Abu Dhabi-based Innovate4Good (I4G), a marketplace and community catalyst that connects purpose-driven start-ups and entrepreneurs with socially responsible investors, is organizing an online Impact Investment Forum on March 24 and 25.
The two-day forum aims to build a platform to bring together like-minded and socially responsible thought leaders and impact-driven policymakers, investors, technology start-ups, family businesses, incubators, accelerators and entrepreneurs from the UAE and MENA region.
Ara Fernezian Founder & CEO Innovate4Good
“We want to drive the impact-driven conversation to inspire the private sector to be more involved and invest in impact-driven ventures to help accelerate MENA’s impact entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem in ways that can change the landscape of investing and enable positive growth.”
The free-to-attend forum is hosted by UAE-based management consulting firm Stratecis in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), Israel’s largest impact-driven accelerator Tech4Good and Middle East Venture Capital Association. The two-day event is expected to be attended by more than 200 delegates.
The Impact Investment Forum will feature 20 speakers from the UAE, Israel, Singapore, Germany and South Africa which includes Juma AlHameli (senior executive director, strategy and business development at ADGM), Sonia Weymuller (founding partner of VentureSouq), Saurabh Gupta (co-founder of Vistas Media Acquisition Company) and Mohamed Al Dhaheri (executive chairman of rainMKRS), Omri Boral and Nir Shimony (co-founders of Tech4Good) and Ran Grodecki (managing director of Bridges Israel).
The forum is expected to conduct insightful discussions on the topics including the readiness of the MENA region in impact investing, the role of special purpose acquisition companies in sustainability financing and women’s role in impact investing, among others.
On the last day of the forum, I4G will give eight impact-driven start-ups, working in the education, agriculture and health technology sectors, the opportunity to present their ideas to impact investors and raise funds.
According to Mr. Fernezian, four start-ups participating on pitch day are from Israel, three are from the UAE and one is from Finland and they are mostly in their late seed-stage and Series A stage of funding. The investment firms include VentureSouq, Global Ventures, Rainmkrs, The Catalyst accelerator from Masdar, Raed Ventures and Fortunis Capital.
Earlier, I4G has helped start-ups in sectors such as BioTech, HealthTech, AgriTech, EdTech, sustainability and financial inclusion to raise up to $5 million by collaborating with incubators, accelerators, governments and corporations around the world.
