Sveta Banerjee, Founder of Camomile Impact Community and Impact Investing School, joined a conversation with Honorary POP Ocean Mentor, Ana Hanhausen and other POP youth leaders focusing on impact investing, as part of “POP Climate Leadership Conversations: A Tribute to Our Chief Mentor” on Oct 25, 2021.

The conversation underscored the importance of impact investing and highlighted the need to incorporate social and environmental aspects in business models as well as the growing opportunities and resources that come with aligning it within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the circular economy. Education and creating new leaders in impact investing is crucial, as social impact start-ups and companies have enormous impact and shape the future. Sveta encouraged youth leaders to pursue impactful projects by being conscious of who they would work for and what kind of project they would create or support. For those youth who are looking for investment and funding, she advised on the steps necessary to assess their capital need, determine the kind of investment, and target appropriate investors for their projects. As investors are inclined to see how the project is implemented, it is important to continue long-term relationships with them. Answering a question on the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs with regard to impact investment opportunities, Sveta pointed out that over 90% of micro-entrepreneurs who receive micro loans are women as they are inclined to be more responsible. Education is key and women entrepreneurs who equip themselves and address their knowledge/skill gaps can be successful in communicating with investors. There are also more female investors nowadays, and they also support women entrepreneurs. Finally, addressing a question on the relationship between impact investing and government, Sveta remarked that government is one of the key stakeholders who can enable and speed up the transformation of the financial system and the SDGs by developing more enabling and sustainable policies for businesses.

Excerpts:

• What does leadership mean to you? (by Dr. Ash Pachauri, POP Senior Mentor)

For me, first of all, leadership is taking responsibility for all future generations because what kind of leaders we are creating in impact investing matters a lot. Being honest in naming what is what, what is to impact, to provide a good understanding on what is impact investing, what is sustainability, to educate the future generation, to empower them in a way that they can take the right action and have a chance on this planet; this is what leadership means to me. Education is key for leadership and empowerment. So creating new leaders in impact investing is very important. I will not be here forever, so I’m really trying to scale my impact and multiply the people who understand what is what in order to take the right action.

Leading also means, your own example. This is also very important on 3 levels: How to behave as a consumer, what do you buy if you buy at all? Which company are you working for or which company are you creating if you are a business leader yourself? How do you invest? It doesn’t matter if it’s a small amount or millions, you still create impact— to know where your penchant fund or small savings are invested is very important. These 3 levels also show that one person can create impact and if you are a true leader, you should be this example.

• What is the importance of social impact startups and companies? What are the most important tools for social impact startups to create measurable and lasting systemic changes? (by Ivan Ransom, POP Sustainability Ambassador and Mentor)

The impact of social impact startups is very enormous and crucial. They are the future and what we are doing right now is the kind of future we are creating— future Facebook, Amazon… The present start-ups are the foundations for environmental and social corporations of the future, so what kind of bigger companies you want to see, start-ups is the base for that. This is why it’s so important to support the start-ups, and to make them aware of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), make them aware that there is enough funds available, so they can get funded and have social and environmental aspects incorporated in their business models. Many still think profit is only how you make successful business, but the world is changing. As a start-up, if you want to attract resources—it doesn’t matter whether it is money, people, partners or joint ventures with some corporations—if you have incorporated SDGs, you have certain values of ethics; you will find the resources more easily.

The importance of start-ups is very high; they are the future. There are many tools out there, free tools which you can find. Start with incorporating Sustainable Development Goals, start measuring impact; there are tools like IRIS+ Plus from Global Impact Investing Network available for free which can build up your base of measurement impact. Also, think about the circular economy. Usually, the projects which incorporate both circular economy principles cradle-to-cradle and the SDGs are most successful. Building a strong foundation from the beginning in order to scale up is very important.

Resources shared:

• https://svetaandben.com
• Join Global Impact Community on https://camomile.ch
• Learn more about Impact Investing and Profitable Business with Impact on https://impactinvestingschool.com. Join the mentorship program, take courses, and participate in masterclasses.
• Apply for the 6-months mentorship program: The program guides start-ups and ideas to grow your business. You will receive guidance on how you can create a profitable business with impact and sustainability in the long-term. Engage in one-on-one coaching sessions with experts to receive feedback on your project and identify gaps that need to be addressed. Receive advanced training in areas of funding, identifying investors, developing your pitch, and so on.
• Watch the weekly show “Swiss Impact with Banerjis” every Friday at 9:00 am EST. The Banerjees have enlightening and in-depth conversations with newsmakers, celebrities, thought leaders, entrepreneurs, project owners, investors, politicians and business leaders and encourage them to act now. The show delves into how impactful investments and businesses are helping to implement the 17 UN SDGs worldwide to preserve the world for future generations.

About the guest:

Sveta, Founder of Impact Investing School, is uniquely qualified to deliver tailored solutions that include objectives, guidelines, strategy setup, roadmaps and milestones. As a recognized expert in impact investing, she is actively raising its awareness within the Swiss financial industry by promoting the concept of transformational capital as a force for good. Sveta is TED-ex speaker and Impact Investing & Sustainability Ambassador for the Diplomatic World Institute. Aligning the interest of IIS with its clients, IIS also shares their international network and full support to the establishment of appropriate introductions and investment partnerships. Sveta’s experience includes Bank J. Safra Sarasin, Société Générale, as well as Family Offices and Asset Management companies in Zurich. She is a frequent guest lecturer at Swiss universities and has in-depth experience as Project Manager, Finance Coach and Facilitator.

Watch the conversation