How is elea raising awareness?

In order to embed the practical work of elea in an appropriate framework for reflection from an academic perspective, the elea Chair for Social Innovation has been created at the IMD Business School in Lausanne. In accordance with our activities, this innovative kind of professorship will particularly deal with the impact of entrepreneurial activities and market mechanisms in tackling social problems, and thereby contribute to the identification and promotion of societal innovations. As per January 2018, Prof. Vanina Farber has been appointed to IMD to assume elea’s Chair for Social Innovation.

In addition to specific investment activities, we are also actively involved in the further development of the entrepreneurial philanthropy sector, as well as the strengthening of our own profile within this field. For this purpose, we regularly take part in conferences, specialist lectures, and meetings with ecosystem partners. We also publish the knowledge we have acquired, such as our proprietary method for systematic impact measurement (eIMM).

Participation in the annual St. Gallen Symposium is an integral element of our goal to raise awareness. We support the International Students’ Committee (ISC) that organizes this event by assisting them with the development of themes for the conference agenda, such as fighting poverty and impact investing. We also selectively participate in debates at the St. Gallen Symposium by taking part in workshops and informal discussions. The opportunity to share information with other impact-oriented institutions, young social entrepreneurs, as well as business leaders and politicians from around the world promotes the understanding of global developments and their implications for regions in which we are actively engaged.

The Impact Finance Forum creates a space for constructive dialogue between decision-makers and opinion leaders on sustainable investing in Switzerland. At elea, we aim to raise awareness for investment in impact ventures and help the sector as a whole reach the next level. In this long-term partnership, we will apply our expertise gained from more than 17 years in impact investing. By doing so, we will support the strategic positioning of a responsible financial center.