Insights
From Conversation to Commitment: Reflections from Our Impact Dialogues Event
By Karolina Iaydjieva, Portfolio Manager
From Conversation to Commitment: Reflections from Our Impact Dialogues Event
On a Wednesday afternoon in April, we gathered a room full of Toronto-based impact investors, clients and sector partners for one simple reason: to bring impact investing to life.
We designed the event as a journey; from the organizations creating on-the-ground impact, to the fund managers who support them, to the people in the room deciding how to allocate their capital. It was intentionally immersive. Not just charts and checklists, but real stories, honest questions and thoughtful conversations about how capital can be a tool for meaningful change.
Rather than try to cover every impact theme our clients care about (and there are many!), we curated speakers across three areas where our portfolios are actively driving systems change: sustainable food systems, accessible health systems and equitable access to capital.
Our impact storytelling lightning talks, short video profiles of ten of our investee funds’ portfolio companies, set the tone early. They offered us a glimpse into the challenges these organizations are tackling and the impact they’re already delivering. We heard from farmers restoring soil health, health tech founders expanding care for underserved communities and Indigenous entrepreneurs building businesses rooted in culture and land.
They reminded us why this work matters and you could feel the room shift from “this is interesting” to “this is important”.
Next came the fireside chat with fund managers from InvestEco Capital, CrossBorder Impact Ventures and BKR Capital, each representing one of the featured themes. We asked them to talk about process, how they embed impact from the start, what real founder support looks like after the term sheet is signed and how they stay accountable to their thesis, to their LPs and to the communities they serve.
Finally, in the roundtable discussions, we rolled up our sleeves. Clients shared how they’ve approached governance, where they’ve made strategic trade-offs and how they’ve learned from what didn’t go as planned. What stood out most for me was the candour in the room. Whether someone had years of experience with impact investing or was just starting to explore, people shared insights with clarity, humility and a genuine willingness to learn from each other.
By the end of the day, I felt the energy move even further towards conviction and excitement about impact investing. While our field faces growing scrutiny, alongside the pullback from bold commitments to equity and impact, it is clear our work remains critical. We need to keep moving forward with clarity and a shared vision for capital markets that serve people and the planet. It’s encouraging to hear participants asking how they can do more. They’re leaning in, pushing forward and bringing others along for the ride.
As Paul Campbell, one of our featured founders, reminded us during his lightning talk: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Let’s keep going.