TDA 2022 Technology: ESG winner: Greenstone

Greenstone stole the show for being a specialist business in the ESG space and being used by private equity firms globally, by the end of 2021. In particular, the firm’s cloud-based SaaS solution InvestorPortal, which enables secure ESG data collection, in-depth reporting and analytics for private capital investors.

“Our strapline is ‘Data that talks to you’ and that’s really what we’re trying to do. It’s not just data, it’s making the data do what you need it to,” says Toby Robertson, head of InvestorPortal. “The portal is used by private equity GPs globally to gather, manage and report on information from their funds and portfolio companies. It’s designed to be as streamlined as possible to minimise friction that typically occurs with any questionnaire process.”

As a specialist in the industry, InvestorPortal is a popular choice because the solution interacts with other current systems in GPs’ tech stacks. “A one size fits all API would be great, but the needs and software platform of every investor vary so much we find it easier to make them bespoke for the individual firm,” he adds. “Generally, we build each one for each client, then they can link to whatever systems they’re using on their side.”

And that’s not all. Judges were impressed by the way the solution also contains a GHG Emissions Wizard that enables portfolio companies to calculate their carbon footprints and report this data to their investors. “Obtaining accurate carbon footprints across a portfolio of investments has long been a pain point for investors. We’ve been able to make the carbon emissions calculation process more accessible and efficient – particularly for those portfolio companies with little experience in carbon measurement.”

Category finalists

• AssetMetrix
• Atominvest
• Greenstone
• MJ Hudson
• RepRisk
• Untap