Program
Program Overview
Impact Investing for Advisers, Foundations and Family Offices
Access experts and specialists to advance your understanding of the opportunities available for investment in positive impact companies, organisations, and projects and share your ideas and deals with other advisers, foundations, and family offices. Sessions will focus on accessing and generating new ideas, researching funds and deals, and pitches from early-stage companies through to institutional-grade funds.
Impact Investing For Institutions
Hear from major funds, super funds, and government institutions about their existing exposures to positive impact assets and companies and their processes to determine how they allocate capital. Sessions will also include presentations from existing portfolio companies and funds, asset consultants, and internal fund teams.
Impact Focus Areas
To identify investment opportunities and facilitate capital flows to address pressing social and environmental challenges, we will focus sessions on key impact investment sectors with keynote speakers, expert panels, dealmakers and investors. Each sector will have a separate stream enabling Summit attendees to delve deeply into one area or join sessions most relevant to them across the themes. At the 2026 Summit, the streams will be:
- Climate and environment: Investing in solutions that reduce emissions, protect ecosystems, and build a more sustainable, low-carbon future.
- Healthcare: Better health through equitable access, early intervention, and investment in systems that prioritise wellbeing.
- Communities and inclusion: Improving outcomes and ensuring safer, fairer, more inclusive communities for all.
- BioTech and MedTech: Accelerating breakthrough innovations that enhance diagnosis, treatment, and the delivery of affordable, scalable solutions.
- Systems change investing: Adopting a systems lens to investing to both drive change and benefit from change in the global economy.
- Asia Pacific investment opportunities and partnerships: Engaging with our region to identify investment opportunities in developing and frontier markets and develop partnerships to scale impact investing.
Pitch Sessions
Following the keynote presentations and panel sessions, companies and funds in each sector will present to investors, providing attendees with live capital raising opportunities.
Program
After a successful 2025, BioNSW is hosting the first event in its 2026 BioInvest Catalyst Dinner series – this time, in partnership with The Impact Investment Summit.
The BioInvest Catalyst Dinner is an exclusive and intimate evening designed to connect and build rapport between life sciences-focused investors and unlisted biotech CEOs, while unlocking new impact investment opportunities within NSW’s thriving life sciences sector.
Day 1
Wednesday 25 March 2026
Join the Foundations Group for Impact Investing (FGII) for a pre‑conference briefing, breakfast, and networking opportunity with FGII members and guests.
Additional registration required, numbers are limited. BUY TICKETS to secure your place.
This session will explore FGII’s strategic priorities, with a particular focus on the role of the Market Information Days in reducing fragmentation costs and improving the flow of impact capital to For Purpose Organisations.
We’ll also hear from past Market Information Day speakers across both investor and investee perspectives who will share their journey and progress since participating in FGII’s program, including representatives from:
Investors today face a structural paradox: the same economic systems that generate portfolio returns are also producing systemic risks—from climate instability and widening inequality to democratic fragility and financial volatility. Diversification, ESG integration, and even traditional impact investment strategies are proving insufficient to manage these interconnected and highly complex threats.
In this keynote, William Burckart, CEO of The Investment Integration Project (TIIP), will trace the evolution from conventional and sustainable investing toward system-level investing—an approach that redirects financial strategies to strengthen the health and stability of the systems upon which long-term value creation depends.
Drawing on global case studies and emerging investor practice, Burckart will explore what it means to treat systemic risks as financially material, how fiduciary duty intersects with systems change, and why long-term investors are uniquely positioned to lead.
For asset owners, managers, and field builders, this keynote offers a pragmatic roadmap for translating system awareness into action.
The first is that the Australian regulatory system for medical devices and pharmaceuticals is a win-win, best-practice system, with a clear focus on facilitating innovation while minimising risks to patients.
The second is that our world-leading medical research institutes and universities train talented, ambitious researchers keen on developing novel solutions to difficult problems. To illustrate, Alan will analyse the secrets of the success of companies such as Synchron and Epiminder. There are ample opportunities to invest and benefit.
Impact Investing for Advisers, Foundations, and Family OfficesUnlocking value across the capital spectrum: Gender-smart investing in action
Communities and InclusionWhen evidence isn’t enough: How do we ensure capital flows to what works?
Governments spend billions each year on social services — yet many of the programs that deliver the strongest outcomes and long‑term savings struggle to scale or survive. The evidence is not the problem.
Across early intervention, youth, housing, health and justice, we have decades of data showing that some approaches deliver better outcomes at lower long‑term cost. But funding decisions remain shaped by short budget cycles, siloed portfolios and an inability to recognise avoided future costs.
Philanthropists and impact (first) investors are funding innovative interventions, but these are not of a size, scale or risk profile where institutional (finance) first capital can be accessed – is there a bridge? Are these solutions scalable at a systems level or are they always going to be local, place based and bespoke?
Biotech/MedtechSector Keynote: The journey to disruption: What it really takes
Systems Change InvestingInvesting to Accelerate Human-Led AI
Impact Investing for Advisers, Foundations, and Family OfficesPortfolio construction: Risk, return, liquidity and impact
Impact investing is typically assessed at the asset level – evaluating individual companies or funds in isolation. But what happens when we treat impact not as a discrete allocation, but as a lens through which to construct an entire portfolio?
This workshop is intended to shift the conversation from asset selection to portfolio design. In it, we will explore how to build a cohesive impact portfolio while navigating the diversification, liquidity, and risk management considerations that underpin sound portfolio construction. Drawing on practical examples and grounded in portfolio theory, this session is designed to equip investors with a framework to overcome common barriers to scaling impact - moving from intention to implementation across a total portfolio.
Communities and InclusionFor-purpose: The shift to outcomes-based funding
BIOTECH/MEDTECHLifesaving: Impact Investing in Biotech Companies
Systems Change InvestingStewardship and activism: friends or foe
Impact Investing For Advisers, Foundations and Family OfficesDeconstructing a liquidity event
Communities and InclusionCatalytic philanthropy x scalable solutions
Biotech/MedtechThe Epiminder journey: From concept to ASX listing
Systems Change InvestingImpact stacks: public-private-philanthropic capital working as one
Impact Investing for Advisers, Foundations, and Family OfficesFirst in, many follow: How Foundations are anchoring the next wave of Blended Finance
In this moderated discussion, CrossBoundary brings together foundation leaders who have been first in to blended finance vehicles and platforms, and who have navigated the real trade‑offs that follow. Drawing from live and recent transactions, the panel will explore where blended finance has worked, as well as where it hasn’t, and navigate the trade-offs between balancing impact and leverage.
Communities and InclusionChild lens investing - the generational new social investing frontier
Biotech/MedtechWhat are fund managers looking for in Biotech and Medtech investments?
Systems Change InvestingSystems aware investing launchpad: Deep dive
Through a live demonstration, participants will see how SAIL helps institutions assess systemic risks, map influence pathways, benchmark practices, and identify actionable opportunities for stewardship, investment strategy, and collaboration. The session is designed for asset owners, asset managers, and advisors seeking practical tools to move from systems thinking to systems-aware investing in practice.
Communities and InclusionCommunities, companies and funds pitch
Biotech/MedtechMedtech/biotech companies and funds pitch
The XX Edge shows that when women make financial decisions and apply their skills across all capital markets, it leads to higher returns and greater economic growth. In her keynote address, Ruth Shaber will discuss the evidence and the rationale behind this phenomenon.
Many investors now accept the business case for gender diversity yet struggle to embed it in practice. The evidence is clear, so why does progress stall? Building on Dr Ruth Shaber’s The XX Edge, this panel examines what must shift in Australia’s investment system to move from intent to action. With a historic intergenerational wealth transfer underway and women set to steward an increasing share of capital, the stakes – and the opportunity – are significant.
Bringing together macroeconomic analysis, institutional, family office and investor perspectives, panellists will explore the business case for change, the levers that accelerate it and the practical steps investors and advisors can take now to translate gender evidence into investment action – not in five or ten years, but today.
The evening begins in the Tasman Light Gallery before flowing onto the spectacular Ben Lexcen Terrace at the Australian National Maritime Museum, set against Sydney’s iconic harbour backdrop.
This exclusive gathering brings together leaders, changemakers and innovators for purposeful networking and curated conversation alongside an inspiring entertainment program provided by Creative Australia, featuring:
Dynamic hip-hop dance performances from L2R Dance – a not-for-profit and social enterprise who reinvest 100% of their income into creating free dance opportunities for children and young people across Melbourne’s west, while also building employment pathways and professional development opportunities for the next generation of artists and cultural leaders.
Invigorating jazz performances by Visions of Nar – bringing together some of the most exciting voices in Australian jazz they’ll take you on a kaleidoscopic ride through Armenian folk and jazz influences, with a nod to the fiery Armenian goddess of water, sea and rain, Nar.
Impact Investing Australia will host Impact Unplugged – an interactive panel chaired by David Hetherington, exploring where Australia’s impact investing market is heading and what it will take to accelerate progress.
Joining the conversation:
- Rachel Halpern, Founder & CEO, Cairncross Capital
- Gillian Gordon, Head of Alternative Investments & Responsible Investing, JBWere
- Richard Brandweiner CFA, Chair of Impact Investing Australia and Non-Executive Director, Australian Ethical Investment
Enjoy four hours of beautifully curated cuisine and flowing drinks as you take in the harbour views and network with peers shaping the future of impact.
Connect, collaborate and continue the conversation beyond the Summit in a relaxed yet elevated setting designed to spark ideas, partnerships and lasting impact.
Hosted by
Entertainment by
Day 2
Thursday 26 March 2026
Unlocking impact investment opportunities in climate & community impact
Free
Beyond its scale and natural assets, Indonesia is seeing accelerated momentum in sectors such as climate resilience, sustainable food systems, nature-based solutions, circular economy, clean energy, and community-driven innovation. This momentum is increasingly enabled by a growing ecosystem of impact investment intermediaries, including fund managers, structured finance platforms, and ecosystem builders, who are structuring pipelines, mobilizing blended finance, and connecting global capital to local enterprises.
Join an exclusive breakfast exploring Indonesia’s climate and impact investment opportunities, while engaging directly with the intermediaries shaping this landscape. The session will share real-world insights, curated investible pathways, and partnership opportunities for investors, intermediaries, and development partners seeking meaningful collaboration in Indonesia.
Limited seats. Register early here to avoid disappointment.
Brought to you by
Jennifer Westacott will outline Australia’s long-term vision to deepen trade, investment and business partnerships with Indonesia. She will highlight the practical steps being taken to mobilise capital from impact aligned investors including Australian philanthropies and foundations, strengthen collaboration and unlock opportunities in clean energy, infrastructure and emerging industries through to 2040.
This panel will challenge misconceptions about the risk of investing in emerging markets by showcasing concrete success stories from Southeast Asia across asset classes. Through tangible examples of investments that have delivered both measurable impact and solid financial returns, the discussion will highlight why Southeast Asia represents a strategic opportunity for Australian investors.
Philanthropy and government funding address only a small share of the capital required to tackle Australia’s most pressing social and environmental challenges. This keynote plenary explores how mission-aligned investors can mobilise private capital at scale by integrating impact across their total portfolio.
Bringing together leading voices from institutional investing, impact structuring and capital allocation, the session will reframe major challenges as investable opportunities and introduce practical frameworks that help investors move beyond niche allocations toward a more integrated approach. Attendees will gain insights into institutional pathways, catalytic capital and real investor journeys — along with practical steps to begin integrating impact across asset classes.
Impact Investing for InstitutionsSystems influence stewardship
Climate and EnvironmentLow hanging decarb: unlocking demand side alpha (and impact) in real assets
HealthcareMental health crisis: How impact capital can fund solutions
Asia Pacific Investment OpportunitiesMore bang for your buck: Maximising impact in emerging markets
Impact Investing for InstitutionsLeading the pack: Institutional investors developing impact investing strategies
Climate and EnvironmentBeyond carbon: Biodiversity as an emerging asset class
HealthcareWomen’s health: Solving a trillion dollar market failure
The Innovation Gap is the chasm created when 85% of product designers are men, resulting in a world built for "Reference Man". From clinical trials that historically excluded female biology to safety products designed for male bodies, the innovation economy has systematically ignored the specific needs of half the population. This is not just a social and medical oversight; it is a massive market failure and, for impact investors, a significant investment opportunity.
This session will include a panel of founders who are leveraging lived experience to solve the world's most "missed" problems. The discussion will move beyond the ethics of diversity to the economic opportunity of a more inclusive innovation economy.
Asia Pacific Investment OpportunitiesInvesting in nature: Adaptation finance for the Indo-Pacific
Impact Investing for InstitutionsInnovative finance in Asia Pacific
Climate and EnvironmentAg and natural capital: A $10 trillion pathway to returns and impact
HealthcareThe heart of it: New frontiers of heart disease diagnostics and treatment
Asia Pacific Investment OpportunitiesBlended Finance for Climate & Inclusion: Addressing investment risk in the Pacific
The Pacific region offers significant opportunities for investment in areas such as climate resilience, the circular economy, and financial inclusion. Understanding and assessing risk appropriately, blended finance can play a transformative role in addressing these barriers. By strategically leveraging concessional capital, guarantees, and catalytic public funding, governments and development partners are facilitating greater private investment in emerging markets by mitigating risks and providing clearer pathways to scale.
Impact Investing for InstitutionsImpact at scale through listed equities
Climate and EnvironmentInvesting in innovative climate and nature tech
HealthcareWhat's holding us back in aged care?
Asia Pacific Investment OpportunitiesEye of the adviser: How advisers are capturing financial and impact value in emerging markets
Climate and EnvironmentClimate and environment companies pitch
HealthcareHealthcare funds pitch
Asia pacific investment opportunitiesAPAC companies pitch
Climate and EnvironmentClimate and environment funds pitch
HealthcareHealthcare companies pitch
Asia pacific investment opportunitiesAPAC funds pitch
2026 program is subject to change.
