Social Impact Investing Is Attracting New Funds As Well As New Startup Ideas

If you’re looking for a respite from the daily parade of rancorous headlines and doomsday predictions, might I suggest dipping a toe in the world of social impact investing.

I said “yes” to an invite to Impact Engine’s annual showcase the other day, and walked away thinking that what might have been a fleeting fancy seems to be taking root. Not only do companies keep popping up with the dual aim of fixing some social ill while at the same time banking cash, but the pool of investor money willing to stake them seems to be growing.

Chicago-based Impact Engine’s community showcase used to be a feel-good rollout of a handful of startup pitches. But this year the event featured as many impact venture funds as startups.

“In 2012 it would have been hard to find a whole line-up of impact funds,” Impact Engine CEO Jessica Droste Yagan said as she kicked off the event. Read more….