William Orum – Mission-Aligned Allocation at Capricorn (Climate Solutions EP.2, Capital Allocators EP.301)

Capital Allocators – Inside the Institutional Investment Industry

Bill Orum is a Partner at Capricorn Investment Group, one of the largest and longest standing mission-aligned investment organizations. Capricorn oversees $9 billion across three distinct but related investment strategies - an OCIO serving families and foundations, a seeding business that backs impact asset managers, and the Technology Impact Fund, a venture capital fund focused on clean technology and climate solutions. Bill joined Capricorn twenty years ago in the firm’s infancy with the mission to deliver extraordinary investment results by leveraging market forces to scale solutions to global problems with a focus on the climate.

Our conversation covers the establishment of an investment program to match the Capricorn’s mission, universe of available investment opportunities to address climate solutions, and Capricorn’s strategy to implement. We discuss seeding new funds, venture capital, emerging markets, public markets, current opportunities, and the potential for a long-term solution for the world.

Show Notes:

(6:16) Bill’s background (8:25) Climate focus at Capricorn (14:50) Broad landscape of climate solutions (18:44) High impact levers (21:59) Capricorn’s hybrid approach (26:20) Diligence for new managers (28:26) Backing managers with scale (31:23) Climate solutions in emerging markets (33:19) Social challenges in climate change (37:16) Measuring climate risk (40:59) Economic returns and reducing emissions (43:55) Lessons from investing in climate solutions (45:35) Complications with ESG assets (48:25) Factors affecting fund flows (51:11) Optimism for the future (53:21) Closing questions

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