Research & Investment in Sustainable Equity
How We Invest
RISE seeks investments with both financial and sustainable strengths, adhering to traditional fundamental and technical security analyses, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) analysis. We do this through two separate frameworks. The first focuses on traditional financial metrics as well as other elements of business operations and industry performance. The second framework analyzes the ESG strengths of a company from an individual perspective as well as an indsutry perspective. We gather ESG data on publically traded companies from a variety of sources, but primarily through a subscription to MSCI's collection of over 7,000 Intangible
Value Assessment (IVA) reports, Industry Reports, ESG Data Metrics Reports, and Impact Monitor Reports that allow us to garner an understanding of a company's commitment to long term sustainability, its ESG strengths and weaknesses, as well as its sustainability profile compared to industry competitors. Additionally, we use data from company provided documents such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports, Proxy Statements, and Annual Reports, as well as from other third party providers like Bloomberg and Ceres. With all of this data, we are able observe a number of key performance indicators (KPIs) related to the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impacts of a company and holistically understand the non-financial elements of a prospective investment. In the broadest of terms, the group’s strategy considers every relevant financial and non-financial impact of a company with the belief that both kinds of impact are strong indicators of future success and profitability. When RISE identifies a potential investment opportunity, a group is formed to research the company and create a buy pitch to present to the whole group. After two to three weeks of research, a comprehensive buy pitch is presented to RISE. Following the presentation, the group votes on whether to buy a position in the company and the size of the position. Companies that recieve a majority vote are purchased and added to the RISE portfolio within a few days of the vote.
