Impact Entrepreneur | By Drew Tulchin and Katrina Dutt | Published July 22, 2025
From extractive models to shared ownership and values-based capital.
For decades, impact investors have worked to align capital with conscience — deploying resources toward businesses that address social, community, and environmental challenges. In the modern era, socially responsible investment gained prominence through campaigns such as the divestment movement against apartheid South Africa. Many early leaders in this field — including Catholics, Quakers, and Mennonites — sought to align their faith-based values with their investing.
Organizations like Investors’ Circle (now celebrating 33 years), Shared Interest (formally registered in 1994), and Toniic (formally a decade ago, though collaborations go back further) helped pioneer collective investing in mission-driven startups and high-growth companies.
Today, impact investing continues to grow rapidly. According to the GIIN, the global market reached approximately $1.57 trillion USD in 2024, with a 21% annual growth rate. Many (though not all) of the investment vehicles in use mirror conventional structures — in language, terms, and paperwork. This was initially a strategic move to “normalize” impact investing, making it more accessible and understandable for mainstream investors.
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