Dr. Mariana Bozesan interviews:
Dr. Charly Kleissner, Toniic

As a species, we appear to rule the world and to be living in relatively unchallenging times, even when you factor in the current COVID-19 pandemic or the looming threats posed by the grand global challenges, and yet we are still troubled. Otto Scharmer of MIT has written that we are currently experiencing a consciousness crisis because we are dealing with an “intellectual bankruptcy” whereby “the blind spot of economics and economic theory is our own consciousness.” This crisis seems to have initiated a significant mind shift that is not only challenging but also actively starting to change outdated structures that cannot accommodate the needs of the new global reality.

A host of leaders from all areas of life, including high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, have emerged as major players in this shift. Spurred into action by both personal crises and major global emergencies, they have begun to act more daringly. As a result, new structures and new measurement criteria in the areas of investing, philanthropy, business, and finance are mushrooming, resulting in reforming banks such as the GLS Bank in Germany, the TRIODOS Bank in The Netherlands, the Crédit Coopératif in France, but also progressive organizations such as GIIN, and TONIIC to name only a few.

My guest today is fellow deep impact investor, TONIIC founder and Club of Rome colleague, Dr. Charly Kleissner. He believes that the deeper meaning of wealth is to make a positive contribution to humanity and the planet. He sees impact investing not as an intellectual exercise, but as an expression of who he really is. Thus, the main conversation in this program gravitates around the short, medium and long-term interventions that should be made in order to restart the economy following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Charly insists on restructuring and forgiving loans in the short term to all those who have been hit the hardest by the pandemic so they can strengthen their health, recover their economic prowess and regain their purchasing power. Moreover, he thinks that providing blended capital in the long and medium term would help transform the investment industry toward becoming more sustainable and help create a more resilient economy. Also, he dives into the role exponentially growing technologies in the current landscape and how we can leverage them to ensure Deep Impact and the future of life on the planet.

Charly co-founded KL Felicitas Foundation (www.klfelicitasfoundation.org), and Social-Impact International (www.social-impact.org), which help social entrepreneurs worldwide to accelerate and increase their impact. Dr. Kleissner co-founded Toniic (www.toniic.com), and the ‘100% Impact Network’, global networks for impact investors.

Dr. Kleissner is Chairman of the Board at ImpactAssets (www.impactassets.org), and serves on the Advisory Board of the Global Hub Company (www.the-hub.net) and the High Level Advisory Board of UNSIF (undp.socialimpact.fund).

Dr. Kleissner has over twenty years of experience as a senior technology executive in Silicon Valley companies like NeXT and Ariba. Dr. Kleissner earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Technology, Vienna.

The main conversation in this program gravitates around the short, medium and long-term interventions that should be made in order to restart the economy following the COVID-19 pandemic. Charly insists on restructuring and forgiving loans in the short term to all those who have been hit the hardest by the pandemic so they can strengthen their health, recover their economic prowess and regain their purchasing power. Moreover, he thinks that providing blended capital in the long and medium term would help transform the investment industry toward becoming more sustainable and help create a more resilient economy. Also, he dives into the role exponentially growing technologies in the current landscape and how we can leverage them to ensure Deep Impact and the future of life on the planet.

Enjoy the show and share it widely!

— Mariana Bozesan

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DISCLAIMER: The AQAL Foundation informs our listeners that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by the interviewees of our Investment Turnaround Podcast belong solely to the author and do not represent the views nor the opinions of the AQAL Foundation, its founders, or other associated group of individual.

Narrated by Albert Bozesan, produced by Peak State Entertainment