World economic forum report on impact investment sector

"From the Margins to the Mainstream:  Assessment of the Impact Investment Sector and Opportunities to Engage Mainstream Investors" from the World Economic Forum is a 40 page pdf.  From the Executive Summary:

"At its Annual Meeting in Davos in January 2012, the World Economic Forum brought together mainstream investors, impact investors and social entrepreneurs to discuss how to harness the potential of impact investing. What emerged was a list of constraints the sector faces, such as the perception that a social impact responsibility conflicts with a fiduciary duty, the fragmentation of the impact investing universe with small intermediaries and small deal sizes, and the lack of an established track record of exits for investors in double bottom line companies. While the list of reasons why impact investing would remain niche seemed overwhelming, bringing it into the mainstream was too important an opportunity not to pursue. "

Report highlights include:

• Impact investing market size $25B in 2012
• 78% of investment focus is on "growth stage" companies
• 83% of survey respondents use private equity as an investment vehicle; 66% use private debt
• Key challenges institutional investors face when trying to make impact investments are why angel networks are more appropriate:  early-stage companies and small average deal sizes