BlueMark, a New York company that independently evaluates the benefits of “impact investing,” has raised $10 million in a Series A funding round led by S&P Global, the parent company of the eponymous ratings agency.
Existing investors joining the round included New York-based Ford Foundation and San Francisco-based Radicle Impact, while new investors included Temasek Trust Capital and three family offices — Liesel Pritzker Simmons and Ian Simmons’ Blue Haven Initiative, and Singapore-based Gunung Capital and Tsao Family Office. BlueMark has previously raised $3.8 million.
Founded in January 2020, BlueMark — a certified B Corp — has reviewed impact investments of $206 billion by 125 entities, potentially helping to optimize capital allocations. Its addressable market could be as much as $1 trillion in impact assets under management globally.
“This latest funding round shows how strong the appetite is for greater transparency, accountability, and integrity in the impact and sustainable investing market,” said BlueMark CEO Christina Leijonhufvud, who previously established JP Morgan’s Social Finance business. “BlueMark’s distinctive approach to impact verification, benchmarking, and analytics continually raises the bar on best practice impact management and reporting among investment managers and also helps asset allocators identify and engage with managers driving impact.”
Performance Tracker
Leijonhufvud, Ben Thornley and Kim Wright-Violich incubated BlueMark when working at Tideline, a women-owned impact investing consultancy. BlueMark has developed a set of policies and rules to weigh impact investing. Together with various data points, it measures the impact of any investment, besides providing insights into industry trends, market challenges and emerging best practices.
Commercial Real Estate
MacKenzie Companies
Advertising / Media / Communications / Public Relations
Nevins & Associates
Financial Services / Investment Firms
Chesapeake Corporate Advisors
Commercial Real Estate
Monday Properties
Venture Capital
Blue Delta Capital Partners
Internet / Technology
Foxtrot Media
“BlueMark’s work to help impact investors reach for a higher standard in tracking their performance has rightfully earned them a reputation as a leading authority on best practices in impact management and reporting,” said Roy Swan, head of Mission Investments at Ford Foundation. BlueMark’s next challenge is to raise awareness around the importance of impact investing, he added.
Leijonhufvud has directly led over 20 verification assignments across an array of investor types and asset classes. Besides serving JP Morgan, she has through her career consulted for the nonprofit Ashoka. Leijonhufvud earned a MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics, a MA in International Affairs from George Washington University, and a BA in Sociology from University of California, Los Angeles.
The Rockefeller Foundation currently works with a venture fund of $30 million. Led by chief investment officer Chun Lai, it has made 29 investments and exited one. Its recent portfolio investments include Delta40, Prospera and Greenmap.
