Better Money Better World

In the latest episode of Better Money Better World, Daniel Pianko sits down with four remarkable alumni from the Impact Capital Managers Mosaic Fellowship — Mary Chen, Staphany Hou, Iliana Griva, and Rob Rush — to explore how the next generation is shaping the future of impact investing.

Each of these bright minds took a unique path into the field, but they share one powerful common thread: a passion for aligning capital with purpos...

In the most recent episode of Better Money Better World, Daniel speaks with Vikas Raj, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of ResilienceVC. ResilienceVC is a seed-stage fintech fund relentlessly focused on building financial resilience for underserved and low-to-moderate-income Americans.

ResilienceVC doesn’t just aim for financial inclusion. They meticulously track “resilience dollars” created by their portfolio companies: the actual inc...

In the most recent episode of Better Money Better World podcast, Daniel speaks with Mike Winterfield, Founder and Managing Partner of Active Impact. Active Impact Investments is Canada’s largest climate tech seed fund. They provide money and talent to accelerate the growth of early-stage climate tech companies that are capable of achieving massive scale while solving the most urgent environmental issues.

While many early-stage inves...

In the latest episode of BMBW, Daniel speaks with Martin Hahn, CEO of Capital Dynamics, and Verena Rossolatos, Chair of the Responsible Investment Committee at Capital Dynamics.

Capital Dynamics is a leader in clean energy and the lower middle market investing.  Capital Dynamics manages over $14 billion by targeting strong returns while leading on impact – including becoming one of the first signatories of the UN Principles for Resp...

In the latest Better Money Better World  podcast episode, Daniel is joined by Brian Wayne, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of CurvePoint Capital. CurvePoint Capital is a private investment firm dedicated to advancing climate-focused innovation. Founded in 2024, it is committed to generating attractive returns for investors while fostering a sustainable and prosperous economic future.

Brian shines the spotlight on the missing middle...

In the latest BMBW podcast episode, Daniel is joined by David Su, a Managing Partner and co-head of the Apax Global Impact team based in New York. Apax Global Impact invests in visionary businesses that deliver tangible impact. It partners with management teams to drive transformational outcomes for people and the planet.

David was drawn to Apax’s authentic approach to impact investing and a large firm's global platform, collaborati...

In the latest from the BMBW podcast, Daniel joins Sabari Raja and Yigal Kerszenbaum, co-managing partners of JFFVentures. The conversation delves deep into the future of work, the growing need for upskilling, and how innovative solutions are shaping emerging job markets. 

JFFVentures is operationally independent but strategically aligned to Jobs for the Future (JFF), a forty-year-old national nonprofit working across the U.S. educat...

Blue Earth Capital, a specialist global impact investor, is making waves in the world of impact investing by pioneering impact secondaries among other strategies. As Managing Director and Head of Private Equity Partnerships at BlueEarth, Nicolas Muller is focused on delivering social and environmental impact combined with market-rate returns.

In this episode, Nicolas shares how BlueEarth isn’t just talking about change—they’re makin...

Shundrawn Thomas, Founder and Managing Partner of The Copia Group, built Copia to provide bespoke capital solutions to privately held, U.S.-based companies that are committed to economic Inclusion. Copia is one of the only impact-driven private debt funds.

Shundrawn shifted his focus to private investing after serving as President of Northern Trust Asset Management -- where he was responsible for an over $1 Trillion business. A uniq...

In this episode, Daniel is joined by Dan Prawda, Founding Partner of GEF Capital Partners and co-head of the U.S. investment practice. GEF makes lower middle-market buyout investments in environmentally focused companies addressing climate change and/or pollution remediation.

Join us for this insightful conversation delving deep into the world of climate-focused lower mid-market buyout investments in the United States and exploring ...

In today's episode, Daniel is joined by Todd Leverette, an indisputable authority on employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). Todd’s insights into the intricate dynamics of ESOPs leave no doubt about their transformative potential.

Todd is a founding partner of APIS & Heritage Capital Partners. APIS & Heritage invest in companies going through ownership transitions to implement Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), which aim to emp...

In this episode, Daniel delves into the thesis and track record of Blackhorn Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund investing in founders transforming how we build, power, and move our world. Melissa Cheong, Managing Director at Blackhorn, sheds light on the company's transformative role in reshaping legacy industries.

Melissa has a long career in impact investing and in addition to her role as General Partner at Blackhorn, s...

H/L Ventures integrates venture studio and investment fund strategies for purpose-driven businesses and was founded 16 years ago. Now, H/L Ventures stands out as a trailblazer in holistic company building, home to entities like H/L Studios and City Rock Ventures. Diverging from conventional venture firms, H/L Ventures is most differentiated for pioneering a deeply hands-on approach, actively participating in the daily operations of...

Nuveen, the wholly-owned asset manager of TIAA, a renowned financial services company specializing in retirement savings, manages over a trillion dollars of AUM, with TIAA's capital exceeding $350 billion. Rekha Unnithan leads Nuveen Private Equity Impact in the alternative asset class, managing over $1 billion. Focusing on climate and inclusion within the growth equity space, Nuveen Private Equity Impact has thrived, resulting in ...

GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset manager with over 50 years of experience investing across private equity, real estate, infrastructure, credit, and absolute return strategies. They are a pioneer in customized solutions and a leader in providing innovative turn-key multi-client products. They provide clients with flexible access to alternative investments through a range of implementation strategies, including funds, co-i...

In 2017, Ford Foundation President Darren Walker embarked on an ambitious proposal to invest 8% of its then $12.5bn endowment – or roughly $1 billion – into impact investing and hired Roy Swan to run the effort.  What could one of the most well-known foundations in the world do with the “other 95%” of their assets?  The Foundation recently released a report on their efforts – highlighting a 28% compound annual return.  Listen as he...

Jed Emerson co-authored the first book on impact investing and led a “portfolio lifestyle” with academic appointments at Harvard, Stanford and Oxford business schools while helping to start leading organizations like ImpactAssets and Pacific Community Ventures.  He currently serves as Global Lead, Impact Investing for Tiedeman Advisors, a wealth manager with over $25bn of assets under management.  Jed quotes wisdom from Buddhist sc...