Episode 11: Karim Harji (Oxford University + Evalysis + Possibilian Ventures)

This is episode StartWell's CEO and Founder Qasim Virjee sits down in our studio with Karim Harji - a leading researcher, educator and investor on the topic of Impact Measurement and Investing. Karim Harji brings over a decade of international experience in impact measurement and impact investing. He is a Senior Fellow with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation; Programme Director of the Oxford Impact Measurement Programme at the Said Business School, University of Oxford; and Managing Director at Evalysis, an impact measurement and management consultancy. He is an Associate Fellow at the Said Business School at the University of Oxford, and a Senior Research Associate at the Carleton Centre for Community Innovation at Carleton University. Karim was previously a co-founder and Director at Purpose Capital, where he established and led its Impact Investment Advisory practice. He was the Co-Chair of the Impact Measurement Task Force convened by the Government of Ontario, the Canadian representative on the Impact Measurement Working Group of the G8 Social Impact Investment Task Force, and an Advisor to the Rockefeller Foundation on social impact measurement. He co-authored the strategic assessment of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Impact Investing Initiative, and the global market review, “Accelerating Impact: Achievements, Challenges and What’s Next in Building the Impact Investing Industry”. Recommended Resources:

• https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/programmes/oxford-impact-measurement-programme
• https://www.innoweave.ca/
• https://www.evaluatingimpactinvesting.org/
• https://ventureforgood.org/

[expand title="Podcast Transcript"] Qasim Virjee 0:04 Okay back once again for another installment of start wills conversation series this time over on camera. We're also on the mic. This will probably get find its way onto iTunes and through our syndicated audio partners for our podcast, the stairwell podcast as well as onto Facebook. Not live this time. We're doing a live session this afternoon. But we'll try and get this up soon. I'm Qasim start with CEO. For this session, I'm in the studio at our King Street main location, we call it main campus in downtown Toronto on King Street West in the studio, this time around with Kareem Hiji, friend of mine, who is an impact investor. And I'm really excited to hear more about what defines impact investing. What are the metrics for success for investments, all the stuff that you've been working on, as well as learn more about your I guess you as an educator, we haven't caught up yet too much on the new course that you're teaching at Oxford University. So let's just jump into it right away. And tell us a little bit about yourself. Yeah. Karim Harji 1:11 Well, it's great to be here and welcome, everyone. As you know, I've been part of the storewall community now for I guess a year. Yeah. Qasim Virjee 1:19 Yeah. Last year. Yeah. Last startup. That's honest trajectory to an IPO. Yeah. Well, working well, maybe. Well, it's Karim Harji 1:27 getting there. So, by way of background, like, you know, from Kenya, from Mombasa, Qasim Virjee 1:35 Mombasa, for our listeners is, Karim Harji 1:37 yeah, Mombasa is an awesome piece of, of coastline. Along the east African coast. Yeah, essentially 30 degrees all year round. Yes, not a bad place to grow classically. Yeah, and, you know, moved here for school. And so have been over the last, I guess, you know, 15 years