ImpactAlpha Podcasts

Russell Sprole of Virta Ventures joins David Bank to talk about why Virta expanded its equity-light, software-focused climate-tech investment strategy to include hardware, AI and blended capital stacks. Virta Ventures has been an active and early user of ImpactAlpha Edge, ImpactAlpha’s premium platform of data and tools for fund managers and other Agents of Impact.For more on the firm check out out David's piece on the firm's strategy from last year.

David Bank is joind by Carol Galante of the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley and The Housing Lab. Carol is a proud “houser,” as affordable housing practitioners like to call themselves. David speaks with Carol to identify some of the policy and finance levers that can make housing more affordable in California and beyond.

Lyneir Richardson of Chicago Trend joins David Bank for this Agents of Impact podcast. Trend acquires and improves shopping centers in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. The twist:  Investment structures that enable local residents to become co-owners on the same terms as institutional investors. David speeks with Lyneir about how such local buy-in bolsters the properties, why even a $1,000 stake in commercial real estate can change a family’s trajectory, and how broad-based community ownership can help close the racial wealth gap. 

Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha’s top stories with editor David Bank. Up this week:"Conflict in the Middle East creates (even more) refugees in need of livelihoods, services and impact investment," by Lucy Ngige."Valuing Aging" Agents of Impact Call (5:05)." Profit and punishment: The portfolio risks lurking inside private prisons,"by Andrew Behar (10:45).

Bryan Goh, leader of the Tsao Family Office's social impact arm, translates a family charter into an impact-driven multi-asset strategy. He discusses building impact capabilities from scratch, a theory for when to use impact capital, portfolio categorization including a deep impact bucket, and an Innovation Lab for early moonshot bets. He also covers Singapore's role as a solutions scout.

Ashley Bell of Redemption Holding Company joins David Bank on this episode of the podcast. Redemption last year acquired Utah-based Holiday Bank & Trust, the first time Black owners had acquired a non-minority-owned bank. From a Salt Lake City suburb, Bell is building a national financial institution.

Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha’s top stories with editor David Bank. Up this week: "How Anthropic’s standoff with the Pentagon is putting impact investors' AI thesis to the test in real time," by David Bank. “⁠Sharing wealth with workers creates value for private equity buyout firms. So why not share more?⁠” by Roodgally Senatus. (10:15). “⁠Six barriers keeping foundations from impact investing – and how to overcome them⁠,” by Woodcock Foundation's Stacey Faella (17:55).

Tirtha Patel and John Morris of Intentional Asset Management join David for this episode. Intentional is raising the Carib Grow Fund to provide much-needed equity financing for food systems in the Caribbean. Tirtha and John explain the fund's strategy for transforming the region’s food value chain, from production to processing to waste recovery. Intentional Asset Management has been an active and early user of ImpactAlpha’s premium databases and other investment tools for fund managers and other Agents of Impact.

Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha’s top stories with editor David Bank and producer Isaac Silk. Up this week: As the Trump administration steps back from domestic policy, how states are taking the lead on clean energy, the ownership economy, and AI regulation (09:25); Why smaller funds are leading to bigger returns in Africa (); And, the pivots of Mast Reforestation, as it seeks to sell removal credits on the voluntary carbon markets (14:15).ImpactAlpha's Policy Corner coverage.“Aruwa Capital has the data to make the case for small investment funds,” by Lucy Ngige“From planting trees to burying them, Mast Reforestation follows the market for carbon credits,” by Isaac Silk

The Russell Family Foundation is a regional small fry among the giant pension, insurance and sovereign wealth funds in the Net Zero Asset Owners Alliance, which represents more than $9 trillion in assets. Russell, based in Gig Harbor, Wash., near Seattle, accounts for only about $100 million of that total.  “We can move a little bit faster,” Kathleen Simpson, CEO of the foundation, tells David Bank on this Agents of Impact podcast.Resources mentioned by Kathleen:Russell's latest climate reportAs You SowClarity.aiiconik