Update on Three Questions Pilot

Re-think Risk Return Impact Update

Since the launch of this pilot in January, I have been gathering ideas and having productive conversations with practitioners across the ecosystem. An update on some emerging themes:

• Resonance with core hypotheses of the project – including the current limitations around risk/return/impact, determining long-term paths forward for the field, and the potential benefits of casting the brainstorming net wide.

• Current breakthrough ideas to date fall into two broad categories:  1) Creating data analytics and analysis to integrate blended returns into existing decision frameworks, and  2) Finding new ways to communicate and educate investors on blended returns.

• An emerging assumption that impact investing needs to be more closely anchored to existing mainstream capital market practices to accelerate momentum.

• There are emerging challenges with collecting ideas for the pilot, including time limitations of front-line practioners and a need for greater facilitation to articulate their input. Given the complexity of the question, these ideas rarely come fully formed and need to be teased out through conversations.

These lessons will be circulated back into course corrections for the pilot. Welcome ongoing input either through the Three Question site: https://www.innovateimpact.org/risk-return-impact-three-questions or through the general comment / question page: https://www.innovateimpact.org/questions-and-submissions.