Dream Ventures (International Chamber of Commerce)

Your excellencies, I would like to thank you all so much for your amazing and historic work so far. We are at an incredible point in the history of human civilization to put our differences aside and work for the noble cause of sustainable development. Now, the challenge is on how we follow up, review, and ensure the success of these goals. My name is Ari Eisenstat. I am a Social Venture Capitalist from Silicon Valley where a shift in consciousness in industry and culture is occurring. I am incredibly grateful to be able share what I have learned as a young investor and join this effort to achieve sustainability and equity for all. 70 years ago in my town of San Francisco, the United Nations Charter was signed, bringing "We The Peoples" of Earth together in the name of peace, justice, and freedom. We have achieved much in this time however there is still work to be done to truly create the world we want to live in. The private sector is a major part of this equation. And now, if corporations are considered people, the question becomes how can we make them good people? I believe the answer is through the concept of impact investing. All of us, by participating in the economy are investors. Every dollar we spend is a vote and has an impact. Since 2012, Socially Responsible Investing has grown over 76% to $6.5 trillion in the US alone. These investments have been shown to be less volatile and higher performing than classical investing, but only represent a small amount of the financial system. Our firm, DRÆM VENTURES, is dedicated to growing this new Impact Investment system by applying a Microfinance Model for Venture Capital. Instead of debt, we use the liberating tool equity to create a new asset class of idea-stage, or "DRÆM" investments. Our mission is to help find, found, and fund the next generation of socially, environmentally, and technologically conscious entrepreneurs. Through this mission, we hope to be able to invest in thousands of social entrepreneurs around the world. Through this community, we have developed a system to facilitate partnerships with stakeholders and startups. To streamline transparent and intentional impact reporting so we all have the tools and data to show that you do not have to sacrifice making a living for making a difference. Together we can affirm the private sector's commitment to working with governments and NGOs to help end suffering for all life on earth. No longer should we have a disconnect between the goals of business and the goals of society. We imagine a world where technology, innovation, and creativity help achieve these goals to 2030 and beyond. Failure is not an option. We cannot afford to lose our planet, our society, our spirit. We are all stakeholders and shareholders in this planet. Now is the time that nations, nonprofits, and businesses alike must stand together to invest in what we believe in.