Blackstone Launches Impact Investing Strategy
The platform is illustrative of a larger trend among private equity shops to invest in assets or concepts that promote the social or environmental good.
NEW YORK—Blackstone has announced the launch of a new impact investing platform that will focus on four areas including sustainable communities. The other themes are health & wellbeing, financial access and green technology. The platform, which will be part of the firm’s Strategic Partners group, is illustrative of a larger trend among private equity shops to invest in assets or concepts that promote the social or environmental good.
Tanya Barnes, former managing director in Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division, has joined Blackstone as a managing director to lead this initiative.
The platform will partner with external impact managers and will also take advantage of Strategic Partners’ expertise in private equity, real estate and infrastructure.
“The impact platform is an exciting growth area and a natural extension of our business,” Jon Gray, Blackstone President & COO, in a prepared statement. “We look forward to meeting the growing demand for impact investments.”