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Integral Investing:
From Profit to Prosperity

Dr. Mariana Bozesan

    • explains how to become a successful exponential investor and self-actualize through Integral Investing
    • presents an in-depth and step-by-step tutorial on how to identify, screen, de-risk, and invest in exponential technologies
    • teaches entrepreneurs the secrets of building successful and fundable start-ups that address the UN SDGs within Planetary Boundaries
    • emphasizes the importance of small and medium enterprises in innovation and job creation using exponentially growing technologies to address the Global Grand Challenges

With a foreword by
Ken Wilber, Creator of Integral Theory

Ken Wilber Portrait Picture “Mariana Bozesan is doing a terrific job of applying the Integral AQAL Framework to the difficult and delicate world of finances and investment. Recognizing, for example, the role played by all four quadrants (the four basic ways that any phenomenon can be seen—from the interior and the exterior, and in the individual and collective forms) changes how we look at finances entirely, from something reflecting only the exterior individual and collective material capital of existence to something reflecting also individual and collective values, meanings, motivations, world views, and beliefs. All these have a profound impact on finances, how they are seen, used, and developed; and using anything less than all those perspectives gives us only a partial, fragmented, truncated, and broken view. Mariana is using these (and all the other Integral dimensions) to present a much more comprehensive, inclusive, and integral view. My deep thanks and highest congratulations to her!”

Ken Wilber, philosopher, author, and the creator of Integral Theory, wrote a 10 page foreword to Integral Investing.

A report to the
World Academy of Art and Science

“This is a book written primarily for entrepreneurs and investors seeking sustainable prosperity during these turbulent times. But it also carries precious insights and an important message for every thinking individual seeking solutions to the pressing challenges confronting humanity today. It is set in the context of revolutionary global events; an outdated, unsustainable economic system that is widening inequal- ities while straining planetary boundaries; the ongoing climate emergency that compels us to make an urgent transition from fossil fuels; an exponential revolution in disruptive technologies that are multiplying security risks and investment oppor- tunities; and the multidimensional threats to human security generated by the most serious pandemic in a century.”

Garry Jacobs
President of the World Academy of Art & Science (WAAS)

Praise

Integral Investing, according to Mariana Bozesan, is perhaps our best answer to the challenges we face. I am very happy to see this book published, and I hope that the investors’ community will adopt it as their new guideline.

Prof. Dr. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Honorary President of the Club of Rome

Mariana Bozesan addresses the most critical and important challenges of our time and gives solutions and answers. This book is a guide not only for investors to use their knowledge, experience, expertise, and money to bring about change but also for governments, corporations, and citizens the world over … Yes!  ‘Transformation is feasible’

Dr. h.c. Candace Johnson, Serial Satellite Investor & Entrepreneur, Founder of SES Astra; former President of the European Business Angel Network

A fascinating book. I can only hope it will be read by the many, not least policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors and financial operators…Mariana Bozesan presents a fascinating blue-print - built, among other things, on principles of ethics and, as well, on the careful selection of exponential technologies - for how to turn investing into a force for good…Mariana is extremely gifted. Her knowledge about finance is top-notch. The same goes for methodologies on how to enhance consciousness and help people find a meaning and purpose in life.”

Dr. h.c. Anders Wijkman, member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, former member of the European Parliament and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Policy Director of UNDP, Honorary President of the Club of Rome

When we published the Club of Rome report Limits to Growth in 1972, we had no clue about the crucial role of the financial sector. …Mariana has bridged that gap in a fascinating way, ...with the refinement of advanced integral impact investment, and giving those of us who were pioneers a promising story that reads as a novel, even a thriller.

Dr. J. Wouter van Dieren, Officer of the Order of Orange Nassau, Recipient of the Rachel Carson Gold Medal (2006) and the Global Merit Award from the World Wildlife Fund (2012), and Member of the International Club of Rome

Integral Investing by Mariana Bozesan is the most comprehensive guide so far to steer capital toward ethical and profitable investing…Mariana’s investing philosophy goes far beyond current screening and social auditing models, and seeks moonshot technologies spearheaded by highly conscious, spiritually evolved, technologically competent, ethical global citizens.

Dr. Hazel Henderson, Founder & CEO of Ethical Markets Media, and Honorary Member of the International Club of Rome

I admire Mariana Bozesan. Ever since she joined the Club of Rome, she has been an inspiration. She shares her know-how and experience with great clarity and courage. She secures investments with ethics and morals that are unparalleled in the world of finance. I highly recommend her Integral Investing to anyone concerned about putting their money where their mouth is.

Prof. Dr. h.c. Gunter Pauli, Founder of Zero Emissions Research & Initiatives (Zeri), Executive Member of the International Club of Rome, and Fellow of the World Academy of Art & Science

On rare occasions a special book introduces vital new ideas to the public consciousness…Mariana Bozesan has recognized that the integral approach provides the ideal framework for achieving a clearer viewpoint on the relationships between AI and cognitive computing.

Prof. Dr. Rodolfo A. Fiorini, Politecnico di Milano University, and member of the Executive Committee of the World Academy of Art and Science

Mariana’s […] integral approach to investing plays a vital role in helping to shift our economic system as a whole…Mariana is one of the few true courageous pioneers in the impact investment community, daring to move beyond conventional ‘sustainable finance’ thinking.

John Fullerton, Founder of Capital Institute, Architect of Regenerative Economics, and Member of the International Club of Rome

About the Book

Today, early-stage investors and entrepreneurs find themselves in a dilemma in which they must choose between profit and impact; between traditional, for-profit-only models on the one hand, and multiple-bottom-line structures with a positive social or environmental impact on the other. At a time in which climate change, exponentially growing technologies, social polarization, and looming pandemics are calling into question humanity’s priorities, this Report to the Club of Rome and the World Academy of Art and Science dissolves this dilemma by proposing a new investment paradigm, namely Integral Investing.

Integral Investing incorporates and transcends the best practices of both traditional venture capital and impact investing. It provides a seamless integration and shows how technological progress need not be our rival, but can instead be our ally in ensuring the prosperous society we all want. Drawing on her own investments and stellar track record since 1995, the author reveals the mechanism of Integral Investing. At the heart of it is a powerful, 360-degree de-risking tool called the Theta Model, which reveals how to make smart investment decisions based on the comprehensive integration of traditional due-diligence criteria, sustainability metrics, and assessments of the founders’ and team culture. But it doesn’t stop there.

In turn, this handbook demonstrates how to use human-centered AI to scale and digitalize the investment process. The goal here is to accelerate the use of exponential tech, capital, and consciousness leadership to transition to a sustainable global society: a process the author refers to as the Investment Turnaround. The 21 principles of Integral Investing, which she defines using Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory, lead to her manifesto on how to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals within Planetary Boundaries by 2050 through early-stage investing and entrepreneurship.

Similar to the 15th century, when the Medicis inspired the Renaissance, today humanity is once again at a crucial turning point where pioneering public and private financiers, investors, entrepreneurs, and other committed individuals have the opportunity to leave behind the legacy of a prosperous society. This handbook provides a source of inspiration, and shows how self-actualization, a positive mindset, and a consciousness that is backed by a world-centric desire can become the driving force for solving the global grand challenges.

Meet the Author

Dr. Mariana Bozesan is best known as an integral investor and serial entrepreneur.  She was named Europe’s Female Angel Investor of 2019 by BAND (German Business Angel Network) and BAE (Business Angels Europe), as well as Best European Early Stage Investor of the Year 2017 by EBAN (European Business Angels Network). In her work, she focuses on exponentially growing technologies with the intention to address climate change, unsafe AI, and other existential threats through the implementation of the UN SDGs within planetary boundaries by 2050.

Dr. Bozesan was awarded full membership in the international Club of Rome, where she co-authored the 2017 bestseller and Club of Rome report Come on: Capitalism, Short-termism, Population and the Destruction of the Planet. She is also a Fellow in the World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS) and was National Advisory Board Member for the G8/G20 Social Impact Investment Task Force. Bozesan serves as a strategic advisor on safe AI as well as ethical and integral finance and sustainability to various organizations, businesses, and governmental as well as non-governmental bodies. She is also a futurist, published researcher and author, environmentalist, and human rights activist. As a prominent keynote speaker and an inspiring lecturer on the future of investing and entrepreneurship, she lectured at prestigious organizations including Stanford, Oxford, and INSEAD as well as the United Nations, TEDx and RIO+20. She has an outstanding track record as an integral investor by de-risking early early-stage investments in exponential technologies using the Theta Model, which she architected based on Ken Wilber’s integral theory. Her investment portfolio includes more than 40 successful investments to date and supports more than 38 humanitarian organizations worldwide.

Together with the co-presidents and other members of the Club of Rome, she launched the Investment Turnaround and was joined by numerous like-minded investors. As a serial entrepreneur, she is the founder of several organizations including AQAL Capital, a single-family office, and the AQAL Foundation, to name a few. Educated at Stanford University and KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), Dr. Bozesan earned an MSc (Dipl.-Inform.) in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science from KIT and a PhD in Psychology.

The Future of Investing is Integral

The Parity of People, Planet and Prosperity - with Passion and Purpose

  • Dr. Chantal Line Carpentier
    «Now is the time to accelerate the transition to the world we all want and need by achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals within planetary boundaries by 2050. Through her significant Integral Investing book, Mariana Bozesan paves the way to that goal through early-stage investing … Integral Investing is a must-read for every impact investor and caring entrepreneur.»
    Dr. Chantal Line Carpentier Chief of New York Office of the Secretary General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
  • Dr. J. Wouter van Dieren
    «When we published the Club of Rome report Limits to Growth in 1972, we had no clue about the crucial role of the financial sector. …. Mariana has bridged that gap in a fascinating way, … with the refinement of advanced integral impact investment, and giving those of us who were pioneers a promising story that reads as a novel, even a thriller.»
    Dr. J. Wouter van Dieren Officer of the Order of Orange Nassau, Recipient of the Rachel Carson Gold Medal (2006) and the Global Merit Award from the World Wildlife Fund (2012), and Member of the International Club of Rome
  • Prof. Dr. Dr. Stefan Brunnhuber
    «Integral Investing is a firework of entrepreneurial experience as well as a well-researched source of knowledge on how to apply exponentially growing technologies to implement the UN SDGs within planetary boundaries in early-stage investing. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to integrate investing, business, and sustainability with the intention to ensure the future of life on our beautiful planet.»
    Prof. Dr. Dr. Stefan Brunnhuber Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer, Diakonie Hospital, Trustee, World Academy of Art & Science (WAAS), and Member of the International Club of Rome
  • Tomas Björkman
    «Our current economic system is blind to many important aspects of life and society. In this comprehensive book, Mariana Bozesan is doing a excellent job of applying the Integral AQAL Framework in order to re-integrate many of these lost aspects into financial investment decisions. It is very encouraging to see how concepts like consciousness and personal inner growth; meaning and purpose; and social transformation can be introduced into financial decision making. This book is clearing the way for new economic thinking and perhaps even gives a direction for the necessary transformation of the global economic system.»
    Tomas Björkman Founder of Ekskaret Foundation, former chair of EFG Investment Bank, Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, Fellow of the World Academy of Art & Science (WAAS), and Member of the International Club of Rome
  • Dr. Andreas Rickert
    «Integral Investing is a thought-provoking book that is equally inspiring and stimulating for all who truly care about becoming successful impact investors or entrepreneurs. Mariana walks her talk and speaks from personal experience as a serial entrepreneur turned investor. She offers a proven, yet challenging, investment template against which we can judge our own expectations for the future of life in this century. Her integrating call to action aims at eliminating current silos, unifying competing mindsets, giving tremendous hope, and providing concrete direction.»
    Dr. Andreas Rickert Co-Founder and CEO of Phineo gAG
  • Dr. Charly Kleissner
    «This is an extraordinary and important book on early-stage investing that will have a deep impact. Mariana’s mastery of various interconnected fields is impressive, especially how she makes the case for the application of exponentially growing technologies to address existential threats—including climate change—in early-stage investing. A must-read.»
    Dr. Charly Kleissner Founder TONIIC, Member of the International Club of Rome
  • Prof Dr. Dr. h.c. Christoph Stückelberger
    «Holistic, long term, balanced, ethical, successful: These characteristics of Integral Investing are vital for investors and companies, but also for politics, macro-economics, and financial institutions in general... Integral Investing also means investing with integrity. I congratulate Mariana Bozesan for this timely and very important, encouraging, and holistic guide!»
    Prof Dr. Dr. h.c. Christoph Stückelberger Founder and President of Globethics.net
  • Prof. Dr. Dr. Christian Berg
    «This book fills an important gap in the sustainable investment landscape. Investors focus mostly on business plans, market outlook, team’s skill sets and much less on individual interior perspectives, individual mindsets, or the interplay within them. By referring to a number of showcases, Integral Investing demonstrates why such ignorance can become momentous. Quite often, such "soft factors" cause a start-up to fail. Mariana's Theta-Model offers a systematic and consistent method to assess these factors and integrate them in the due diligence process..
    Prof. Dr. Dr. Christian Berg Kiel University, Member of the Investment Committee GLS Bank, Member of the International Club of Rome
  • Dr. Barrett C. Brown
    «Integral Investing is a tour de force of brilliant integration, seemingly straight out of the future. It synthesizes the finest minds and biggest hearts in impact investing, global sustainability, psychology, and exponential technologies, wisely guiding us toward a world that works for all. Mariana Bozesan embodies the future of investing. She has persistently and humbly probed to deeply understand the vast investing landscape, the wild world of artificial intelligence, the bewildering terrain of social and environmental change, and our ever-mysterious inner domains... Be forewarned: If you read these pages, there’s no going back to how you saw the world before. Some visions cannot be unseen, and hers is a formidable beauty to behold. Her maps are psychoactive, showing us who we need to become to scale transformational change through investing. Her approach is grounded and proven, and it will inoculate us from the incessant volatility and increasing complexity ahead. Most importantly, this work empowers us to serve at scale, enabling us to massively leverage our privilege to help eradicate poverty, heal the environment, and make right the dark injustices that have plagued us. An unprecedented flourishing of humanity and nature is possible, and Integral Investing is an undeniable and vital contribution to help us get there.»
    Dr. Barrett C. Brown Executive Coach, Founder & Managing Director of Apheno Advisory
  • Prof. Dr. Alberto Zucconi
    «… Mariana is a very courageous and aware woman whose inspiring life story is a very good example of how to become a consciousness leader and a change maker. Her Integral Investing model attests to the fact that companies and systems in which everybody wins can be successfully created. The world needs many more leaders like Mariana who are walking examples of what it means to share, to contribute, and to protect both human and natural capital. Thank you, Mariana, for your unique contributions toward creating a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous society through Integral Investing
    Prof. Dr. Alberto Zucconi Co-founder (with Carl Rogers) & President of Person-Centered Approach Institute (IACP), Chair and Board of Trustees, World Academy of Art & Science (WAAS), and Secretary General, World University Consortium (WUC)
  • Prof. Dr. Thomas Reuter
    «Only occasionally do I come across a book that captures with acuity the essence of the ‘spirit of the times,’ as Carl Jung calls it, and more rarely still one that also channels a key message from the ‘spirit of the depth,’ the inner center where past and future merge and all true inspiration originates. Mariana Bozesan’s latest work, Integral Investing, is such a book. …. This book is thus a profoundly usable, hands-on guide for a new generation of world-centric investors. The authenticity and value of this guide lie in the author’s many decades of practical experience as an investor and entrepreneur and her deep knowledge of the latest trends in technology.»
    Prof. Dr. Thomas Reuter Asia Institute, University of Melbourne, Board and Executive Member, World Academy of Arts & Science (WAAS)
  • Prof. Dr. Christian Arnsperger
    «Mariana Bozesan is one of the very few investors I have encountered who is truly concerned with an integral approach to investing based on full-spectrum economics that goes beyond both profit-only and EGS criteria.»
    Prof. Dr. Christian Arnsperger Faculty of Geoscience and Environmental Studies (FGSE), University of Lausanne
  • Prof. Dr. Georgios Theodoropoulos
    «I find Mariana’s book on Integral Investing fascinating and extremely relevant. It is thought-provoking and an inspiring, albeit challenging, guide for all those who truly care about company building and early-stage investing in exponentially growing technologies with the intention to ensure our common future.»
    Prof. Dr. Georgios Theodoropoulos Chair Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Southern University of Science and Technology and Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS)
  • Dr. Susanne R. Cook-Greuter
    “I read about Mariana’s integral fervor a decade ago. We met in Mulhouse between Switzerland and France. I was deeply impressed by her dedicated and powerful voice in a field that is not known to be open to novel ideas for saner practices. Especially when they come from a woman. As a developmental psychologist, I have every confidence in her capacity to affect change. It is indeed high time for Integral investing. The investment field needs to change old patterns of operating. It must experiment with and adopt new types of investments, be open to nontraditional investors, and focus on investing for global impact and in the service of all of humanity.”
    Dr. Susanne R. Cook-Greuter

Investment Turnaround blog and podcast

In our investments we integrate rigorous financial and legal due diligence criteria (Prosperity) with social (People), environmental (Planet), cultural, behavioral measurements as well as high ethics, morals, and higher human values (Passion and Purpose). However, we can only achieve what we measure and therefore, are using various standards to assess our progress. For example, we observe the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (UN SDG), the Principles for Responsible Investing of the United Nations (UN PRI/ESG), as well as B Corp GIIRS, GIIN IRIS and IIRC, to name a few.

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The Future of Investing is Integral

The Parity of People, Planet and Profit - with Passion and Purpose

AQAL Group Implements the UN SDGs within the Planetary Boundaries

"The world's biggest challenges are also our biggest opportunities" (Dr. Mariana Bozesan)

Learn More

SDGs

Downloaded from SDGs website

Felix Mueller [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons,

The Investment Turnaround is our Moonshot

The Investment Turnaround is the movement that implements the next paradigm in investing.  The paradigm rooted in the essence of all existence, the interior such as culture, values, and morals as well as exterior reality, the material world. It is a reality in which high financial returns are inseparable from a high environmental, social, cultural, and an ethical impact, as well as individual self-actualization, joy, and happiness.

Learn More on the Investment Turnaround

Founders

Portrait: Mariana Bozesan, Ph.D.

Dr. Mariana Bozesan, MS

Co-founder & General Manager, AQAL Capital GmbH
President, AQAL Foundation

Portrait: Tom Schulz

Thomas Schulz, MBA, MS

Co-founder & General Manager, AQAL Capital GmbH

Meet the AQAL Group team

Dr. Mariana Bozesan
is Europe’s Female Investor of the Year 2019

Dr. Mariana Bozesan
awarded Fellowship to the WAAS

Curious about our secret sauce on investing? Contact us!

AQAL Capital GmbH

Cuvilliésstraße 14
81679 Munich, Germany
Phone: +49 89 954596-100
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