Latimpacto’s annual conference ‘Impact Minds: Standing Together’ aimed to facilitate connections with other change-makers and leaders of the impact ecosystem, stay on top of paradigm changes and new thought models, and promote innovative proposals and alliances to attract more capital to Latin America and the Caribbean.

Conference report

Impact Minds, Standing Together: the value of meetings to advance in collaboration

Agustin Landa, Alliance magazine’s Regional Representative in Latin America

Something extraordinary happened on August 29 and 30 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We gathered over 500 participants from 27 countries and 200+ speakers for Latimpacto’s second annual conference, Impact Minds: Standing Together. Latimpacto is a young network of actors of impact social investment. It was officially born during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its second annual conference (the first was in Cartagena in 2022) achieved twice as many participants.

The conference demonstrated in terms of numbers and quality of presentations, announcements of new investments, and funds that challenges can be overcome and exceed expectations. For the creation of this conference, there were more than 180 proposals for dialogues, panels, presentations, and participations that went through a curatorial process to be able to present the challenges and solutions that are taking place in the Latin American region. It was clear that the meeting showed disruptive ideas, valuable perspectives, and a spirit of camaraderie and desire for contribution that I had not felt in other conferences. The opportunity to create meaningful connections for impact investments to generate the most significant social and environmental transformation in the Latin American and Caribbean region was always present. Read more…

Interview

Alejandro Álvarez von Gustedt, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and co-founder of Latimpacto

Alejandro Álvarez von Gustedt, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and co-founder of Latimpacto

During the second edition of Impact Minds, Standing Together: The Value of Meetings to advance in collaboration with Latimpacto on August 29 and 30 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I had the opportunity to interview Alejandro Alvarez at the end of the event.

‘Latimpacto has to be whatever the people of the region want. I come from outside, I support, and am an enthusiast, but I cannot set the vision. But I have a point of view which is that it has to increase its scope for to reach more people and organizations in five years. I have always said that LATAM has a lot of capital, but it is disconnected; it does not flow enough to where it is needed.’ Read more…

Reflections from delegates

Supporting education development in Latin America: Insights from Impact Minds

Azad Oommen, CEO, Global School Leaders.

We face a generational crisis in education in Latin America following the COVID-19 pandemic. On average, students in the region suffered an estimated loss of 1.5 years of learning, according to the World Bank. As a result, approximately four in five sixth graders in the region may not be able to adequately understand and interpret a text of moderate length. Read more…

Mad women on the move, a reflection

Luz María Garza de Llaguno, Rissa Foundation, México

I encountered them, the mad ones from our families. Once again, I found that communal mystery that is aware that I am not separate from others. Belonging to a knowledge of the heart that is difficult to express. But then, someone, a mad one in the family, does it, finds a practice that expresses it, and gives purpose to that communal mystery that yearns for better ways of coexistence. Read more…

Reflections from the Conference: living Latimpacto’s rhythm

Daniel Uribe Parra, Managing Director, Fundación Corona

I encountered them, the mad ones from our families. Once again, I found that communal mystery that is aware that I am not separate from others. Belonging to a knowledge of the heart that is difficult to express. But then, someone, a mad one in the family, does it, finds a practice that expresses it, and gives purpose to that communal mystery that yearns for better ways of coexistence. Read more…

Five reflections from Impact Minds

Allie Hollowell, Global Alliance of Impact Networks

I recently heard someone call this Fall; “Conference Season”. And while I had to chuckle, it was a pretty accurate description of the next three months for the impact sector! With many convenings coming back for the first time after a long pandemic-induced hiatus, it does seem hard to pick between the many global and regional events – all focusing on getting us back on track for the 2030 agenda and racing towards Net Zero. Read more…

Blogging for Alliance at the 2023 Impact Minds Conference

Alejandro Álvarez von Gustedt, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and co-founder of Latimpacto

The Latimpacto 2023 Impact Minds Conference has been an emotional event for me: I left feeling a mix of joy, inspiration, humility, and optimism at the same time. I am absolutely amazed at how much the Latimpacto team has accomplished in such little time, especially having started under adverse circumstances, during the toughest pandemic period of 202o. Read more…