Funding is the act of providing resources to finance a need, program, or project. While this is usually in the form of money, it can also take the form of effort or time from an organization or company. Generally, this word is used when a firm uses its internal reserves to satisfy its necessity for cash, while the term financing is used when the firm acquires capital from external sources.
The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) promotes the scientific development of English agriculture. It was established in 1838 with the motto "Practice with Science" and was known as the English Agricultural Society until it received its Royal Charter and present name from Queen Victoria in 1840.
Cinven Limited is a global private equity firm founded in 1977, with offices in nine international locations in Guernsey, London, New York, Paris, Frankfurt, Milan, Luxembourg, Madrid, and Hong Kong that acquires Europe and United States based corporations, and emerging market firms that fit with their core businesses, and necessitate a minimum equity investment of €100 million or more. As of 2023, it has €39 billion in assets under management.
Close Brothers Group plc is a UK merchant banking group which provides lending, takes deposits, manages wealth and trades in securities. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is an institutional investor that manages several public and parapublic pension plans and insurance programs in the Canadian province of Quebec. It was established in 1965 by an act of the National Assembly, under the government of Jean Lesage, as part of the Quiet Revolution, a period of social and political change in Quebec. It is the second-largest pension fund in Canada, after the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. It was created to manage the funds of the newly created Quebec Pension Plan, a public pension plan that aimed to provide financial security for Quebecers in retirement. The CDPQ’s mandate was to invest the funds prudently and profitably while also contributing to Quebec’s economic development. As of December 31, 2023, the CDPQ managed assets of C$434 billion, invested in Canada and elsewhere. The CDPQ is headquartered in Quebec City at the Price building and has its main business office in Montreal at the Édifice Jacques-Parizeau.
Acumen is a nonprofit impact investment fund based in the U.S. that focuses on investing in social enterprises that serve low-income individuals. Acumen was founded in April 2001 by Jacqueline Novogratz. It aims to demonstrate that small amounts of philanthropic capital, combined with business acumen, can result in thriving enterprises that serve vast numbers of the poor. Over the years, Acumen has invested $154.4 million in 167 companies and has had a successful track record in sourcing and executing investment opportunities in the clean energy, education, financial inclusion, health care and agriculture sectors.
Richard N. Foster, Managing Partner, Millbrook Management Group LLC – Foster is a former Director and Senior Partner with McKinsey & Company where he was responsible for serving clients in the U.S., Europe and Asia focusing on industry sectors including chemicals, electronics, healthcare, retail and consumer goods industries.
The Abraaj Group was a private equity firm operating in six continents that is currently in liquidation due to accusations of fraud. The firm was founded by Pakistani businessman Arif Naqvi and was based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Robin Buchanan is a Director of companies and an adviser to family offices, private equity firms, businesses and voluntary organisations.
Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. is a global, full-service investment banking and financial services company that specializes in wealth management and brokerage in capital markets. It is the largest independent investment dealer in Canada. The firm focuses on growth companies, with operations in 10 countries worldwide and the ability to list companies on 15 stock exchanges. Canaccord Genuity, the international capital markets division, is based in Canada, with offices in the US, the UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Dubai, Australia, Barbados, and The Bahamas.
Sir Andrew Thomas Cahn, KCMG is chair of the board of governors of Birkbeck, University of London, and a former senior civil servant.
Impact investing refers to investments "made into companies, organizations, and funds with the intention to generate a measurable, beneficial social or environmental impact alongside a financial return". At its core, impact investing is about an alignment of an investor's beliefs and values with the allocation of capital to address social and/or environmental issues.
Dominic Barton, known as Bao Damin in China, is a Ugandan-born Canadian business executive, author, and diplomat. He is the current chairman of the private investment firm LeapFrog Investments as well as the chancellor of the University of Waterloo. He served as the Canadian Ambassador to the People's Republic of China from 2019 to 2021. Prior to this, Barton was the Global Managing Director of McKinsey & Company, the global consulting firm, from 2009 to 2018 and has previously served as Chairman of Teck Resources and as Non-Executive Director at the Singtel Group in Singapore and Investor AB in Sweden.
Dominic Shorthouse is a British private investor, founder of private equity business Englefield Capital LLP and a former partner at Warburg Pincus. His notable investments include the creation of the UK terrestrial TV channel Channel 5 and Cognita, a UK-based private schools operator. He is a member of the advisory board of ManoCap, which invests in post-conflict African states, and a member of the Advisory Board of Lennox Investment Management, investing in prime Central London residential property.
Jonathan Milton Nelson is an American billionaire businessman. He is the founder of Providence Equity Partners, a global private equity firm based in Providence, Rhode Island, which manages funds with over US$45 billion in commitments. As of September 2023, Nelson's net worth is estimated by Forbes at $3.4 billion.
Sir Michael Lawrence Davis is a British politician and former South African businessman, former chief executive and treasurer of the Conservative Party and the chief executive (CEO) of Xstrata plc, an Anglo-Swiss multinational mining company, until its merger with Glencore in 2013. After leaving Xstrata, he formed the mining venture X2 Resources and, after making substantial donations, became the CEO and treasurer of the British Conservative Party – a post he held until July 2019.
Carter Franklin Bales (1938–2019) was an American investor, asset manager, environmentalist, conservationist, philanthropist, and informal public servant. Bales co-founded NewWorld Capital Group, LLC, an environmental sector private investment firm, based in New York City and currently serves as the Chairman and Managing Partner.
Digital agriculture, sometimes known as smart farming or e-agriculture, is tools that digitally collect, store, analyze, and share electronic data and/or information in agriculture. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has described the digitalization process of agriculture as the digital agricultural revolution. Other definitions, such as those from the United Nations Project Breakthrough, Cornell University, and Purdue University, also emphasize the role of digital technology in the optimization of food systems.
Aurelius Group is an investment company with offices in five European countries.
Ric Lewis is a British businessman. He is a founding partner of Tristan Capital Partners, a British property investment firm, and its predecessor, Curzon Global Partners (1998–2008). He is also the founder and chairman of a registered charity, The Black Heart Foundation. He ranked first in the Powerlist 2019, an annual list of the UK's most influential people with African or Afro-Caribbean heritage.
