Angel investing provides capital to start-up businesses, often when banks and venture capitalists won’t. Impact investing seeks to solve social or environmental problems while generating financial returns. When the two types of investments meet, heavenly things can happen.
“The intersection of angel investing and impact investing is very fertile territory,” says Tom Balderston, managing principal of SustainVC, with offices in Philadelphia; Concord, Mass.; and Durham, N.C. “There are some registered investment advisors who are on the forefront. There are others who are coming along slowly, because they’re starting to get pressure from their clients and they figure they’d better learn about it.”