Telus (TSX: T, NYSE: TU), a Vancouver, British Columbia-based communications and information technology company, launched a $100m social impact investment fund.
Led by Blair Miller, Managing Partner, the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good will invest in entrepreneurs building solutions aimed at improving healthcare, furthering social and economic inclusion, ensuring sustainable food production, and reducing our environmental footprint. The fund will accelerate social innovation in Canada through investments in companies that generate both financial and social returns benefiting our society.
Investments will focus on for-profit companies and founders committed to driving social innovation and economic growth in the following four areas:
- Transforming healthcare: Digital solutions that make safe and quality physical and mental healthcare accessible and efficient for all Canadians.
- Enabling inclusive communities: Startups building solutions to further social and economic inclusion and ensuring everyone has an opportunity to reach their full potential.
- Supporting responsible agriculture: Companies providing innovative technology-first solutions that empower the agriculture industry to improve Canada’s food systems.
- Caring for our planet: Companies and entrepreneurs building solutions to better the planet and reduce our environmental footprints.
An advisory board of entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders with expertise across the impact areas is being formed to advise on strategy, markets, and deal sourcing. Early-stage companies receiving investment will benefit from the insights and expertise from TELUS, including the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, TELUS’ Community Boards, TELUS Health, Sustainability, and TELUS Ventures with its network within the venture capital space, to drive meaningful social impact in Canada.
Cornerstone partnerships incluede:
- Windmill Microlending, a Canadian microlending program, offering microloans and individualized learning plans to help skilled immigrants and refugees continue their careers in Canada.
- Rhiza Capital, a Sunshine Coast-based impact investment fund that invests in B.C.-based companies that drive both social and economic impact within the regions that they serve.
- Tidal Vision, a US-based company that has developed a proprietary process for upcycling crustacean shells to develop a non-toxic, zero waste biopolymer that has applications across many industries, including textiles, agriculture, and wastewater treatment.
FinSMEs
24/11/2020