How Impact Investing Quietly Took Over $40 Trillion—and What Happens Next | Sir Ronald Cohen (Fan Fav)
Sir Ronald Cohen, founder of the modern venture capital industry in the UK and a former refugee from Egypt, discusses the rise of impact investing — a movement integrating impact measurement alongside risk and return. He argues that capitalism must evolve to account for social and environmental consequences, and that $40 trillion in ESG investing signals a fundamental shift in how markets operate. He believes measuring corporate impact, much like measuring profit, is the key to solving global challenges that governments and philanthropy alone cannot address.
Summary
The episode features Sir Ronald Cohen, a prominent figure in both venture capital and impact investing, in conversation with host Tom Bilyeu. Cohen opens by recounting his personal background as a refugee: at age 11, his Jewish family was expelled from Egypt following the Suez Crisis, arriving in Britain with almost nothing. He credits this experience with shaping his drive and his belief in education as an inalienable asset. He later won a scholarship to Harvard Business School, where he discovered venture capital in its infancy and brought the concept back to the UK.
Cohen draws a historical parallel between the development of modern financial systems and the emerging impact revolution. He notes that generally accepted accounting principles only emerged after the 1929 crash, and that the ability to measure risk — pioneered at the University of Chicago — gave rise to venture capital as a recognized asset class. He argues that we are now at a similar inflection point: advances in big data and computing now make it possible to measure corporate impact on people and the planet, just as we measure profit. This, he contends, is the foundation of the impact investing movement.
He explains that impact investing differs from traditional ESG in that it specifically requires measurement of impact alongside risk and return. With $40 trillion in ESG assets and $1 trillion in dedicated impact investment already deployed, Cohen argues this is no longer a niche movement. He cites research from Harvard Business School's Impact-Weighted Accounts project, which analyzed 1,800 companies and found that 250 create more environmental damage than profit annually, and that collectively they produce $3 trillion in annual environmental harm.
Cohen addresses the role of government, arguing that taxation and redistribution are necessary but insufficient to solve large-scale social and environmental problems. He contends that only by changing the behavior of companies and investors — through transparency, standardized impact reporting, and market incentives — can society tackle challenges at the necessary scale. He supports capitalism but argues it must evolve beyond pure profit maximization, noting that companies like ExxonMobil have seen their share prices collapse as investors respond to environmental risk.
He also discusses the social impact bond, which he helped develop after a UK government request in 2000, as an early mechanism for tying investor returns to measurable social outcomes such as reduced recidivism or school dropout rates. He frames this as a precursor to the broader impact investing model. Cohen emphasizes that consumers, employees, and investors — particularly millennials and Gen Z — are already driving this change by refusing to engage with companies whose values they reject.
On the question of capitalism versus communism or socialism, Cohen argues that state-planned economies suppress the human instinct to strive and innovate, resulting in lower growth and prosperity. He favors a reformed capitalism that harnesses market dynamics while embedding social and environmental accountability. He closes by emphasizing that the impact revolution is not optional — the scale of climate change and inequality demands systemic change — and that technology now makes it possible to deliver that change at unprecedented scale.
About this episode
<p>This is a fan fav episode. The word ‘capitalism’ seems to make some people happy, while making others cringe. The U.S. started as a capitalist society and has evolved into a mix of capitalism and socialism. As society and technology evolves, how should our economic system evolve in response? In this episode, Sir Ronald Cohen, “the father of British venture capital” speaks with Tom about the importance of social impact and what impact investing is evolving into and how it can change the social world for the better. Creating systems that support entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and social responsibility of big companies is just the tip of a massive iceberg. Listen in to see how this all ties into our natural desire to evolve and strive for more than just money. Order Sir Ronald Cohen’s new book, Impact (all proceeds donated to impact charities): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Impact-Reshaping-capitalism-drive-change/dp/1529108055/ </p> <p>Original air date: 4-13-21 SHOW NOTES: Impact Investing | Sir Ronald explains what’s reshaping a new economic system [1:57] Coming to Britain | Sir Ronald reveals how he moved from Egypt and ended in Britain [4:48] Venture Capital | An overview of how venture capitalism came to be and what it is [7:23] Social Impact | Getting an accurate view of a company’s impact not just profits [9:41] Deciding | Sir Ronald gives tips on what to look for evaluating a company’s impact [12:47] Redistributed Wealth | Why redistributed wealth is needed, but it’s not enough [15:30] Poverty Problem | Sir Ronald discusses what’s been missing from solution [18:20] 1800 Companies | The $3 trillion environmental damage being measured [21:28] Capitalism | Sir Ronald breaks down capitalism driven by profit and social impact [28:05] Communism | Setbacks of communism and how increased prosperity redistributed is better [32:30] Turning Point | Recognizing social problems and having technology to measure impact [34:59] Striving | Sir Ronald introduces human nature to strive for money & quality of life [42:14] Re-Skill | Sir Ronald identifies why opportunities for new skills is part of the system [45:12]</p> <p><br /></p><p> </p><p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a></p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>
Key Insights
- Cohen argues that impact investing represents a third dimension — alongside risk and return — that is now being incorporated into $40 trillion of professionally managed assets, signaling a structural shift in capitalism rather than a niche trend.
- Cohen draws a direct parallel between the post-1929 introduction of standardized accounting principles and the emerging push to standardize impact measurement, arguing both are prerequisite infrastructure for functional markets.
- Cohen claims that Harvard Business School's Impact-Weighted Accounts research found that 250 of 1,800 analyzed companies create more annual environmental damage than they generate in profit, and that collectively these firms produce $3 trillion in environmental harm per year.
- Cohen argues that philanthropy is structurally incapable of solving large-scale social problems because its $1.5 trillion pool is dwarfed by $200 trillion in investable assets, making market-based impact investment the only mechanism with sufficient scale.
- Cohen contends that the ability to measure risk — developed in the mid-20th century — was what made venture capital viable as an asset class, and that the ability to measure impact will similarly institutionalize impact investing.
- Cohen argues that companies like ExxonMobil have seen their share prices fall by two-thirds not because of regulation, but because investors are repricing environmental risk into valuations — demonstrating that impact measurement changes market behavior without requiring government intervention.
- Cohen claims that the social impact bond, which he helped develop in 2010, was originally conceived as a tool to help philanthropists attract investment capital, but retrospectively revealed a broader model for optimizing risk, return, and impact simultaneously across the economy.
- Cohen argues that communism and deep socialism fail not primarily for ideological reasons but because state planning eliminates entrepreneurial judgment and suppresses the human drive to strive, resulting in structurally lower innovation and economic growth.
Topics
Transcript
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