Tag: ESG

Vital Discusses Disproving the Perceived Risks of EM investing with Environmental Finance

Posted on by Tami Pashtan

Vital Capital Managing Partner Nimrod Gerber recently caught up with Environmental Finance. Nimrod discussed the challenges of disproving perceived risk of emerging market investing, why the typical private equity playbook fails to work in sub-Saharan Africa, and what the continent’s pending demographic shift means for investors.

“Africa is entering an outstanding demographical shift, as its 1.4 billion population is expected to increase to 2.5 billion people in less than 25 years. There has not been a demographic shift like that anywhere during the history of mankind. We believe that the companies that cater to the most basic needs and services, delivering them in an affordable and accessible way, are bound for success,” shared Nimrod.

 

Read the full interview here.

Vital Selected as Prestigious “Private Equity Manager of the Year” by Environmental Finance

Posted on by Tami Pashtan

Vital Capital is pleased to once again be named as Private Equity Manager of the Year by Environmental Finance’s Sustainable Investment Awards. These awards recognize the work of the world’s leading impact investors and, according to the judges, “highlight emerging pockets of best practice.” This prestigious recognition underscores Vital’s leadership and innovative approach to impact investing, particularly in the emerging markets of sub-Saharan Africa.

“A growing number of investors today are aligning their activities to the Sustainable Development Goals – not just to generate positive impact, but also to maximize the performance of their investments. So, this recognition for the second consecutive year as Private equity manager of the year by Environmental Finance’s prestigious Sustainable Investment Awards is a true honor,” Nimrod Gerber, managing partner at Vital Capital, expressed.

“From delivering first-time household tap water access in India’s drought-plagued Karnataka region to unlocking the potential of local smallholder farmers in East Africa, everything we do has the potential to transform millions of lives.

 

“With this win, we reaffirm our focus on impact-led value creation, so that we can build more future-proof companies that will bring transformative impact to the underserved communities who need it most.”

Read more about Vital’s win here.

Financial Times Features Vital Managing Partner’s Insights on Africa’s Untapped Market

Posted on by Tami Pashtan

Vital Capital Managing Partner Nimrod Gerber recently offered his insights for a Financial Times article about the relationship between impact investing and ESG. Among other leading sustainable investors, Gerber shared his perspective on the significant untapped opportunities for impact investing across Africa.

“You’re going to have a billion new consumers very soon consuming potable water, basic healthcare, better food, infrastructure, and education,” Gerber explained. “Silicon Valley is not looking at how to solve these huge challenges in Africa. Creative, smart African entrepreneurs that live the problems are developing the solutions. It’s a winning formula.”

Read the full article here.

Vital Capital Named Private Equity Manager of the Year by Leading Sustainable Investment Publication, Environmental Finance

Posted on by Tami Pashtan

Vital Capital is pleased to be named Private Equity Manager of the Year in the 2023 Environmental Finance Sustainable Investment Awards. Environmental Finance, a key source of sustainable investment news, conducts the awards annually to honor the world’s leaders in the impact and ESG investing space.

Vital was selected for this year’s prestigious award from a group of sustainably-focused global fund managers, recognizing the firm’s excellence in maximizing investment performance and our track record of achieving social and environmental impact. The award is a testament to the Vital team’s work and collaboration with thoughtful investees, who are impactfully reallocating capital toward the world’s most underserved populations. We are honored to be among the leading firms driving transformational impact for those who need it most.

“The entire Vital team is deeply proud to be recognized as Environmental Finance’s ‘Private Equity Manager of the Year,’ and I am especially pleased by what this award signals about the impact investing industry’s maturation,” said Managing Partner Nimrod Gerber. “Since our founding in 2011, Vital has insisted on the very real opportunity to achieve more: transformational impact for people who need it most and good returns for our investors.”

Read more about why Vital was selected for this year’s award here. 

Vital Capital Achieves Emeritus Manager Status on IA50 2023

Posted on by Tami Pashtan

Vital Capital has again been recognized as an Emeritus Manager on ImpactAssets’ IA50 listing for 2023, underscoring our role as a pioneer in the impact investing industry.

The IA50 is the most recognized free database of impact investment fund managers. The annually updated list is considered the gateway into the impact investing world for investors and financial advisors, offering an easy path to identify experienced and emerging impact fund managers and illustrating the industry’s breadth around the world. As such, the IA50 is an invaluable resource for institutional and private investors, as well as their advisors and consultants.

It’s the ninth consecutive year that Vital Capital has been selected to the IA50 list. We are proud of this achievement, which demonstrates our continued commitment to generating positive impact through building successful, scalable businesses that solve critical social and environmental challenges and transform lives.

 

The full IA50 2023 list is available on the ImpactAssets website, and Vital Capital’s profile can be found here.

 

Why the Climate Crisis Demands Investors Rethink Impact: Environmental Finance Features Vital Capital Opinion

Posted on by Tami Pashtan

As we enter a new year that will be critical in the fight against climate change, Vital Capital’s Head of ESG & Impact, Tamar Pashtan, shares her views on why investors must not underperform on impact with Environmental Finance. The climate emergency is having a disproportionate effect on emerging economies so, as climate investment reaches record levels, it’s imperative that capital is directed towards the most impactful solutions and most underserved communities to ensure a just climate transition.

Our experience of investing in businesses and solutions that create transformational impact and tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing the planet, has taught us that intentionality from the outset is key. The article reveals how our impact rating tool, the Vital Impact Diamond, enables us to “look for transformational outcomes: big leaps forward, not small steps” and calls on investors to embed impact goals in their decision-making processes.

 

The article is available here.

Vital Capital’s Head of ESG & Impact Joins BlueMark Panel discussing Alignment in Impact Performance Reporting

Posted on by Tami Pashtan

Vital Capital’s Head of ESG & Impact Tamar Pashtan recently joined a panel of impact investing leaders to discuss one of the industry’s most pressing topics: alignment in impact performance reporting. The discussion, hosted by impact verification firm BlueMark, was based on research from the firm’s latest report, ‘Raising the Bar: Aligning on the Key Elements of Impact Performance Reporting.’

High-quality, standardized impact performance reporting is critical for ensuring industry integrity. However, the lack of widely-accepted standards or guidelines for reporting on impact performance makes it difficult to meaningfully analyze and compare impact results. 

BlueMark’s analysis of 31 GP impact reports and interviews with 57 diverse industry stakeholders found that impact objectives vary considerably in their specificity; reported impact results are often cherry-picked; impact reports are rarely forthcoming about risks or failures; and reporters often overlook the stakeholder perspective.

The panel, moderated by BlueMark Managing Director Sarah Gelfand, featured Tamar; Fran Seegull, President of the U.S. Impact Investing Alliance and Executive Director of the Tipping Point Fund on Impact Investing; Elizabeth Seeger, Managing Director, Sustainable Investing at KKR; and Bhavika Vyas, Managing Director at StepStone Group. They delved into the current state of impact performance reporting among GPs and fund managers, best practices, and potential pathways to improve the quality and usefulness of impact reports going forward.

Listen to the full discussion here.

PwC’s Experience Consulting Interviews Vital Capital’s Head of ESG & Impact

Posted on by Tami Pashtan

PwC’s Experience Consulting hosted Vital Capital’s Head of ESG & Impact Tamar Pashtan on its PreWork Walk virtual interview series for a conversation focused on aligning profit and purpose through impact investing.

The session, entitled “Driving profit for purpose: How to successfully invest for impact,” explores Vital Capital’s impact investing origins and some of its most innovative portfolio companies. PwC’s Anjali Multani and Elise Harper also talk with Pashtan about measuring and managing impact, and about what is exciting her most about Vital Capital’s recent work.

The PreWork Walk interview series, which features insightful conversations with leaders from a variety of fields, encourages the audience to start their day outside on a walk, rather than in front of a computer, while listening to engaging and thought-provoking discussions.

 

Listen to the full PreWork Walk interview here.