Varo Prosperity Podcast: Funneling Capital Into Purpose-Built Brands

Varo Prosperity Podcast

About Roy Swan: Roy leads the Ford Foundation’s Mission Investments team, responsible for the foundation’s $1bn impact investing endowment. Roy also oversees the foundation’s $350 million program related investment fund and grantmaking dedicated to strengthening the global ESG and impact investing fields.

He has had key roles at Morgan Stanley, including Co-Head of Global Sustainable Finance, CEO of Morgan Stanley Impact SBIC, and President of Morgan Stanley Trust savings bank. He also served as the founding Chief Investment Officer of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and Chief Financial Officer of Carver Bank, a Harlem-based publicly traded financial institution and the nation’s largest African American managed bank at the time. Roy graduated from Princeton University and Stanford Law School, where he was an editor of the Stanford Law Review.

About Maya Chorengel: Maya is Co-Managing Partner at The Rise Fund, a $7.7 billion global impact investing fund managed by TPG. Prior, Maya co-founded Elevar Equity, was Managing Director of the Dignity Fund, and invested for Warburg Pincus. Maya is a Director of TPG Inc., Little Leaf Farms, Benevity, Varo Bank, Nithio, SEO, and Kiva and serves on the Advisory Board of the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative. She co-authored “Calculating the Value of Impact Investing” published in the Harvard Business Review. Maya earned an A.B. in Social Studies from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

In this episode, Colin, Roy, and Maya discussed:

- The importance of people and purpose in mission-based investing

- Transforming communities through human capital investment

- Balancing financial returns and social impact in a polarized environment

- The intersection of impact investing, corporate culture, and social change in contemporary business

Key Takeaways:

- In the world of mission-based investing, the key lies in the authenticity and commitment highlighted by Roy and Maya. Whether it's the broad spectrum approach of the Ford Foundation or the focused commercial capital strategy of TPG's Rise Fund, success hinges on partnering with leaders deeply rooted in private enterprise to drive positive social and environmental impact.

- Maya emphasizes the importance of focusing on data, evidence, and results while pursuing investments that deliver both financial returns and positive social or environmental outcomes to help combat the challenges of ESG and impact investing in a politically charged environment.

- "Patriotic capitalism" combines profit and purpose to build a better future, fostering engaged employees and addressing social issues while generating substantial returns, all driven by a shared commitment to create a more equitable and sustainable world.

"We see human capital as the central element to any community's greatness, any state or any nation in the world." — Roy Swan

"We fundamentally believe that there are many tools available to us, but the more people we can convince just to be good people and to do the right thing will help us get to the right place in the world and to create the society and planet that we all want to live in." — Maya Chorengel

Connect with Roy Swan:

Website: https://www.fordfoundation.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roy-swan-7394832/

Connect with Maya Chorengel:

Website: https://www.tpg.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-chorengel-603b76/

Connect with Varo:

Website - https://www.varomoney.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/varobank/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/varobank

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/varomoney

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/varobank/

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.