SFi May 2025 Newsletter
- annashuvalova2
- May 31
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 5
Hello Impact Ecosystem! It was great seeing many of you at our recent SFi Impact Week events, and staying up to date on your impact journeys.
On 21 May, we successfully concluded our third SFi Impact Summit, bringing together 250+ global leading family offices, modern wealth owners, and impact pioneers for a day of bold ideas, candid stories and actionable insights. Around the Summit, we were also pleased to gather our community at various side events, including our Impact Retreat and Welcome Reception.
We thank everyone in the SFi Community for your active participation and insights, and look forward to your continued engagement!
SFi Impact Summit 2025: Our Top 5 Takeaways
SFi Impact Summit 2025 saw attendees exploring a wide range of topics, from the importance of flexibility and intentionality in capital deployment, to deep dives on venture capital’s role in sustainable innovation, and inspiring discussions on leveraging sport’s unique power for public-engagement and catalysing change – the conversations were rich, diverse and forward-looking.
Here are our Top Five Takeaways from the Summit:
Only 42% of asset allocators set impact goals at the inception of investment. This highlights the ongoing need for robust analytics and tools to define, track, and measure impact with integrity – ensuring transparency, accountability, and reliability.
More than just building a “team”, impact-minded asset owners need to build a community that is cross-sector, cross-culture, and generous with their support for one another and the founders they work with. This openness and holistic thinking is needed to catalyse new areas for collaboration and innovation.
Different kinds of funding need to come together to scale sustainable solutions along their growth trajectory. Catalytic capital is more than a funding approach – it’s a collaborative mindset focused on strategically deploying patient capital, building trust and relationships, to achieve the impact objective. Whilst funding size is important, small, well-placed financing - deployed with intention and innovation - can catalyse outsized impact.
The “trade off” between returns and impact is debunked. Our panel of Impact VCs has capitalised on the growing opportunities in Asia, especially Southeast Asia, for market-level returns in climate and social impact opportunities. Nevertheless, there remains a significant funding gap that Asia-focused investors should leverage as the planet continues to face increasing challenges.
Impact-focused investors need to be mindful from the outset when they are directing capital into AI, as they can have sector-shaping impact. AI has the potential to create significant societal disruption, such as the economic singularity, where the value of labour drops to near zero, disrupting capitalism as we know it. At the same time, AI also presents immense potential for positive impact, democratising access to education and workforce development, and bridging inequality gaps.
Our deepest gratitude to all of our incredible speakers, partners and participants whose support made this landmark gathering possible!
As always, we hope everyone left the SFi Impact Summit feeling energised, equipped with fresh perspectives on the latest trends and opportunities in impact investing, and ready to harness 'The Power of Momentum' to accelerate impact investing across the region and beyond. We have also prepared our Highlights Video for you to relive the Summit.
Whilst this year's SFi Impact Summit has drawn to a close, our impact journey continues apace:
Help us make next year's SFi Impact Summit even more impactful - If you joined us at the Summit, please spare a couple of minutes to share your thoughts via our feedback form.
Stay engaged with the SFi Community - Follow us on LinkedIn, or go one step further and explore how SFi can support your impact journey.
Impact Investing Ecosystem Roundtable Dialogue with FSDC
As part of SFi Impact Summit Week, we also co-hosted with Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) an impact investing ecosystem roundtable dialogue on 22 May. The gathering brought together local regulators, family offices and investors, as well as regional and global impact investing experts, including our friends at AVPN, to engage in a meaningful exchange about current trends and developments in the impact investing field.
Our special thanks goes to Mr Daniel Fung, Vice-Chairmen of FSDC and Mr Joseph HL Chan, the Under Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury, HKSAR for their opening and closing remarks and sharing.
Public private philanthropic partnerships remain paramount in strengthening Hong Kong’s role as a leading impact investment hub. This insightful exchange is sure to be the first of many, as we look forward to working with the industry to reinforce our commitment to shaping impactful and meaningful change together.
Euler Motors, an India-based EV manufacturer, raised USD75 million in Series D funding from HeroMotoCorp and British International Investment.
Rekosistem, an Indonesia-based waste management and recycling provider, raised USD7 million in Series A funding from K3 Ventures, Saratoga Investama Sedaya, AppWorks, Bali Investment Club (BIC), Orvel Ventures, and other investors.
Singapore-based VFlowTech, a provider of sustainable energy storage solutions, raised USD20.5 million in funding.
Neptune Robotics, a Hong Kong-based robotics-based hull inspector, raised USD50 million in Growth funding from Sequoia Capital China.
Adapting to sustainability trends in commercial real estate emerged as a topic of interest during our Summit, and JLL has shared some actionable strategies that cater to Hong Kong's unique real estate landscape and shifting tenant expectations.
Earlier this month, Mana Impact released a landscaping report of Ocean Funders in Southeast Asia, providing clarity on where capital is being directed—and where critical gaps remain—in support of the ocean’s health.
In collaboration with the World Economic Forum, TPC are organising their Impact Week 2025 in Singapore from 15-19 September. If you are concerned about the urgent need for economic models that prioritise the well-being of society amidst climate change, inequality, and global disconnection, be sure to mark your calendar!
We invite Family Office Principals, Private Investors of an endowment or foundation, or NextGen Investors to reach out to us to find out more about the benefits of joining the Sustainable Finance Initiative community. Don't miss out on members' only opportunities, and contact us today!
Stay updated on these gatherings, as well as impact news, research and events we have highlighted for the SFi community in our full newsletter! Let's keep bringing purpose to capital!
