Raven Indigenous Capital Partners: Designing An Impact Investing Measurement Framework

In February 2020, a social geographer at the University of Victoria was approached by one of the co-founders and managing partners of Raven Indigenous Capital Partners to develop an Indigenous impact measurement framework for the company. Raven Indigenous Capital Partners was founded in 2017 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The founders launched the Raven Indigenous Impact Fund to invest in early-stage growth businesses started by Indigenous entrepreneurs. The ultimate goal was to increase the well-being of Indigenous communities in Canada, but the fund had to demonstrate to non-Indigenous impact investors that they could target, measure, and report their social impact while earning an annual rate of return of 6–8 per cent on their investment. The social geographer faced two key tasks. She had to develop an impact measurement framework that combined Indigenous and non-Indigenous approaches to measuring social and environmental impacts. She also had to engage the Indigenous community in reporting on these outcomes.

This case is suitable for introductory or advanced courses on finance, investing, sustainability, entrepreneurship, or social innovation in an undergraduate or graduate business program. If used in a finance course, the case can be included in topics discussing socially responsible investing, sustainable investing, impact investing, or social finance. It may also be used in courses that examine Indigenous issues across disciplines. The case introduces students to the world of impact investing, the measurement of social and environmental impact, and an Indigenous view of impact investing. It offers students an opportunity to reflect on the legacy of colonialism in Canada, which has led to numerous inequalities that persist today, including inequality in access to finance for Indigenous entrepreneurs, one of the many underserved populations in financial markets. The case asks students to consider the important role investors play in economic reconciliation and the financial constraints that marginalized groups in society face. It provides an opportunity for students to discuss and reflect on how and why certain communities have limited access to finance, financial markets, and traditional investing. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:<br><br/><ul><li>Discuss the challenges facing an entrepreneur to finance and grow a new business and the unique challenges facing Indigenous entrepreneurs.</li><li>Learn about impact investing and how it differs from traditional investing and from environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing.</li><li>Understand the importance of impact measurement. Investors who claim to intentionally pursue a social or environmental impact must show it clearly using metrics and evidence-based indicators (both qualitative and quantitative) to verify achievement of the desired impact goals.</li><li>Adopt an Indigenous world view related to investing and learn about the unique approach to measurement involving community engagement through ceremony and storytelling.</li></ul>

• impact investing
• ESG investing
• entrepreneurial finance
• social enterprise
• indigenous peoples
• first nations