Gino Borges
Partner and Director of Impact, OpenPath Investments
Hi, my name is Gino Borges and I’m an impact investor because I believe that our money and our resources can be put to good use and often that means investing in things that are well intended to actually create the kind of conditions that I like to live under, so to improve the lives of people and also the planet.
I focus on impact investments that deal with organic food and community building. Those are two passionate things that, frankly, just bring a lot of value to my life. And I want to stay close to how I live in my own house and my own community. It’s also how I want to be out in the world as well.
Currently I am a partner and director of impact at Open Path Investments, which is a social impact real estate company. Our focus is on turning ordinary apartments into thriving communities. So we help socially conscious investors invest in socially responsible real estate throughout the United States. It’s very inspiring work because you’re actually impacting people where they live and working with residents on their own motivations on how to create a better community. And so in that I feel very proud of the work, and then also to be able to show the world of resources (in the world of money and investment) that, hey, we can take a conventional asset like multi-family real estate and fuse it with intention. And then all of a sudden, you start to have a serious impact in not only a community but also in terms of financial returns as well.
We can take a conventional asset like multi-family real estate and fuse it with intention.
My recommendation for anybody that’s trying to get into impact investing is to actually jump in, and do that simply by joining a community that resonates with these values. Find an impact investing community or peer group in your area or be willing to fly to a conference to join peers who have similar intentions. And then from there you’ll find dealflow and opportunities to invest.
If not you, then who? If not now, then when?