New
Private Markets
Private Markets
Impact Investor Global Summit
London 2025
20 - 21 May 2025
The Brewery, London
Today’s capital, tomorrow’s generation
The Impact Investor Global Summit 2025 is back—bigger and better than ever! Join 700+ leaders in impact and transition investing, including 250+ active allocators on 20-21 May at our exciting new London venue, the Brewery.
As the leading global event in impact investing, the Summit is your chance to dive into how private capital is fueling a sustainable and equitable future—and uncover the investable opportunities within this shift.
Confirmed investor attendees in 2024 included:
Connect with impact investors
Interested in sponsoring the Impact Investor Global Summit?
Position your company at the forefront of the impact investing landscape and connect with over 700 impact investment leaders, including 250+ global investors.
Sponsorship gives you the opportunity to:
- Raise your visibility as a leader in impact investing and align your brand with PEI’s global portfolio of events, driving positive change through investments.
- Accelerate your fundraising efforts by networking with global investors actively seeking to allocate capital towards impact and sustainable investment funds.
- Differentiate your brand and stand out from competitors by positioning yourself as a go-to provider for industry insights and developments
- Showcase your solutions to a room full of senior decision-makers from top impact funds in Europe and globally, elevating your presence in this high-growth market.
What can you expect at the Impact Investor Global Summit?
Meet institutional investors
Hear from institutional investors who are looking to increase their exposure to impact funds. Connect with representatives from Allianz Global Investors, Alvarium, AZR Capital, British Business Bank, BII, Church Commissioners, CPPIB, EBRD, EM Impact Capital, GIC, Hitachi Digital, IMAS Foundation, KFW Capital, M&G Investment Management, Mallinckrodt Foundation, and many more.
Event content with value
The summit will explore investment opportunities across the impact market’s different thematic buckets, and how to build strategies that are measurable, scalable and deliver real world outcomes. Featuring sessions on impact benchmarking, specialist vs generalist impact strategies, allocation priorities, investments opportunities in climate, circular economy, placed-based investing, emerging markets, and many more.
Build a valuable network
Connect with industry participants in all aspects of impact investment and benefit from our expansive global community. Network in-person at interactive workshops, networking breaks, evening drinks reception, roundtable discussions and invite-only breakfasts. Build lasting relationships and compare best practices with your peers.
2024 event in numbers
Speakers for 2025 include:
2025 themes include:
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- Impact’s growing appeal with asset owners: deep dive into the allocator market globally and new sources of capital
- Understand the evolution of the impact market: from VC to mid-market, credit, secondaries, specialisation and beyond
- Fiduciary duty debate: Can impact be a form of long-term portfolio protection?
- Who pays for the cost curve of the transition: debate on the realities of economics and sustainability progress
- Innovation in structures, secondaries and beyond: understanding the need for liquidity in the impact market
- Looking into the sun: how to approach the seismic investment opportunity of the artificial intelligence revolution?
- Scaling emerging market and development impact: how to make make the most impactful investments those that are invested in?
- Cracking into impact: a how-to guide for a new fund manager
- Combining additionality and intentionality: what are the pillars to a credible and authentic impact strategy?
- The next generation of impact reports and KPI’s: moving towards outcome-related impact reporting
- Understanding regulations: SFDR’s evolution and helping portfolio companies with CSRD compliance
- Deep dives into the most impactful sectors and their investment credentials: Climate adaptation, water, heavy industry decarbonisation, ownership economy, grid infrastructure, built environment decarb, circularity, cybersecurity, and more
Testimonials from attendees
Operating Principles for Impact Management
Diane Damskey, Head of Secretariat
The event gathered some of the top names in impact investing and covered key topics to promote the understanding and growth of this market. The organization and…
SV Health Investors
Hannah Maunder, Investor Relations and Communications Associate
The Impact Investor Global Summit provided a huge amount of clarity on all things impact investing and did so in an engaging and enjoyable way.
Rabobank
Claire van der Grift, ESG Director
Very interesting programme and speakers, great event for networking. Well organised and location was top notch. Will participate next time again.
Pre-Event Resources
For more information on speaking in 2025, please contact Boris Petrovic.
boris.p@pei.group | +44 (0)204 548 4494
2024 speakers included:
The Impact Investor Global Summit will take place in May 2025.
For more information on the agenda or speaking opportunities, please contact Boris Petrovic.
boris.p@pei.group | +44 (0)204 548 4494
View agenda page
Agenda
Impact Investor Global Summit 2025 - Day 1 - Tuesday 20th
08:00 - 09:00
Networking breakfast and registration
Plenary
09:00 - 09:05
PEI welcome
09:05 - 09:10
Chair’s opening remarks
09:10 - 09:20
Data presentation: Impact fundraising over the past year
09:20 - 10:00
Plenary #1: The state of market - performance, fundraising, exit environment
- How are geopolitical and macro trends converging, and what does it mean for the impact market?
- Generalist impact vs specialist – does it make sense to have climate, healthcare, education, financial inclusion focuses in one fund?
- As the first vintages of impact funds reach maturity – what can we say about performance?
- How are impact assets being valued and what are the trends in exits?
10:00 - 10:45
Plenary #2: Allocator perspectives – can impact be a form of portfolio protection?
- Are the big asset owners going to take responsibility for our world?
- Will impact, or a version of it, ever be a core of fiduciary duty?
- What do allocators find the most interesting investment opportunities?
- How are strategic asset allocation decisions being made in relation to impact?
Networking
10:45 - 11:15
Break
Plenary
11:15 - 12:00
Plenary #3: The bigger picture - how to balance realism and idealism in impact investing
- Is impact investing overly idealistic or ideological?
- What is the real incentive to being an impact investor?
- ‘Planetary boundaries’, net zero, science-based targets, SDGs, DE&I, Just Transition – are we being guided by sound frameworks or a web of overlapping/conflicting fads?
- Climate change is very palpable now, has the time come for a serious shift from mitigation to adaptation?
- What does the Trump administration mean for global environmental efforts?
12:00 - 12:20
Day one keynote #1
12:20 - 13:00
Plenary #4: The economics of the transition - who pays for the cost curve and takes the risks
- How has the missing middle in climate investing evolved?
- How to turn asset-heavy impact venture into mature companies – is it possible?
- What are the lessons of Northvolt’s demise?
- Climbing down the cost curve: who will pay for going down the cost curve?
- What role will industrial policy and subsidies play in a transition?
Networking
13:00 - 14:00
Lunch
After lunch the conference splits into four streams, the streamed sessions are designed for you to hear about the latest investment opportunities from best-in-theme managers and get detailed insights on innovations on the horizon.
Impact tech and innovation
14:00 - 14:45
A1: Looking into the sun: investing in the AI revolution
- How quickly will the economy change because of AI?
- How can impact funds get exposure to AI?
- How is AI being applied to address social and environmental issues right now?
- What can funds and investors do to get ahead of the disruption curve?
14:50 - 15:35
A2: Deep tech and biotech for environment
- Which advances in biotech and deeptech are reaching commercial maturity, and what’s on the horizon?
- What is the potential for impact applications?
- What is the intersection between biotech and deeptech with impact investing?
- How can impact investors access deployment opportunities in this market?
Social and inequality
14:00 - 14:45
B1: Systemic change vs sticking plasters: what will social impact be in the coming decade?
- Can impact investing address the root cause of social issues or is that chimerical?
- What are the most transformative models of effective social impact around the world?
- Is there a lack of replicability between countries and regions?
- To what extent are social investment opportunities as a result of welfare institutions retreating?
14:50 - 15:35
B2: Investing in the ownership economy: Affordable housing, employee ownership and beyond
- To what extent is ownership a means to addressing inequality?
- How are different ownership models taking off?
- What’s in it for the investor, from a returns perspective?
- Why hasn’t employee ownership been a bigger thing to date?
Decarbonisation
14:00 - 14:45
C1: Energy system evolution: where’s the impact and the alpha?
- What is the next phase of energy system transformation?
- How are geopolitics and escalating energy security considerations by advanced economies impacting the investment opportunity set?
- Which aspect of the energy transition is underfunded?
- How much price inflation are we seeing for ‘grade-A’ climate assets?
14:50 - 15:35
C2: Climate resilience and adaptation: a burgeoning investment theme
- As climate change becomes more palpable, is it time for a heavy pivot to adaptation (away from mitigation)?
- Is climate adaption largely an infrastructure investment play?
- What are some of the best examples of climate adaptation solutions around the world?
- What are climate resilience investors going after in terms of asset selection?
Natural capital
14:00 - 14:45
D1: Nature capital as an investment: forever hype?
- What are the fundamentals driving viability of natural capital as investments?
- How are managers active in the market deploying their capital?
- What are the environmental objectives and impact goals of nature funds?
- Is the term ‘natural capital’ being abused?
14:50 - 15:35
D2: Water security: poised for scarcity?
- How much is water scarcity and quality becoming an issue in different markets?
- What does the landscape of water investing consist of?
- To what extent does water investing align with the and climate adaptation agenda?
Networking
15:35 - 16:00
Networking Break
Impact tech and innovation
16:00 - 16:45
A3: Health: impact opportunities and market disruption
- How is AI affecting health investment opportunities?
- Have we made any progress in credibly measuring health impacts?
- How robust are health-related impact opportunities in a downturn?
- What is the maturity of the ecosystem in the ‘impact for health’ sub-asset class?
16:50 - 17:35
A4: Cybersecurity and AI safety: protecting wealth and livelihoods
- As the world becomes ever more digitised, what is the investment opportunity set which is emerging in security and safety?
- To what extent can cybersecurity justifiably be considered an impact investment?
- Is cybersecurity an extension of tech investing?
- How can investors get exposure to AI safety tech such as ethical cloud, deepfake detection?
Social and inequality
16:00 - 16:45
B3: Aging society and care economy: investing in the ‘silver tsunami’
- How are investors thinking about the demographic precipice facing developed markets?
- What are the investment opportunities in an aging society?
- Are there any concrete visions in terms of how societies can provide a better life for older people?
16:50 - 17:35
B4: Work and skills: what will be the value of labour in the future?
- In the past two years, how much have labour markets been altered by AI?
- What is the future of education and reskilling?
- How are funds active in the workforce development and education market faring in the current market, in terms of deployment?
- Where is the alpha opportunity for investors active in the scape?
Decarbonisation
16:00 - 16:45
C3: Decarb strategies: deep dive into industry and built environment
- How are corporates looking to decarbonise?
- Which technologies are being used to decarbonise and how scalable are they?
- How capital intensive are industrial decarbonisation solutions?
- What are some examples of successfully executed brown-to-green strategies?
16:50 - 17:35
C4: Sustainable commodities : green ammonia, steel, cement, hydrogen
- How have the supply chains of commodities such as green ammonia and hydrogen been evolving?
- What is the investment universe within sustainable commodities?
- Have high hydrocarbon prices disincentivised investors from pursuing moving capital into this area?
- Will these alternative fuels ever be able to compete with their mainstream (hydrocarbon-derived) counterparts?
Natural capital
16:00 - 16:50
D3: Circularity: latest innovations, corporate appetite, and scaling impact
- How is the circularity evolving?
- What technologies and innovations are driving progress in materials recycling and reuse?
- What the regulatory trends in sustainable consumption and waste?
- Is corporate interest and investment in circularity likely to grow?
16:50 - 17:35
D4: Land ＆ ocean: assessing the impact efficacy of protection & restoration solutions
- Is conservation a ‘sticking plaster’ solution relative to the scale of degradation occurring?
- What are the most pressing issues in nature conservation (soil, ocean acidification, overfishing)?
- What do the concepts of ‘land transition’ and ‘planetary boundaries’ in investing entail?
- What are the investment opportunities that have deep impact in protecting the biosphere?
Networking
17:35 - 18:35
Evening networking reception
Agenda
Impact Investor Global Summit 2025 - Day 2 - Wednesday 21st
07:30 - 08:15
Networking breakfast and registration
First round of workshops
08:15 - 09:30
W1: LP only - best practices in filtering, due diligence and data
LP only session.
- What filters are investors using to screen bad impact investments?
- What are the best practices for engaging with impact fund managers?
- How are different investors doing due diligence?
- How are LPs using impact data?
08:15 - 09:30
W2: IMM - building a good impact strateg
- What are the pillars to a credible impact strategy?
- Should you link carry with impact performance?
- Should your fund have third-party verification mechanisms to impact claims?
- What is part of a well-thought-out theory of change?
- How are the concepts of intentionality and additionality, double materiality being applied practically?
08:15 - 09:30
W3: Impact operating partners – best practices in supporting impact companies and founders
- How can you become the impact GP of choice?
- What are the differing considerations when handling an ‘impact’ portfolio company?
- Impact under the hood: how to increase ‘sustainable revenues’ of portfolio companies?
- How can funds improve the mental health of founders in their portfolios?
08:15 - 09:30
W4: How to create blended finance solutions fit for the coming decade
- Is the resurgent interest in blended finance, by prominent voices such as Mark Carney, justified?
- What have been some of the genuine innovations in blended finance over the last 5 years?
- What are the lessons learnt in how not to do blended finance vehicles and where they are not an appropriate tool?
- How can blended finance be used in non-EM context (e.g. in financing climate or nature solutions)?
09:30 - 09:45
Short morning break
Second round of workshops
09:45 - 11:00
W5: Rethinking measurement: best practices in KPIs and metrics
- Serviced and avoided emissions – how to get serious on metrics?
- How are efforts on convergence of standards faring – will they reduce complexity of reporting?
- Putting a price on impact – can you put a valuation on impact?
- What are some of the pioneering metrics faring, such as carbon reduction per million dollars invested?
09:45 - 11:00
W6: Cracking into impact - a how-to guide for new funds
- The role of specialisation in standing out?
- Is the trend of new entrants in the market?
- Going-concern risk: what can be learnt from the cleantech investment waves?
- How to create a good deck of slides when pitching LPs?
- Is the impact label helpful for fundraising?
09:45 - 11:00
W7: Getting to grips with the evolving regulatory environment
- How are funds going about resourcing and supporting their portfolios to comply with CSRD and CSDDD?
- How are funds finding their way around the UK’s regulations on sustainability labels?
- How is the market reacting to SFDR’s evolution?
- What are the main regulatory headaches for impact investors?
09:45 - 11:00
W8: the nuts and bolts of executing a brown-to-green strategy
- How extensive is the playbook on brown-to-green strategies?
- What case studies are there of successful execution of brown-to-green transition of businesses?
- What are the considerations in terms of planning, governance, and management selection?
- What are the best and worst scenarios in which the strategy can be applied?
11:00 - 11:30
Networking break
Stream A
11:30 - 12:15
A5: Deep dive into the growth of secondaries in impact
- Are secondaries a good entry point for LPs into the impact market?
- What’s driving the growing interest in secondaries?
- What’s the activity between LP stake and continuation vehicles in the market?
- How are LPs viewing the secondaries market?
12:15 - 13:00
A6: Elevator pitches: The best up-and-coming managers
In this new format session, you’ll be hearing from some of the most innovative and exciting emerging managers in the global impact market.
We’ll hear a set of 5-minute pitches from five of the most exciting managers we’ve found in the impact market, followed by an open Q+A with the speakers facilitated by the chair.
We are committed to providing a platform for new managers that are doing exceptional work.
Stream B
11:30 - 12:15
B5: Impact debt strategies: are they really impact?
- How much is ‘impact washing’ a phenomenon in credit?
- To what extent are credit strategies authentically impact?
- What is the market map on impact credit in terms of themes and geographical coverage?
- How can funds embedding intentionality and additionality to their strategies?
12:15 - 13:00
B6: Emerging markets, blended finance & development impact: will it finally become mainstream?
- EM investing is a rounding error, people have quipped, in terms of the total volume investments – is it destined to remain so?
- Is there the resurgence in blended finance justified or hype?
- Are there reasons for optimism about the future of emerging market investing?
- The perennial question: what is needed to make EM investing more attractive to allocators?
- How are the shifting geopolitics picture going to effect international development?
Stream C
11:30 - 13:00
Speed networking
In this session we’ll have speed networking between conference delegates.
A great way to meet 6-8 new people with 4-minute per meeting.
Please note, places are limited and look out for our communication regarding how to sign up. this will occur roughly 3 weeks prior to the event.
PEI will then email the week before the event those that have been accepted and more details on the format.
Networking
13:00 - 14:00
Lunch
Afternoon plenaries
14:00 - 14:20
Keynote #2
14:20 - 14:45
Keynote #3
14:45 - 15:45
Panel #8: Debate: private capital can be a force for good
This is an Oxford-style debate in which we’ll have two speakers for the proposition and two speakers against, with audience voting on their views at the start and at the end of the session. This session will be an off-the-record discussion.
Private equity has received some scathing press recently, from publications like the Guardian and others, as being ‘capitalism on steroids’, a burgeoning sector of finance that is opaque, with a growing interest in the economy, and a playbook of cynical tactics.
Impact investing is largely a private market phenomenon and can be described as a progressive outgrowth of it, one based on the basic idea that investors can do good and make returns. In the face of collective issues such as climate change, biodiversity collapse and widening inequality, everyone in a position of privilege, influence and power is expected to do their part in addressing them. Impact investing is private capital’s ostensible answer.
In this debate we ask whether impact investing can do what it purports to, does its heritage in the ‘red-in-tooth-and-claw world’ of private equity hamper its ability to create positive change, and if so, what is the way forward if the criticisms which are circulating are sound (or partly sound), as well as looking to answer tangential questions such as:
- Can private capital be trusted to do good?
- Does private equity have an image problem, and if so, why?
- Do PE funds, and especially impact funds, need accountability mechanisms when making claims of doing good?
- What is the role of private markets in addressing global challenges, where do its responsibilities stop and start?
15:45 - 16:00
Closing remarks
16:00 - 16:15
End of conference
Impact Investor Global Summit
Meet our 2025 advisory board:
Sponsorship opportunities
Position your business with an authoritative content-led event portfolio focused on ESG & diversity and be recognised as a go-to solution provider for senior private markets professionals and institutional investors.
Sponsorship gives you the opportunity to:
- Network with senior power players and private market investors as you address the most impeding social and environmental challenges through impact investing.
- Present how your impact fund solutions deliver measurable ESG credentials to align with a strong financial performance to enable fundraising across a global investor base.
- Discover brand opportunities to position your sustainable funds to aid capital raising to a global ESG community.
For more information on available sponsorship opportunities please contact chris.w@pei.group | +44 (0) 7584 018 707
2025 sponsors include:
Network with the global impact investment industry
The Summit will be in-person in London. Join 600+ attendees from specialist impact fund managers, general asset managers and institutional investors for two days of networking at the must-attend event for impact investment professionals.
The in-person networking experience
Meet investors focused on impact investment
Network with active investors in the industry. Benefit from our expansive global investor community who will be in attendance throughout the summit.
Network in-person in London
Connect with your peers at interactive workshops, networking breaks, evening drinks reception, roundtable discussions and invite-only breakfasts.
Build new connections
Our past attendees included Big Society Capital, Blackstone Group, CDC Group, Goldman Sachs, Macarthur Foundation, MassMutual, New York State Common Retirement Fund, and many more.
Past attendees included
Testimonials from attendees
Operating Principles for Impact Management
Diane Damskey, Head of Secretariat
The event gathered some of the top names in impact investing and covered key topics to promote the understanding and growth of this market. The organization and…
SV Health Investors
Hannah Maunder, Investor Relations and Communications Associate
The Impact Investor Global Summit provided a huge amount of clarity on all things impact investing and did so in an engaging and enjoyable way.
FSN Capital Partners
Pål Dale, Senior Director, Business Development
All in all, the event provided a rich and detailed snapshot of the state of the impact investment industry, as of 2021.
Institutional Investors at the Impact Global Summit 2025
The Impact Investor Global Summit is an opportunity to connect with 200+ investors who are looking to increase their exposure to impact funds and sustainable investment strategies. The Summit is a platform for investors to gain insights from their peers, benchmark investment strategies, and share best practices.
Confirmed investor attendees in 2024 included Allianz Global Investors, Alvarium, AZR Capital, British Business Bank, BII, Church Commissioners, CPPIB, EBRD, GIC, Hitachi Digital, IMAS Foundation, KFW Capital, M&G Investment Management, Mallinckrodt Foundation, and many more.
What to expect at the Summit:
- Meet with the best and biggest impact funds globally – network and arrange one-to-one meetings with leading impact managers
- Networking with peers and other institutional investors – build your network of peers, understand their strategies, challenges and allocation approach to impact
- Get insight on the latest innovations and trends in impact investing – take advantage of world-class speaking faculty to stay aligned with developments in the market
- Find investment opportunities across the impact market’s thematic sub-asset classes from climate, healthcare, social, education and many more
Apply for a complimentary Institutional Investor pass
A limited number of complimentary passes are available for impact LPs, allocators and institutional investors to join the event.
Complimentary investor passes are limited to foundations, endowments, trusts, insurance companies, single family offices, sovereign wealth funds and pension funds who are actively making fund commitments and do not engage in third-party fundraising activities or collect fees for advisory/consulting services.
Apply for a complimentary pass and a member of our team will follow up with you to confirm your eligibility.