Sorenson Impact Summit
The Sorenson Impact Summit is an annual curated convening of the top changemakers in global impact investing where transformative ideas meet actionable opportunities in a unique, breathtaking, all-inclusive environment.
The 2023 Sorenson Impact Summit took place Feb 26 – March 1st at Snowbird Ski Resort outside Salt Lake City, Utah
A Paradigm Shift in Impact. Now is the Moment to Lead.
We are all aware of the challenges our world faces and are collectively working toward a promise of a brighter future. With global change in overdrive, the time is now for a shift in how we think, lead, innovate and invest. The carefully curated 2023 Sorenson Impact Summit helped inspire transformational thinking and paradigm-shifting design to spark the big-picture innovations that will drive investment in urgent, actionable solutions.
To get this work done at scale and meet the urgency of the moment, we convened leaders from across the ecosystem of impact, finance, business, government and academia to share their vision for transformational global change.
Impactful Outcomes, Memorable Experiences
The Summit took place amid the unparalleled beauty of the Utah mountains at Snowbird Ski Resort.
Summit guests enjoyed thoughtful discussions and inspiring natural beauty, as well as the intimacy and togetherness that comes from a small, curated event, with carefully designed meals, a focus on relationship building, and provocative, highly credentialed speakers. We incorporated winter activities designed to foster socializing and introductions, headlined by world-class skiing while including activities non-skiers could enjoy.
Programming
The 2023 programming was organized around and delved deeply into two high-level themes:
Investing for the future through innovation, economic development and scale
- Rural economic development
- Regenerative cities
- Transforming the global supply chain
- Entrepreneurship and community development
Achieving social and environmental justice through capital markets
- Building the economy of the future
- Investing in and lifting up diverse entrepreneurs
- Reimagining our institutions for a peaceful, just, and equitable future
- Investing in transformative infrastructure
Keynote Speakers
Zita Cobb
Renowned Social Impact Entrepreneur
Zita Cobb is an eighth-generation Fogo Islander, Founder and CEO of the registered charity Shorefast, and Innkeeper of the award-winning Fogo Island Inn. Zita graduated high school on Fogo Island, Newfoundland before studying business in Ottawa, Canada. Following a subsequent successful career in high-tech, Zita returned to Fogo Island and established Shorefast to put another leg on the Island’s struggling economy to complement its ever-important fishery. With an enduring commitment to Fogo Island, Shorefast is expanding its mission through its pan-Canadian Community Economies initiative to strengthen place-based economic development within the global economy. Zita has been a Member of the Order of Canada since 2016 and was a 2020 inductee to Canada’s Business Hall of Fame. She holds honorary doctorates from McGill University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, the University of Ottawa, and Carleton University. She volunteers her full time and energy for Shorefast’s charitable initiatives and community businesses.
Van Jones
Media Personality and Entrepreneur
Van Jones is widely known as a U.S. media personality, an entrepreneur and a world-class change maker. Outside of his roles as a CNN contributor and host of Amazon Music Podcast, Uncommon Ground, Jones has a rare track record in the modern era of bringing people together to do hard things — in areas as diverse as clean energy solutions, criminal justice reform and racial inclusion in the tech sector. In 2007, Van was the primary champion of the Green Jobs Act, signed into law by George W. Bush. In 2009, he worked in the Obama White House as the Special Advisor for Green Jobs. In 2018, he helped pass the FIRST STEP Act – which the New York Times calls the most substantial breakthrough in criminal justice in a generation. In 2021, Jones was one of the first two recipients of Jeff Bezos’ Courage & Civility Award. Over the past 25 years, Van has founded and led many successful social enterprises, including REFORM Alliance, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change, Green For All and the Dream.Org. He worked with Prince to launch #YesWeCode (now called Dream.TECH) to get jobs in the tech sector for scores of low-opportunity young people. A world-class communicator of world-class ideas, Van is also a CNN host, an Emmy Award-winning producer and a 3X New York Times best-selling author.
Stephen Gyllenhaal
Impact Filmaker and Producer
Stephen Gyllenhaal has been directing and producing tv and film for over 40 years. Stephen directed Dennis Hopper in Paris Trout, which was nominated for 5 Emmy Awards and won him a DGA Award. In addition, he directed Family of Spies, which was nominated for 2 Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy, Waterland starring Jeremy Irons and Ethan Hawke, and numerous television series, including Twin Peaks, Numb3rs, The Mentalist, Hawthorne, Army Wives, Blue Bloods, Billions, and the Peabody Award-winning Rectify. In 2012, he was nominated for a DGA Award for the television film, Girl Fight, starring Anne Heche and in 2017 he directed Alfre Woodard and Cloris Leachman in So B. It, based on the NY Times bestseller. Stephen’s poetry has been published in literary journals such as Prairie Schooner and Nimrod. He chaired the DGA’s Independent Directors Committee for many years, and he currently serves on the Social Impact Advisory Board of the San Diego International Film Festival with Susan Sarandon and Cecelia Peck. He is the director of the upcoming documentary, Uncharitable, based on the ground-breaking book by Dan Pallotta.
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View complete list of speakers
Aaron Samuels – Collide Capital Founder & Managing Partner
Allison Boxer – Sorenson Impact Center Managing Director
Amie Patel – Elevar Equity Partner & CEO
Andrew Miller – Kepos Capital Head of Business Development
Annie Agle – Cotopaxi Senior Director of Sustainability and Impact
Anoop Menon – Eisengard AI Inc Co-Founder & CEO
Byran Nan Dai – Daivergent Co-Founder & CEO
Carl Adams – Sorenson Impact Center Managing Director, Venture Investing
Casey Rogers – Telea Insights Founder and CEO
Chad Salvadore – Sorenson Impact Center Chief Financial Officer
Charlotte Dales – Inclusively CEO
Chintan Panchal – RPCK Founding Partner
Courtney Birnbaum – Corbin Capital Partners Director of Sustainability
Damien Dwin – Lafayette Square Founder & CEO
Dan Parolek – Opticos Design Architect/Author
Dana Taylor – Sorenson Impact Center Director of Impact Strategy
David Bank – ImpactAlpha Editor and CEO
David Homan – Orchestrated Connecting CEO
David Press – Confluence Partners, LLC Founder and CEO
Debra Schwartz – John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Managing Director, Impact Investments
Delilah Rothenberg – Predistribution Initiative Co-founder and Executive Director
Demetric Duckett – Living Cities Managing Director
Dominic Kalms – B Generous CEO
Duane Lammers – Hana Ranch Stewards Manager
Dustin Shay – Sorenson Impact Center Director, Impact Labs
Frederique Irwin – Sorenson Impact Center Managing Director of Impact Strategy
Geoff Davis – Sorenson Impact Center CEO
Gillian Muessig – Mastersfund Managing Director
Greg D’Alessandro – Capricorn Investment Group Director, Strategic Relationships
Greg Mauro – Learn Capital Managing Partner
Greg Neichin – Ceniarth Managing Director
Jack Moriarty – Ownership America Founder & Executive Director
Jacques-Philippe Piverger – GoodLight Capital Founder & Managing Partner
Janis Dubno – Sorenson Impact Center Managing Partner
Jed Kolko – Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs
Jenifer Sapel – Utor Wealth LLC Founder/CEO
Jenna Nicholas – Impact Experience CEO & Co-Founder
Jeremiah Robison – CIONIC Founder
Jeremey Keele – Sorenson Impact and Catalyst Opportunity Funds Co-founder and CIO, Sorenson Impact Funds | Managing Partner, Catalyst Opportunity Funds
Jeremy Stephenson – 1820 Ventures Managing Partner
Jessica Matthews – J.P. Morgan Managing Director, Global Head of Sustainable Investing
Jim Sorenson – Sorenson Impact Foundation President, Sorenson Impact Foundation | Founder, Sorenson Impact Group
John Lettieri – Economic Innovation Group President and CEO
John McIntyre – AmFam Institute Managing Director
John Moore – ImpactPHL/ASBN Executive Board Chair
Jonathan Kivell
Katie Macc – Sorenson Impact Center COO
Kristen Fontana – Wells Fargo Securities Head of Public Finance Credit Strategy
Lauren Sercu – Sorenson Impact Advisory Co Founder & Managing Partner
Luke Sorenson – Sorenson Impact Group Partner and CEO, co-founder
Lyel Resner –Head of Public Interest Technology Studio at Cornell Tech
Maayan Ziv – AccessNow Founder CEO
Maia Monell – Nav.it Co-Founder & CRO
Marc Diaz – Terviva Chief Commercialization Officer
Mark Beam – Heartland P5 & EarthBank Partner
Matthew Bishop – Sorenson Impact Center Senior Fellow
Mike Pearce – Cambridge Associates Managing Director, Sustainable and Impact Investing
Nina Tschinkel – Catalyst Opportunity Funds Vice President
Peter Herz – 1st Course Capital General Partner
Phyllis Kurlander Costanza – OutcomesX President and Co-founder
Priya Parrish – Impact Engine Chief Investment Officer
Randy Shumway – Cicero Group Founder
Regina Kline – ENABLE VENTURES FOUNDER & MANAGING PARTNER OF ENABLE VENTURES
Robert Brown – Atlas Impact Partners Founder / CRO
Sara Gibson – 20 Degrees CEO and Co-Founder
Taylor Randall – University of Utah President
Teresa Wells – AlTi Tiedemann Managing Director
Thibault Duchemin – Ava CEO
Thank you to our supporting partners
