Category: Reports

Water is a finite natural resource unlike any other. It is required for life itself and sustains almost
every natural and industrial process on the planet. Increasing volatility in water quality and
quantity present evolving risks for the planet and for humanity. Addressing the local and global
challenges that reduced water dependability and declining water quality pose will require trillions
of dollars of new investment. Private capital must play a role in developing, implementing, and
scaling solutions to water problems. The universe of available water investments is still nascent,

creating opportunities for early movers motivated to create impact. Families are uniquely posi-
tioned as catalysts and leaders in the water investments market. Families can deploy solutions-oriented, patient capital across asset classes to deliver impact alongside financial return. This primer maps water investment opportunities and provides several inspiring examples of how families are
actively investing to address local and global water challenges.

This report was a joint project with CREO Syndicate

This report provides a framework for families engaging in impact investing, emphasizing aligning investments with values to generate measurable social and environmental returns alongside financial ones. It outlines various approaches across asset classes, sectors, and geographies, proposing a seven-phase process for families to strategize and optimize their impact investment efforts. The report stresses the diversity of opportunities and advocates for strategies tailored to family objectives.

This report introduces impact investing for families, defining it as aiming for both financial returns and measurable social/environmental impact, and explores various motivations and approaches families take. It outlines a seven-phase framework for families to explore, strategize, and optimize their impact investment efforts across different asset classes, sectors, and geographies, while emphasizing the diversity of opportunities and return profiles within the market. The guide highlights strategies such as “carve out,” “integration,” and “all-in” for implementing impact investing within family enterprises.

What does it take to build an impact investing ecosystem in an emerging market?

This report explores how Brazil’s social inequality, environmental urgency, and philanthropic tradition are creating momentum for values-aligned investing. With an expanding middle class and a rising number of family enterprises exploring new financial tools, the report captures the early architecture of Brazil’s impact ecosystem, from mission-driven businesses to collaborative investment funds.

While the opportunity is clear, the report also candidly addresses Brazil’s unique challenges: political and economic volatility, geographic concentration of capital, and a still-developing track record for financial returns. Yet Brazilian families are leading with creativity and conviction, operating impact-focused businesses, seeding funds, supporting social entrepreneurs, and building networks of trust. With deep dives into high-potential sectors like education, healthcare, and environmental preservation, this report provides practical entry points, strategies, and examples for families ready to lead with impact in Brazil.

This report explores the impact investing landscape in Brazil, focusing on the role of families in driving this movement. It details the history and current state of impact investing in the country, highlighting opportunities in sectors like education, health, and environmental preservation.

The report also examines the challenges and trends within the market, while showcasing various approaches families are taking through business operations, fund investments, and philanthropic efforts to advance social and environmental good.

This World Economic Forum report is a primer for family offices interested in impact investing, which aims to generate both financial returns and positive social/environmental impact.

It provides guidance on defining an impact investing vision, developing engagement strategies, and executing/evaluating portfolios, emphasizing the unique position of family offices to grow this sector. The report proposes a step-by-step framework for family offices to incorporate impact investing while considering their values, risk tolerance, and financial goals.

This report from the Omidyar Network focuses on “Frontier Capital,” early-stage investing in emerging markets that seeks both financial returns and social impact, specifically targeting low- and lower-middle-income populations. It identifies three segments of investment: Replicate and adapt, frontier, and frontier plus, each with varying levels of risk and potential impact, and calls for more risk-tolerant capital to support innovation in these areas. The document highlights the importance of mixed-income models and asset-light businesses for achieving scale and impact in these markets.

This World Economic Forum report assesses the state of impact investing at the time, highlighting the gap between excitement and actual investment from mainstream investors, and proposes strategies to bridge this gap. It emphasizes definitional clarity, addresses challenges such as small deal sizes and lack of standardized measurement, and recommends actions for various stakeholders to accelerate capital flow into impact investments.

The report calls for greater transparency in financial returns and social impact measurement, while encouraging mainstream investors to engage further.