The Game Changer:
Best Investment Initiative
THE GAME CHANGER: BEST INVESTMENT INITIATIVE
GOLD
Octopus Energy - The Collective: democratising green investment
The Collective investment platform is the brainchild of Octopus Energy, the global energy company on a mission to make green energy affordable, accessible, and better for everyone. While we power 8m homes with award-winning customer service and innovative energy products, the Collective gives people the opportunity to invest in green energy projects - from as little as £25 for a 3-year term.
As the only energy company with a green investment platform regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), we’re shaking up investment in sustainability. Blown away by our initial results, we sold out our first two wind turbine investment projects in just a week, raising our target £1m towards operations costs and new green energy investment projects, attracting 6,200 verified investor members on our platform.
Today, hundreds of verified investors are tracking how much clean energy their investments are generating, delighted with our world-class end-to-end green energy investment journey.
SILVER
Nattergal - Making nature an investable asset class
Nattergal is a pioneering Nature restoration company working to prove that Nature is an investable asset class capable of generating sustainable financial returns alongside climate, biodiversity and societal benefits. By mobilising private finance, we are helping bridge the $942bn global biodiversity funding gap, securing Nature’s recovery. In the past year, we have made significant progress, raising £40m in seed funding and completing initial sales of high integrity charismatic carbon and Biodiversity Net Gain units. Our owned projects - Boothby Wildland, High Fen Wildland and Harold’s Park Wildland – spanning 1,000ha across England, are seen as exemplars of Nature restoration using a blended public and private finance approach. Our model is designed for scalability; we are expanding our impact by rolling out our managed-service offering to restore ecosystems for other landowners. Longer term we plan to grow across ecosystems and geographies, aiming to be a leading Nature restorer across developed markets.
BRONZE
Launched in 2020, Good Return’s Impact Investment Fund surpassed expectations, turning a $1 million investment into $5.05 million in loans for over 600 entrepreneurs (90% of whom were women) through a guarantee scheme. The Fund addresses a critical investment gap across the Asia-Pacific region for SMEs requiring capital between $5,000 to $100,000 in order to grow.
Using a blended-finance vehicle, the Fund leverages raised capital from socially-minded investors to generate income and employment for people living in poverty, with a focus on women and gender equitable practices. Meanwhile, it maintains the raised capital and provides a positive financial return to investors that is similar to a cash deposit with an Australian bank.
As the Fund enters its final year, Good Return is launching a second, evergreen fund. This will continue the guarantee model, while also providing debt to FSPs for whom liquidity is a key constraint.
Good Return - Investing in Good: Increasing the power of capital