During the closing session on June 26, this was the quote that rang out to me as the ultimate reason to why we were all gathered together. Over the course of two intense and productive days, over 400 people from 45 countries attended the Impact Forum 2012 to connect impact with investments. Concrete outcomes will be highlighted in an upcoming Impact Forum report, but here are some takeaways that created the most discussions among the Forum attendees: - Over 60 investors met with leading social enterprises from across Asia Pacific as part of the Forum's Social Enterprise (SE) Showcase and many are now exploring different levels of engagement.
- An Impact Partners Investor signed a Memorandum of Understanding and is undergoing due diligence to invest in a sustainable fishery SE in Indonesia.
- Affordability of ecosystem partner services remains a challenge for SEs. The need for innovative methods of payments such as performance-related payment or a combination of cash and equity were highlighted as possible solutions.
- Family offices are key players in Impact Investing. The new generations of family members are pledging to move away from traditional feel-good donations to do-good investments, as they see this as more sustainable.
- SEs in Asia are realizing the need to switch from donor funds to receiving investments, but many SME policies for Asia don't benefit SEs. The SEs that have benefited the most are those with a strong team, competitive prices, favorable risk assessments and good customer relationships.
To hear some of these sessions first hand, please browse our session library where we are adding videos as they become available. Also, our Impact Forum survey results are rolling in and showed that buzz at the Forum was highest around our sector-focused panels from, technology to climate change. The Forum was also well-attended especially by Impact Investors, who were very impressed by the variety and number of Social Enterprises at the Forum. Satisfaction was high among those who attended the SE Showcase and the exceptional Forum dinner, particularly the exciting entertainment. Feedback such as these will all go back to the Impact Forum organizing team to make Impact Forum 2013 even better. Lastly, IIX and Shujog made major commitments at the Forum for immediate action: - By Impact Forum 2013 (June 13-14), IIX and Shujog will aim to impact the lives of 13 million people in Asia for the better.
- Shujog will establish the Impact Enterprise Mark and make it the flagship impact assessment tool in Asia.
The IIX/Shujog team and I cannot be more thrilled to make these promises a reality in the coming year. Please hold us to these commitments as this year's Impact Forum has generated a lot of opportunity to do good in Asia. Let us bring Tagore's words to life and all work together to combine Duty with Joy and make life what we always dreamt of. |
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