberly Griego-Kiel

Episode 43: U.S. Farmers and Ranchers In Action: Creating Sustainable Food and Supply Chains – With Erin Fitzgerald

Episode 43: U.S. Farmers and Ranchers In Action: Creating Sustainable Food and Supply Chains – With Erin Fitzgerald

Farmers are a lot like scientists. In fact, for farmers to be able to cultivate healthy food for people like us, they need to know a lot about the way they’re producing and growing that food. 

How are farmers and ranchers working to bring us healthier meals while also enhancing sustainability efforts in agriculture?

Find out in this episode, as Erin Fitzgerald, the CEO of U.S. Farmers and Ranchers In Action (USFRA), sits down with Kimberly Griego-Kiel to continue the conversation on sustainable agriculture. Erin explains everything you need to know about USFRA and the firm’s role in creating solutions for economic and agricultural sustainability.

In this episode, you will learn:

  • USFRA’s vision and mission
  • How farmers and ranchers can reduce carbon emissions 
  • From cow Fitbits to cover crops: Technological innovations for farms and ranches 
  • Ways agriculture can contribute to America’s overall economic growth 
  • And more!

Tune in today and learn how you, too, can support the sustainable agriculture movement! 

Resources: Horizon Sustainable Financial Services: (505) 982-9661 | info@horizonssfs.com  | Facebook | Erin Fitzgerald | US Farmers and Ranchers in Action  | Film: 30 Harvest | Cow Manager | Episode 42: Investing in Climate-Smart Agriculture – With David Bennell

Episode 42: Investing in Climate-Smart Agriculture – With David Bennell

Episode 42: Investing in Climate-Smart Agriculture – With David Bennell

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD) David Bennell focuses on creating high-quality products, services, and programs that deliver real value and set the standard for safety, sustainability, and profitability.

In this episode, join Kimberly Griego-Kiel as she sits down with David to discuss his contribution to the Transformative Investment in Climate-Smart Soil Agriculture report and to highlight what you really need to know about agricultural investment.

In this episode, you will learn:

  • How much private capital is in the United States’ agricultural system 
  • Why technological and financial innovation benefit the agriculture sector 
  • The role of greenhouse gas emissions in agricultural production 
  • Why resilience is so important in an agricultural environment 
  • And more!

Listen in and find out why, at the end of the day, you are always investing in agriculture! 

Resources: Horizon Sustainable Financial Services: (505) 982-9661 | info@horizonssfs.com | Facebook | David Bennell | World Business Council for Sustainable Development |  

Report: Transformative Investment in Climate-Smart Agriculture

Episode 41: An In-Depth Look at Corporate Sustainability Reporting (CSR)

Episode 41: An In-Depth Look at Corporate Sustainability Reporting (CSR)

You’ve likely heard the term CSR (Corporate Sustainability Reporting) at least once. But do you really know what this type of reporting entails and why it’s so important?

Find out in this episode as Kimberly Griego-Kiel takes you along for an in-depth look at CSR. By outlining its benefits, challenges, solutions, and guidelines, Kim explains CSR’s role within corporations and reveals how it fits into the overall idea of sustainability. 

In this episode, you will learn:

  • The history and purpose of Corporate Sustainability Reporting (CSR) 
  • Challenges associated with CSR
  • The role of CSR in a firm’s profit and ESG metrics  
  • Kim’s take on how to achieve good quality CSR 
  • How millennials are shaping the future of sustainability 
  • And more!

Listen in for your crash course on the ins and outs of CSR!

Resources: Horizon Sustainable Financial Services | info@horizons

Episode 40: ESG and Sustainable Investing Predictions for 2021

Episode 40: ESG and Sustainable Investing Predictions for 2021

What can we expect to see from sustainable investing in 2021?

Find out in this episode as Kimberly Griego-Kiel reveals her ESG and sustainable investing predictions for the year! 

Join Kim as she forecasts what might lay ahead based on industry research findings. Plus, she shares the potential benefits ESG investing can bring to the government, citizens, and corporations alike.

In this episode, you will learn:

  • How impact investing has grown since 2018 
  • Why more companies and individuals are choosing sustainable investing 
  • ESG and social investing trends of 2021 
  • Why corporation sustainability reporting could be a new requirement in upcoming years 
  • And more!

Tune in today to learn Kim’s view on 2021’s sustainable investing industry!

Resources:

Horizon Sustainable Financial Services | info@horizonssfs.com  | Facebook505-982-9661 | 2020 US Social Investment Forum Report