Women entrepreneurs still struggle to raise capital, and it is because of systemic gender bias, says Marta Zaccagnini. Her experience with impact-focused founders proves that women have enormous untapped potential.
Yes, blended finance has its flaws, but Mariana Mazzucato’s critical UN briefing creates a misleading narrative around its role, says Joan Larrea of Convergence. The approach’s real promise is not as a gap-filler, but a market enabler.
This year’s World Economic Forum was sorely lacking in contributions from BME leaders, found Gosbert Chagula. What’s more, Donald Trump’s isolationist views are influencing others to ignore the climate impacts of their actions. This must change.
The social enterprise gatherings at the UK Labour Party conference left Nick Temple underwhelmed. The impact economy must stop rehashing the same old arguments if it doesn’t want to remain on the fringes of the national debate.
Call yourself an impact investor, and – unlike any other investor – you'll be required to spend time and money proving that you're doing what you say you're doing. Why do we allow impact investing to be uniquely taxed in this way?
By expressing issues such as low pay or overuse of carbon as 'externalities', we have let company directors, their auditors and investors off the hook – ignoring actions they could take using existing accounting standards, warns Jeremy Nicholls.
ESG is due for a rebrand, says The Big Issue's Klara Kozlov. Instead of the “tired controversy” over its relevance, the debate has now moved on to how to measure the impact of investment decisions on people’s real lives.
From aircraft safety to finance, we live our lives by standards. But many simply reinforce patriarchy – not least in financial accounting. With developments like AI exacerbating prejudices, there’s an urgent need for change, says Jeremy Nicholls.
A social enterprise model is the best way for LGBTQ+ activists to combat hate, and create a more resilient, united movement, says Sebastian Rocca, the founder of Micro Rainbow.
