Page 4 - Forbes Magazine-October 31, 2018

PIERRE OMIDYAR
($11.6 BIL)
Ebay’s founder set up the Omidyar Net-
work in 2004, before the phrase “im-
pact investing” existed. He’s put more
than $600 million, including $100 mil-
lion in 2017, into startups that tackle is-
sues like climate change and affordable
education. In 2010 he invested in solar-
powered-lighting startup d.light, which
brings electricity to communities with
limited power access in over 60 coun-
tries. It has reached more than 80 mil-
lion people with products like solar-
powered lanterns, chargers and radios.
Two years later he invested in Ruma, a
financial and information services com-
pany in Indonesia that trained 10,000
low-income entrepreneurs (mostly
women). It was acquired by Indonesian
ride-hailing firm Go-Jek in 2017.

DIANE HENDRICKS
($6.8 BIL)
“The most satisfying part of this is
making an old city become vibrant
with people working,” Hendricks MICHAEL LEWIS/CORBIS/GETTY IMAGES
says of Beloit, Wisconsin, a com-
munity of 37,000 people. The in-
dustrial town was left with a hole
after Beloit Corp., which employed
1,200, closed down in 2000. Hen-
dricks stepped in 9 years ago,
hoping to provide jobs and turn a
profit. She converted the old pa- DUSTIN MOSKOVITZ
per-machine maker’s campus into
a startup hub that houses over 35 ($10.9 BIL)
firms, with a total of 1,000 em-
This year the Facebook cofounder’s Good
ployees. She has also repurposed
Ventures invested $14 million in the De-
other properties, creating a con-
mentia Discovery Fund, joining Bill Gates.
vention center, a country club, ho-
It has also backed efforts to reduce hu-
tels and restaurants, which added
mans’ carbon footprint, such as its 2016
over 300 jobs to the town.
bet on startup Impossible Foods, which
develops plant-based meat.
JAMEL TOPPIN
J.B. PRITZKER BILL GATES ($97 BIL)
($3.2 BIL) Bill and Melinda Gates do impact
investing with a twist—using phil-
Pritz ker was among the first
anthropic dollars from their foun-
to invest in so-called social im-
dation, with any financial returns
pact bonds, which pay out to
staying inside it. Since 2009, it has
investors if certain results are
put about $2 billion into 70 initia-
achieved. Pritzker has financed
tives, including AgBiome, a North
preschool for thousands of low-
Carolina biotech firm working to
income children in Utah and
identify microbes to help crops re-
Chicago via the bonds, with re-
sist pests and diseases, and Vir
turns based on how many chil-
Biotechnology in San Francisco,
dren move on to kindergarten
which is developing vaccines for
without needing costly special
HIV and tuberculosis. The foun-
education. “I always thought
dation lent $5 million to M-KO-
early-childhood education had
PA, a Nairobi startup that enables
one of those terrific return pro-
low-income customers to buy so-
files for taxpayers,” Pritz ker told
lar-powered lighting and mobile- MARTIN SCHOELLER/AUGUST
Forbes in 2015, adding that he
phone charging systems on credit
wanted the bonds to become a
with mobile payments.
fixture in people’s 401(k)s.
MICHAEL PRINCE