Our Story
In late April 2018, I was sitting in my car in a parking lot at Yale University, having just been inspired the day before by the sessions at their annual Impact Investing Conference. I was about to leave State Street Global Advisors after a restructuring, and was looking ahead to uncharted waters, a new start and launching an entrepreneurial venture that combined a focus on taking care of my family AND making a difference. I had arranged a video call with Dr. Stephen Kajirwa, an old friend from Kenya whom I met while we were both studying for our Master’s degrees in Modern International Studies at The University of Leeds. Stephen had worked for years with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), and I would be speaking to him directly from his latest posting in Aleppo, Syria.
“His conclusion was that some days he sees the world like a glass half-full, some days it is like a glass half-empty but ultimately it is both. ”
Our conversation was lively and wide-ranging, both personal and oriented towards ideas for solutions to some of the big problems in the world. It was also quite philosophical, and a discussion we had while holding half-filled glasses of water led to part of the logo for my company as well as a decision on the name. Beside the words Impactᴬᴺᴰ what you see is a glass of water with a bullseye at the bottom. The inside ring is the base of the glass, the middle ring is the waterline and the outside ring is the top of the glass. The bullseye represents targeted, positive impacts.
Impactᴬᴺᴰ logo with glasses of water
I asked Stephen, given what he has seen and experienced in his life with the UNHCR and the everyday dangers of his then current posting, if he was more of an optimist or a pessimist. His conclusion was that some days he sees the world like a glass half-full, some days it is like a glass half-empty but ultimately it is both. If someone looks at the glass as half-full, they are right - it is half-full. If someone looks at is as half-empty they are right too - it is half-empty. And finally if someone says it is both, they too are correct – but in fact have the most holistic, realistic view.
For investors to deliver the best outcomes - both in terms of investment returns AND impact - you have to get to the bottom of things (the bottom of the glass) and look through both the glass half full perspective (opportunities) and the glass half empty perspective (risks). Then the bullseye, the greatest prize, is clearly in site.
Geoff Moore - Founder & CEO
The example of how we choose to view the glass provides an illustration of the potential of the Power of AND. A singular focus on a traditional paradigm is not the only way to look at things. Today’s investment risks and opportunities when viewed holistically (the entire glass), lead to a dual objective: generating targeted/competitive risk-adjusted returns AND making sure we can continue doing this sustainably in the future by investing in solutions to the greatest challenges of our time.
The answers to many key questions either using some form of the Power of AND or not will likely have a major future impact on sustainable prosperity. Here are some examples:
What is the optimal mix of short-term considerations/objectives AND long-term sustainability goals?
How much of investing will be redefined in the future using the broader lens of Risk, Return, AND Impact?
Will financial materiality AND outward-looking environmental and social materiality (double materiality) become globally accepted best practices for delivering optimal, sustainable risk-adjusted returns?
What new paradigms incentivizing beneficial collaboration between government AND the private sector AND civil society will emerge?
What about targeting and engaging in more investments leading to fully funded pension plans AND truly fulfilling lives which rely on so much more than just good finances? Studies show that finances AND family (friends/relationships), AND health, AND purpose are all essential to well-being in retirement.
Impactᴬᴺᴰ Inc. seeks to have a positive impact on everything we do. Investment impacts, economic impacts, environmental impacts, social impacts, governance issues, AND in the marketplace of ideas. We always welcome new and challenging conversations on the road to learning and finding applied solutions for our clients.
Fiduciary duty cannot be fulfilled without a sustainable future… “The evidence is clear: the time for action is now. We can halve emissions by 2030.” - IPCC Working Group III report press release.
Let’s all truly reflect on that for a moment AND be driven to inquiry and action.
