Credit Suisse has partnered with The Conduit Connect to launch an investment platform driving positive social change through early-stage investment companies.
The platform will give access to members of The Conduit, a London based club, to impact investment opportunities.
A statement said the Conduit Connect’s platform aim is to match early-stage investment opportunities with potential investors, mentors and board members by sourcing impact-based companies from the club’s wider community. Examples of Conduit Connect companies include CoGo, Cervest, The London Interdisciplinary School, Loop, Library of Things and MoM Incubators.
Selected Credit Suisse clients will be brought in as collaborators, idea generators and investors with Linklaters advising on onboarding processes and Deloitte will share its accounting and professional services. The latter has also collaborated with the Conduit Connect to build an Impact Framework.
Marisa Drew, chief sustainability officer and global head of Credit Suisse’s sustainability strategy, advisory and finance division, said the new partnership with Conduit Connect will “drive deep impact while generating attractive returns for investors”.
“We are seeing ever increasing appetite from our private banking clients for exposure to opportunities in the direct impact investing space. Our ambition is to be able to support our clients by making a connection to the Conduit’s platform, enabling them to access these early-stage impactful companies or to showcase their own companies and projects that may be seeking funding, thereby helping to bridge critical impact funding gaps that exist in the market today,” she added.
Meanwhile, Dr. Annalisa Jenkins, chair of The Conduit Connect commented: “In just a year and a half the Conduit Connect has already reviewed over 520 businesses of which sixty of the most promising have been selected to join our platform. The Conduit Connect has access to a network of over 3,600 mission aligned Conduit members, who bring not just capital but also a wealth of knowledge and expertise.
“If 2020 has taught us anything it is that we need to invest resources to improve universal access to healthcare, education, and sustainability. Our goal is to ensure the most impressive social entrepreneurs, with big ideas and a meaningful impact, can access the resources need to scale. We are thrilled to be partnering with Credit Suisse and their clients on this journey.”
