A few years ago it was only organizations like Vancity and other community foundations that were making aggressive investments in funds we now call impact investments. On January 24, 2012 RBC announced a $20M commitment to new impact investments sending a powerful message to the investment community: Investors want to make a social and environmental difference with their dollars, while also collecting modest profits.
Thomas Kineshanko, CEO and Founder of Habitat Enterprises, is passionately committed to curbing climate change and has devoted his career to creating software that will help do just that. When he is not trying to save the world, Thomas has been busy achieving other, lofty, goals. Thomas is not only a successful entrepreneur but also earned the title of Academic All-American and Athletic All-American in Track & Field. Not bad for the youngest GAE investee CEO.
In a recently released McKinsey Global Institutes report entitled Resource Revolution: Meeting the world’s energy, materials, food, and water needs, the minds at McKinsey took a deep look into the state of the planet and have provided insights into how society can adjust to meet the needs of the growing population. This article discusses the McKinsey findings and features the GAE investee companies that are in line with this research.
Lately it seems as though “sustainability” is everywhere in business. While in the past we used to think of sustainability simply as economic sustainability, the ability to remain a going concern, today it has a very different connotation. Now when we talk about sustainability it’s about much more than just being competitive. Sustainability is about a firm’s ability to function as a business while being aware of its impact on society and the environment, simultaneously focusing on key business functions.
Bruce Schmidt, CFO and Board Member at GAE, is a seasoned venture capitalist, a life sciences specialist, an entrepreneur, and a winery owner. As a Director at GAE Bruce has roles that are not limited to the financial side. His experience launching and running companies, and his role as an investor are just partly why Bruce’s involvement in GAE was sought-after.
In our last post on Venture Capital Corporations (VCC) entitled: VCC Mini-Series – What is a VCC, we discussed what exactly a VCC is, the history of a VCC, and who can invest in what type of VCC. Now we will discuss the tax benefits to investing in a VCC, likely the most attractive component to the investment. The idea behind the tax credit is that the tax income to the government, generated by the investee company (through PST, GST and corporate tax) and its employees (income tax), outweighs the tax credits to investors.
As either a retail or institutional investor, investment in GreenAngel Energy (TSX.V: GAE) can provide investors with attractive benefits that reach beyond a financial return. In a recent blog post on ethical investing we highlighted some of the pros and cons of investing in “ethical” or “socially responsible” investments like GAE. Below we will discuss further the financial implications of investing in a fund like GAE and bring to your attention some unique considerations to address when deciding whether investment in GAE is right for you and your investment needs at this time.
Jay Giraud, CEO of REV Technologies, has been busy at work for the last few years taking the electric vehicle industry by storm. Jumping from straight electric vehicle technology to the revolutionary new smart grid technology has kept the momentum going for this high energy innovator. Jay’s secret to success can be summed up in two words, “ratcheting” and communication. Jay knows best that the squeaky wheel gets the grease and it is due to his tenacity that he has achieved so much in a relatively short time as a CEO.
Alan enjoys searching for, and studying young companies with grand plans in emerging technologies. He believes green energy is a hot but sustainable trend with a global market and finds the prospects for investing in companies that can produce high returns on invested capital very exciting. Although he admits he is more of a risk assessor than a risk taker, but of course this is in part why GAE likes having him on the team.
As you may know, GAE offers investors the opportunity to invest in a number of different VCCs that allow them to reap significant rewards, while investing in innovative technologies that GAE believe show serious promise. The complexity of a VCC however can make it an intimidating investment option for many. We hope to help make a little more sense of it all with this mini-series. We will outline exactly what a VCC is, what the benefits are to the investor, how the VCC has evolved over the years to become a more creditable investment opportunity, and what impact investment in one can have on society as a whole.
