This episode’s special guest is Jon Goriup - Co-Founder and CEO of VCG.AI.

We discuss various exciting topics from the journey of building an impact start-up, delivering transformational value chain solutions, and the role of AI and big data in achieving decarbonization goals.

If you want to learn more, this is the link to VCG’s website:

https://vcg.ai/

This episode's special guest is Jeff Shafer - Co-Founder and CEO of CommonGood Capital.

We discuss various exciting topics, from Jeff's journey to becoming an impact investor, thinking of how one might define impact investing, the biggest changes in the impact investing space, and areas of focus for CommonGood including forestry projects in the Pacific Northwest and renewable energy projects in Africa.

Link to CommonGood Capital: https://commongoodcap.com/

Link to Jeff's Podcast - "A New Lens Podcast": https://commongoodcap.com/podcast/

This episode's special guest is Dr. Andreja Kodrin who serves as an Investment Committee Member for InvestEU Fund, Director of Quintaum, and a member of the International Research Center on AI under Unesco (IRCAI).

Link to InvestEU: https://investeu.europa.eu/what-investeu-programme/investeu-fund_en

Link to Quintaum: https://www.quintaum.com/

Link to IRCAI: https://ircai.org/

Tell us about your story and how you got successfully involved with ESG (HIP) ratings and impact investing? What does impact investing mean to you – how do you define it? How does a company get an ESG rating? What different asset classes do you rate and what are the biggest differences in HIP rating them if any? How do you make sure to see through greenwashing initiatives by some firms in order to provide objective ratings?

Answers to these questions and much more with a special guest R. Paul Herman - CEO and Founder at HIP Investor Inc.

Link to HIP Investor website: https://hipinvestor.com/

Link to HIP Investor Book: https://hipinvestor.com/the-hip-investor-book/

Link to The Global Handbook of Impact Investing Book: https://hipinvestor.com/global-handbook/

What is a smart city?  Who plays the biggest role in building a smart city - businesses, governments, the EU, or residents? How big is the role of EVs and how should transportation be transformed in a smart city? What is your biggest takeaway from working and reporting on smart cities and urban mobility over the years?

Answers to these questions and much more with a special guest Adelino Dinis - Editor at WELECTRIC

How are sustainability business models changing in today’s era and what should be the focus on to achieve Net Zero goals? What are some of the challenges that companies face today on the path to Net Zero? EU has recently approved the final version of European sustainability reporting standards - how will those affect companies? What is your advice on which KPIs the companies should track and how ESG should be embedded within the firm?

Answers to those questions and much more with a special guest Mojca Markizeti - ESG & Climate Director at Deloitte CE South

How does ESG play a role in the banking industry? How is NLB Group navigating the path towards Net Zero? What are some implications of joining the Net Zero Banking Alliance and UNEP FI's Principles of Responsible Banking? What is the importance of establishing KPIs in regard to carbon footprint?

Answers to those questions and much more in this episode with a special guest Alenka Recelj Mericna - Sustainability Coordinator at NLB d.d.

NLB is a universal bank operating in South-Eastern Europe and number 1 in domestic market share. NLB is also the first Slovenian bank to commit to coal-related financing exclusion. It is also the first financial institution in Slovenia to join UNEP FI – Principles of responsible banking (Sept 2020) and Net-Zero banking Alliance (May 2022).

What is the outlook on impact investing in India? How do geographical and biodiversity differences affect the process of impact investing? What is the story behind the success of Alsisar Impact? Why should investors connect and better understand entrepreneurs?

Answers to those questions and much more in this episode with a special guest Anuj Sharma - CEO and Founder at Alsisar Impact

Why do metrics and analysis of the “S” in ESG not fully capture the status of employees’ financial security? How do employers and investors stand to benefit by paying greater attention to workers' financial security? What are some examples of recent efforts by employers and benefits providers to consider worker financial security within their ESG framework? What are the critical changes in the future to address the employees' financial security and how can solving this issue be an attractive opportunity for impact investors?

Answers to those questions and much more in this episode with a special guest Nick Maynard - Senior Vice President at Commonwealth

What is stakeholder capitalism? What are the key elements firms should consider regarding stakeholder governance during the ongoing war in Ukraine? What are the differences between smaller and larger companies when it comes to ESG investments and governance? Does culture play role in ESG practices and the governance focus of the companies?

Answers to those questions and much more in this episode with a special guest Gui Athia - CEO at Gui Athia and Partners