Sustainable investors are concerned not only with what companies are striving to accomplish, but also with the way in which those companies intend to operate and the values and methods that will be used by the principals of the companies. Specifically, sustainable investors look for individuals and companies that value and exhibit transparency and honesty and candor in communications among stakeholders; define economic success by social and ecological impact, not just financial results; have an entrepreneurial spirit and culture that encourages and fosters innovation and continuous improvement; and which are truly pioneers in their areas interested in building the fields in which they operate through collaboration and “open sourcing” of methods and ideas. Sustainable investors also tend to be particularly interested in developing and maintaining close, long-term relationships with their investees and providing them with appropriate support and resources throughout the investment period. One way this is accomplished is by matching entrepreneurs with local investors from the same community to develop a sense of shared responsibility and facilitate face-to-face interaction. Enterprises seeking financing from social venture capital funds and other sustainable investors need to understand the criteria that these types of investors use when evaluating potential portfolio companies, a topic that is discussed in a new executive summary in Business Transactions Solution on WESTLAW for clients regarding investment criteria of sustainable investors.
What Sustainable Investors Look for in Portfolio Companies
