Two moments stand out to philanthropist Jean Case when she considers the divide between the detractors and devotees of impact investing. A comment from venture capitalist Marc Andreessen at a conference where compared impact investing to a houseboat, which he said is neither a good house nor a good boat. And a Yale School of Management discussion, where a business school student likened impact investing to brunch, which he called than breakfast and better than lunch.
It is a myth that investors must sacrifice profits for purpose, said Case, the CEO of the Case Foundation and chair of the National Geographic Society, who talked with Devex at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit where she spoke about those two perspectives.
Here is what she had to say about what she sees as some of the most promising developments in entrepreneurship and impact investing, as well as the limits of data-driven decision-making.
About the author
Catherine Cheneycatherinecheney
Catherine Cheney is the Senior Editor for Special Coverage at Devex. She leads the editorial vision of Devex’s news events and editorial coverage of key moments on the global development calendar. Catherine joined Devex as a reporter, focusing on technology and innovation in making progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining Devex, Catherine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, and worked as a web producer for POLITICO, a reporter for World Politics Review, and special projects editor at NationSwell. She has reported domestically and internationally for outlets including The Atlantic and the Washington Post. Catherine also works for the Solutions Journalism Network, a non profit organization that supports journalists and news organizations to report on responses to problems.
