ABOUT
impact investors
Disclaimer: No start-up buzzwords or grand claims of saving the planet.
Our mission is to empower change at the individual level and transforming the status quo through impact business consulting, social reframing, holistic education, and strengthening social & ecological impact businesses across Southeast Asia.
We’re replacing "or" with "and" in
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‘positive impact’ and ‘wealth generation’
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‘economy’ and ‘ecology.’
At Impact Investors, our vision is to seamlessly blend financial equity with the empowerment of social entrepreneurial opportunities. Our distinction lies in supporting for-profit entrepreneurs and organisations committed to driving radical social and environmental change.
How we do this?
At Impact Investors, we:
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Consult and train individuals to form micro social enterprises with nature and cultural preservation at the core
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Help non-profits transition into for-profit social enterprises, allowing them to generate wealth while continuing their impact
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Empower individuals, from corporate professionals to those in rural areas, to embrace social entrepreneurship
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Design and implement holistic solutions to complex socio-ecological challenges through community-driven entrepreneurship models
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Support corporates and government institutions in fulfilling their CSR/ social and ecological responsibilities
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Guide investors in supporting micro social enterprises committed to ground-level change with perseverance and dedication.
Our frameworks dismantle conventional investment models, creating a fair playing field for all. We also challenge traditional start-up advice, respecting the individuality and pace of each endeavour.
We invite you to be an Impact Investor. Invest whatever you can — love, energy, time, sweat, effort, passion, dedication, creativity, enthusiasm, commitment, resources, devotion, focus, determination, patience, expertise, or skills. Invest yourself. Be an Impact Investor.
“When a complex system is far from equilibrium, small islands of coherence in a sea of chaos have the capacity to shift the entire system to a higher order.”
— Ilya Prigogine, Nobel Prize-winning chemist
Awards & Recognitions
Resources
Get a peek into our founder’s 2021 mind maps when Impact Investors was first envisioned. While some things (except our values) have changed, take these early ideas with a pinch of salt!
Our Projects
We embrace diversity and complexity, whether it’s humans, or human-made-systems. Our projects are diverse, spanning community-based responsible tourism, agro-business models, integrated rural development, wildlife conservation, heritage preservation, and ecological conservation, along with academic initiatives.
Our projects have earned prestigious recognition, from the World Tourism Award in London to the GIZ Award in Germany.
WINNER, Sustainability Champions –
Grassroots Heroes,
IRTA, 2023
BEST Social Impact Project,
IRTA, 2020
GOLD WINNER, Benefitting Local Communities,
WTM London, 2019
Gold Winner,
IRTA, 2018
Our true success lies in the growth of our partners, communities, and everyone involved. When they thrive, we know we've made a meaningful impact.
Meet our founders
By the People of Heart,
for the People of Heart
Founder, CEO
Mani Mahesh Aurora
Mani Mahesh Aurora is a social innovator, author, and life-design coach. He founded Impact Investors in 2021, following international recognition for his grassroots leadership in the Himalayan villages. His work focuses on responsible tourism, cultural restoration, and conserving indigenous wisdom, empowering grassroots change-makers to tackle global challenges and create financial equity.
At age 23, Mani Mahesh transitioned from corporate media to social entrepreneurship, co-founding ventures like Bakri Chhap and Green People, which revived farming communities and promoted reverse migration. His initiatives have won international awards, including the World Responsible Tourism Award. Mani Mahesh was featured on national billboards as part of Facebook's 'Fuel for India' campaign for his contributions to social change.
He actively lectures at institutions like Jai Hind College, Mumbai and Chitkara University, Chandigarh. He also holds certifications in leadership coaching and social empowerment from the Academy for Coaching Excellence, California, and in Design Thinking from HASERA, Nepal.
Co-founder, COO
Isneesh Marwah
Isneesh Marwah worked for 10 years in the software industry before quitting that path and deciding to work in the social impact sector in 2017. She started from scratch, volunteering at farms and alternative education spaces throughout the country and experimenting with various roles, till she realised that working with communities is what drives her, and brings out the best in her.
Isneesh is passionate about ecological restoration, and considers herself a lifelong learner of ecological systems that have been around for millennia. Her work is focussed on merging these two disciplines, and her love for the mountains and hill communities keeps her closer to the Himalayas. She is also a certified permaculture designer from Aranya Alternatives, and is a member of the Ecological Restoration Alliance.
Isneesh joined Impact Investors as a Co-founder in 2023, bringing synergies with our vision, and strengthening the core values of the company.
At Impact Investors, Isneesh is an integral part of planning and execution of community-based projects. Her role involves providing valuable insights for decision-making, ensuring thoughtful approaches.
IMPACT
begins with you.