PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aeris Insight, a leading rating and information service, announced today the launch of two new products with the potential to lead the impact investing industry toward greater accountability and transparency: Aeris Atlas and Aeris Impact Management Assessments.
Aeris Atlas
The Aeris Atlas is a configurable, cloud-based software platform for collecting, aggregating, analyzing, and reporting impact and financial data. It helps asset managers and their investors gain clearer insights into portfolio data and makes the data collection process efficient and easier for portfolio companies to report their information to managers. At a time when investors are seeking greater insight into the impact of their investments, the need for systems to support collection and analysis of impact data is greater than ever. Aeris Atlas enables impact asset managers to meet this demand.
“I’m a huge believer in what Aeris is trying to do with Atlas, which is to offer fund managers and the companies they invest in an easy way to demonstrate that they have the impact that investors expect,” said Brian Trelstad, partner at Bridges Fund Management. “Until now, there has really been no viable software solution for fund managers to track and report on impact from company to fund to limited partners. Atlas offers the potential for an off-the-shelf solution that could also be the catalyst for benchmarking across investments and across the industry.”
Aeris Impact Management Assessments
While Atlas is a tool for asset managers’ internal use, Aeris Impact Management Assessments provide an independent evaluation of a fund manager’s impact management capacity. It focuses on the effectiveness of the systems, processes, and oversight used by the fund manager to deliver promised impact. Assessments cover a range of investment models and take into account the investment model and impact focus of each fund. Funds that meet the specific quality standards within an investment category receive a Certification.
Community Capital Management (CRANX), Iroquois Valley Farmland REIT PBC, Solomon Hess SBA Loan Fund, and PGIM Real Estate Impact Value Partners were among the first investment funds to undergo an Impact Management Assessment by Aeris.
Said Paige Chapel, CEO of Aeris, “Managers increasingly need to distinguish themselves by demonstrating their capacity to achieve positive social and environmental impact. Firms that put their funds through our rigorous process get an independent assessment of their policies, practices, and approach that confers credibility with potential investors.”
Aeris is well positioned to strengthen impact measurement and management practices in the industry
Aeris has analyzed and rated community investment funds for 15 years and has developed proven, consistent, methodologies for assessing a fund manager’s ability to manage risk and deliver impact. Over that time, Aeris has built a deep bench of analysts—each with decades of professional experience.
“From the beginning, Aeris has put the investor first, with a laser focus on providing high quality, in depth information and insights,” said Chapel. “Really, no one does it the way we do. We believe that the quality and credibility of our work will help accelerate the pace of impact investing, guiding more capital to good. That is why we are excited to bring our experience to the broader impact investment universe.”
More information about the Aeris Atlas, Aeris Impact Management Assessment and other services can be found here: aerisinsight.com/services/
About Aeris
Aeris is a rating and information service built on the belief that capital will flow to good more quickly when investors have confidence in the accountability, standards, and transparency of impact investments. Since 2004, Aeris’ due diligence and data have helped investors source, underwrite, and monitor investments that meet their risk parameters and impact goals. Aeris’ clients range from large financial institutions with Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) obligations, mission-driven charitable foundations, government, private wealth managers, and impact fund managers. Learn more at aerisinsight.com.
