Emily Mercy and Elliot Warner, HBA ‘21 and ‘22 graduates, respectively, have had a passion for sustainability and positive impact since their early days. During their first year at Ivey, they also became intrigued by the world of finance. Looking to merge their newfound interest with their existing values, Emily and Elliot were immediately pulled in when introduced to impact investing during the 2020 Social Finance forum hosted by Ivey’s Social Impact Club.
Spearheading Canadian access to impact investing
Realizing impact investing was, for the most part, only accessible to high-income individuals, the co-founders dug into what options there were for young individuals and students with limited funds to commit. They began to explore sustainable investing options in Canada, only to realize there were none, despite a strong environmental concern and desire to contribute among young Canadians. With that in mind, Emily and Elliot felt compelled to explore opportunities for this demographic.
While at Ivey, Emily and Elliot were part of a New Venture Project where they created a Canadian sustainable investing platform. After developing a real passion for this project, the duo teamed up with friend and fellow Western student Blake Bunting to become a trio. The team amplified and progressed this work by partaking in the Student Energy Leaders Fellowship and the Western Accelerator. As part of the fellowship program, they met Goparity, a European impact investment platform. Goparity was fully aligned with Emily and Elliot’s vision, so they decided to bring their vision to life in Canada through this organization.
“Goparity stood out to us because they shared our values of building a business that values profits and positive environmental impact equally. When you have that level of sustainability built into the core of your business model, your success means environmental success and social success.”
Catalyzing the green transition
In the following years, the team set up Goparity Canada, an entity within the parent organization. Currently, Emily acts as Managing Director and Elliot is the Director of Tech, Strategy, and Finance.
A project that Elliot is especially proud to feature on the Goparity platform as an initiative you can invest in is Fueling Indigenous Clean Energy, managed by the Barkley Project Group. The project aims to aid First Nations groups in establishing renewable energy projects and contracts to address their energy gaps. By investing in this project through Goparity, Barkley can get the working capital load to support First Nations communities. Elliot expects this to advance clean energy across Canada and empower First Nations’ control over their energy resources.
For Emily, being part of the Goparity community is a source of fulfillment. In her role, she engages with innovative solutions that bring hope to the climate crisis and gathers support for the work of impactful organizations, actively contributing to the green transition.
Redesigning sustainability beyond boundaries
Emily and Elliot’s ultimate goal is to propel Goparity Canada to become the quintessential impact investing tool for all Canadians. The platform has launched in Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia. The founders are working to expand throughout Canada and, eventually, to the United States. They also seek to grow Goparity Canada to a point where their profits sustain their work without the need for angel investors and venture capitalists.
Emily realizes that many people associate sustainability solely with the environment, but she wants to broaden this view. She believes it's crucial to recognize that economic sustainability and its impact on communities is equally as important. To make this practical, she suggests using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and specific indicators to measure and talk about impact, something Goparity actively implements.
For students keen on sustainability and impact investing, Emily and Elliot encourage them to explore their interests actively and not shy away from intimidating challenges. Instead of stepping back, step forward, learn from experts in the field, and take advantage of the supportive and collaborative nature of the impact investing industry.
“So many people are willing to give you their time, advice, and expertise. Take advantage of that as much as you can and seek out those people who are really experts in their field. Learning truly doesn’t have to be confined within the walls of the university.”
To connect with fellow alumni, join Ivey's LinkedIn Sustainability Community.
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