A decade ago, if you’d mentioned the phrase 'impact investing', you likely would have drawn more than a few blank stares. Nowadays, it seems that everyone is talking about it. You might even say that impact investing is the new black.

But impact investment is not just a fad; it’s serious business. The global market for impact investments is projected to grow to $300 billion or more by 2020 according to the Global Steering Group on Impact Investment.

Governments around the world are talking about it. Just last year, both the UK Government and the Australian Government held inquiries into how their respective governments could develop their impact investment markets.

Big business is talking about it too. Two years ago BlackRock — the world’s biggest asset manager — launched a new division called Impact; Goldman Sachs acquired an impact-investment firm, Imprint Capital; and two American private-equity firms, Bain Capital and TPG, launched impact funds.

At Nesta, we’ve been interested in impact investment for a while; in fact, we have our own impact investment team. And we’re keen to share what we’ve learnt. So we’re holding an event on 10 May to share some of our learnings and expertise.

You’ll hear first-hand from some of Nesta’s impact investment directors about what kind of impact investment funds are available, and what differentiates impact investors from others in the field.

You’ll also have the opportunity to hear from two beneficiaries of Nesta’s impact investing about their experiences and what they’ve learned along the way.

We will have a broad range of people attending — from government, social enterprises, big business, funding bodies, academia — so the event will also offer a great opportunity to build and develop networks.

If you want to be part of the new black, we suggest you come along to see for yourself what all the fuss is about.

Find out more and sign up to attend Bridging the Gap: Impact Investment for a more Inclusive Economy.