By Ina Paiva Cordle
Sustainatopia’s fourth annual Impact Conference will begin Wednesday, bringing together leaders from 40 countries to focus on social entrepreneurship, philanthropy and impact investing.
The three-day conference, held at the Miami Beach Convention Center’s Hall A, is being put on by Sustainatopia, a Fort Lauderdale-based company that organizes events to promote social, financial and environmental sustainability.
The issues discussed will cover “everything from climate change to how do we eradicate poverty through commerce,” said John Rosser, Sustainatopia’s founder. “Philanthropy plays a role, but we are focused on how do we do good but create jobs, and how do we create a more socially just economy.”
About 500 people are expected to attend the conference, whose goals include promoting economic development within the region by utilizing impact investing and financial, social and environmental sustainability; and establishing Miami as a capital of sustainability for Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean. The agenda also aims to educate private bankers, venture capitalists and angel investors about investment opportunities within impact investing and financial, social & environmental sustainability, Rosser said.
“The real key is to get private enterprise involved in issues of sustainability and have them be a partner,” he said. “We focus a lot on partnerships between private enterprise, governments and philanthropy.”
The conference will include a keynote speech from Melissa Bradley, president of Tides Foundation. Sessions are dedicated to crowdfunding, investing for social impact, empowering women through investment and alternatives to equity investments.
Sustainatopia organizes 40 individual events in film, art, music, eco-fashion, food, design and parties. Most of the events are held in South Florida.
“Our goal is to create the Art Basel for this space,” Rosser said. “Just like Art Basel does it for art, we want to do it for sustainability.”
For more information on the conference or festival, visit connectionmiami.com or http://www.sustainatopia.com/