Passing the Torch: Celebrating 100 Years of HERstory

TriLinc is pleased to be a sponsor of Passing the Torch: Celebrating 100 Years of HERstory, presented by the Financial Women of San Francisco.   This short film documentary will appear live on YouTube August 26th at 6 pm PDT. The film will be available for viewing on YouTube for the rest of the year.


Passing the Torch celebrates the Centennial of the 19th Amendment and explores how women won the vote plus brings into focus the diverse trailblazing women who were “first” in so many ways. You can view this free virtual event on August 26th at 6pm PDT by:

  1. Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/passingthetorchsf
  2. YouTube Live: https://youtu.be/bL9yiJsknqc
  3. If you have the YouTube app on your smart TV, you can watch it on the big screen! Search “Financial Women of San Francisco Passing the Torch” in YouTube.

Fourth in a Series: COVID-19 Webinar Replay


On August 20, 2020,  Gloria Nelund, Founder and CEO of TriLinc Global, and Paul Sanford, Chief Investment Officer, hosted our fourth webinar on COVID-19 and the financial markets.

The webinar offered commentary on the coronavirus’s current and potential impacts on TriLinc’s portfolios and the financial markets, followed by a Q&A. This series serves as a complement to TriLinc’s Coronavirus Update webpage.

Click here to download a copy of the webinar deck.

ESG & Impact: Webinar Replay

On July 8, 2020,  Gloria Nelund, Founder and CEO of TriLinc Global, and Peter Greenwood, Director of ESG & Impact, hosted an educational webinar on ESG & Impact.

The webinar covered several topics, including:

  • The drivers behind the acceleration of ESG & Impact investing
  • Three sustainable and responsible investing approaches
  • The importance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  • TriLinc’s approach to ESG & Impact
Click here to download a copy of the webinar deck.

2019 TGSIF Sustainability & Impact Report

The TriLinc Global Sustainable Income Fund 2019 Sustainability & Impact Report provides an overview of investment activity from September 2017 to December 2019 (the “Reporting Period”), and offers evidence through numerous case studies as to how TGSIF’s small and medium enterprise (“SME”) borrower companies are helping to contribute to the economic, social, and environmental well-being of their communities.

 

To download a copy of the report, please click here.

TriLinc Investing in America – with new Investment Partner Enhanced Capital

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–TriLinc Global, LLC (“TriLinc”) announced today an expansion of its strategy to include lending to small business firms in underserved markets in the United States. This new strategy will be facilitated through its new Investment Partner Enhanced Capital, an impact investment firm with more than 20 years of experience helping small businesses across the United States access the capital they need to grow, thrive, and create jobs.

Since the firm’s inception in 2008, TriLinc has planned to invest in small and medium sized businesses in the U.S. and with a significant number of those businesses affected by the global pandemic, TriLinc believes the need to support them is now critical. Per the SBA, (1) in 2019 there were 30.7 million small businesses (<500 employees) in the U.S., making up 99.9% of all U. S. businesses, and annually creating 64% of all new jobs in the U.S. However, according to McKinsey (2), as of 5/13/2020, 52% of those businesses have had to shut down, lay off, or furlough employees and another 21% expected to have to take those measure in the next few months.

“Consistent with our conviction that small and medium enterprises are the major drivers of a successful economy, we believe this is the right time to add the U.S. to our strategy” commented Gloria Nelund, CEO and founder of TriLinc Global, LLC. “We are excited to be partnering with Enhanced Capital to deliver private debt capital to underserved small businesses in the U.S.”

Michael Korengold, President and CEO of Enhanced Capital said “We are honored to collaborate with TriLinc. Our mutual passion for development in underserved markets and small businesses is the key element that has bound our teams together. We agree that investing in America, as we have done over the past twenty years, is now more important than ever.”

 

About TriLinc Global

TriLinc Global (www.trilincglobal.com)

TriLinc Global, LLC, founded in 2008, is a private investment sponsor dedicated to launching innovative funds that increase participation in impact investing. Founded on the conviction that significant private capital is needed to help solve some of the world’s most pressing issues, TriLinc’s primary goal is to create sophisticated, institutional-quality impact investment products that will attract private capital at scale. As an impact investment company, we strive to achieve both a competitive, risk-adjusted financial return for investors as well as create positive, measurable economic, social and/or environmental impact in the communities where investments are made.

 

About Enhanced Capital

Enhanced Capital (www.enhancedcapital.com)

Enhanced Capital is a leader in unlocking value for private investors seeking returns through socially responsible public investment initiatives. At the forefront of aligning private sector resources with public policy goals, we transform local economies to the benefits of both investors and community stakeholders by financing local businesses, solar energy projects, and historic building restorations.


1) United States Small Business Administration February 27, 2020 – Small Business Profile for 2019 2) McKinsey May 13, 2020 “ Crushing Coronavirus Economic Uncertainty”

DISCLAIMER

This information is for general purposes only and does not represent a recommendation or offer of any particular security, strategy, or investment. There is no guarantee that TriLinc’s investment strategy will be successful or will avoid losses. TriLinc Global is dependent upon its advisors and investment partners to select investments and conduct operations. TriLinc Global is not suitable for all investors. TriLinc Global, LLC (“TLG”) is a holding company and an impact fund sponsor founded in 2008. TriLinc Advisors, LLC (“TLA”) and TriLinc Global Advisors, LLC (“TLGA”) are wholly owned subsidiaries of TLG, TLA and TLGA are SEC registered investment advisors. Securities offered through CommonGood Capital, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC. Registration and membership do not indicate a certain level of skill, training, or endorsement by the SEC, FINRA, or SIPC.

Packaging Investment for TriLinc: Pandemic-proof Ecuadorian company receives investment

The following article was originally published by James Cutchin on the Los Angeles Business Journal website. Click here to view.


Manhattan Beach-based TriLinc Global has cleared a $3.25 million loan to a Latin American sustainable packaging company.

The new funds, set to mature in June 2025, are added to an existing five-and-a-half-year term loan program between TriLinc and the Ecuador-based packaging manufacturer.

Capital for the transaction was drawn from two of TriLinc’s four existing funds, according to the company’s Chief Investment Officer Paul Sanford.

TriLinc makes impact investments in developing markets to support businesses with a strong social benefit. The small- to medium- sized companies must meet high environmental, sustainability and governance, or ESG, criteria, as well as deliver market-rate returns.

TriLinc declined to disclose the company’s name, citing contract privacy restrictions, but said the business uses mostly recycled materials to make sustainable cardboard packaging.

“Their business really started with the boxes for bananas,” Sanford said. The company uses 97% recycled cardboard to make shipping containers for their country’s large volume of agricultural products.

Sanford said the company recycles or repurposes almost everything used on its facilities. Water used in cardboard breakdown is treated, then either reused in manufacturing, used to water plants on company property, or pumped through mister systems to keep workers cool, according to Sanford.

After no more usable material can be extracted from recycled cardboard mash, Sanford said, the company repurposes the leftovers into inexpensive portable housing components.

“There is an economic incentive to do this,” Sanford said. “They do save money. … But they’ve gone beyond that. It’s a mission statement for them.”

TriLinc’s latest investment is located in one of the countries hit hardest by Covid-19 in South America. Official Covid-19 deaths in Ecuador were just shy of 3,000 in late May, although most experts say the true number is likely much higher due to limited testing.

Despite this challenge, Sanford said his firm’s investment should be largely insulated from the turmoil. The company is one of the only makers of this type of packaging in Ecuador, according to Sanford, leaving the nation’s agricultural producers with few alternatives to transport their goods.

Because they largely service critical food suppliers, he said, there is also less likelihood that serious drops in demand will hurt the business. “We even looked at the actual ability to transport these products to their destination markets like the Port of L.A.,” Sanford added.


DISLCAIMER
The statements and opinions expressed in this article are those of The Los Angeles Business Journal. The information contained in this article is distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy, or investment product. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. TriLinc cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any statements or data. The information contained in this article is accurate as of the date submitted but is subject to change.

Sustain and Gain: TriLinc Makes the Most of Socially Conscious Investing

The following article was originally published by James Cutchin on the Los Angeles Business Journal website. Click here to view.


Trilinc GlobalCEO Gloria Nelund focuses on impact investments.

TriLinc Global CEO Gloria Nelund focuses on impact investments. Photo by Ringo Chiu.

Last year saw record levels for socially conscious investing, with sustainable fund assets reaching $960 billion globally in 2019 — the highest ever, according to research firm Morningstar Inc.

And early this year, the head of the world’s largest asset manager, Blackrock Inc., flagged sustainability issues as serious investment risks and said his firm would be pulling back from certain fossil fuel investments.

Then Covid-19 hit, rocking global markets and tightening or closing the flow of investment dollars to most industries. Rather than hindering the rise of sustainable investing, however, the pandemic appears to be helping to validate the sector’s staying power.

In the first quarter of 2020, global sustainable fund assets declined by 12%, compared to a drop of 18% in the overall fund universe, according to Morningstar.

Manhattan Beach-based sustainable investment firm Trilinc Global has continued to invest throughout the pandemic, including three new investments in the last month, according to founder and Chief Executive Gloria Nelund. The firm has had no loan losses to date, she said, and does not anticipate any as a result of the pandemic.

Trilinc focuses on impact investments — or investments that have a positive effect on a society or the environment — in small- to medium-sized businesses in developing countries. Nelund founded the firm more than a decade ago after noting lackluster performances at many sustainability-focused investment groups.

“They were struggling to raise funds because they were mostly philanthropy with very little real investment strategy behind it,” she said. “Investors are not willing to give up returns to do impact investing. Many can’t.”

photo

By Ringo Chiu
Los Angeles Business Journal
A focus on underserved markets has paid off for TriLinc during Covid-19, according to CEO Gloria Nelund.

 

Emerging world investing

Nelund said her firm bases all of its deals first and foremost around “a real investment opportunity” with market-rate returns. All target businesses then go through an extensive screening process for environmental, sustainability and governance, or ESG, criteria as well as an impact assessment.

The “supply-demand mismatch” in many developing economies, Nelund said, can help drive better returns — as long as investors understand realities on the ground. TriLinc partners with local investment managers to identify investment opportunities, conduct due diligence and act as asset managers.

Nelund said this focus on underserved geographies has unexpectedly paid off during Covid-19.

“One advantage to being in emerging markets is that not all have been affected in the way that more developed markets have,” she said.

Some of TriLinc’s investments are located in countries like Namibia, which has relatively little travel or tourism, low population density and poor infrastructure, which can ironically help slow the virus’ spread. Namibia had 21 confirmed Covid-19 cases and zero deaths as of May 25, according to the World Health Organization.

Gerard Tellis, director of the USC Center for Global Innovation, agreed that, while low-quality health care infrastructure is an undeniable disadvantage, many developing countries have factors that have helped slow or stop Covid-19’s spread and limited near-term economic damage.

Certain developed economy features — such as well-established public transportation infrastructures — have, according to Tellis, become less objective advantages in the face of the pandemic.

“That (infrastructure) is a huge mixer of population,” he said. “If it’s not hygienically treated, you could have a massive spread of disease as you saw in the New York and New Jersey areas.”

Some areas of the developing world have been harder hit by the pandemic than others. Through late May, Brazil and Mexico recorded the second- and third-highest numbers of daily coronavirus deaths. To avoid economic meltdowns, these countries have started to reopen despite growing infection and death rates.

According to Nelund, TriLinc has relatively low exposure to high-risk areas and industries. A coronavirus risk assessment her firm conducted across its portfolio found less than 3% exposure to “high-risk geographies” and less than 10% exposure to “high-risk industries.”

Those numbers may need revision if material changes occur in the global situation, although TriLinc’s high-collateral loan model could help insulate it from serious financial pain. The firm typically takes 200% of a loan’s value in collateral, according to Nelund.

“Even if companies go belly-up,” she said, “our investors typically won’t lose out.”

TriLinc is also diversifying into an entirely new market in light of the pandemic: the United States.

photo

By Ringo Chiu
Los Angeles Business Journal
TriLinc is now looking for opportunities inside the United States.

 

New Markets

“We have always wanted to invest in the U.S., in the lower middle market, which is where the lending gap is here,” Nelund said. “U.S. small businesses have been impacted the same as other countries, if not more.”

In early June, the company will begin investing in American companies out of one of its four funds, according to Nelund. Over time, she added, the firm plans to roll these domestic investments out across all of its funds.

The new U.S. investments will focus on similar areas to TriLinc’s international funds, Nelund said. These will include businesses in rural areas and opportunity zones, women- and minority-owned businesses, as well as those with a generally strong social impact.

TriLinc’s entry into the U.S. market is part of a larger trend among impact investors, according to Jennifer Walske, director of the UCLA Anderson School of Management’s social impact program.

“You are seeing a lot of the biggest impact funds now pivoting to focus in the U.S.,” Walske said.

She pointed to Acumen Fund Inc., one of the most influential U.S. impact funds, which was established in 2001 to invest in developing economies. In a situation analogous to the current downturn, the company began investing in the United States in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and the massive economic hardship that event inflicted on many poor Americans.

Walske said the tendency to question whether market downturns will have an outsized negative affect on impact investing is also not new.

“The question is always, is this real or is this a fad?” she said. “Every time something like this comes up, people always ask this question.”

The UCLA professor is optimistic about the answer, even in the face of a recession.

“It will be important to watch how this plays out,” she said, “(but) if you look at the millennials and their values and priorities, I think it is here to stay.”


DISLCAIMER
The statements and opinions expressed in this article are those of The Los Angeles Business Journal. The information contained in this article is distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy, or investment product. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. TriLinc cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any statements or data. The information contained in this article is accurate as of the date submitted but is subject to change.

TriLinc Global Impact Fund Showcases Environmental and Social Management System in New Report

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–TriLinc Global, LLC (“TriLinc”) today published its 2019 Sustainability and Impact Report for the TriLinc Global Impact Fund, LLC. TriLinc was founded on the belief that the power of capital markets can be used to solve pressing socioeconomic and environmental challenges, and companies that employ sustainable business practices, in the long term, make better investments. TriLinc employs a disciplined environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) screening process to assess a company’s sustainability policies and practices and mitigate potential ESG-related risks. “We enhanced our screening program in 2020 as we finalized our Environmental and Social Management System, (“ESMS”),” stated Gloria Nelund, Founder and CEO of TriLinc. “TriLinc’s ESMS incorporates our ESG assessment framework alongside our ESG due diligence, monitoring, and decision-making requirements, processes and procedures, roles, and responsibilities,” commented Nelund.

“We enhanced our screening program in 2020 as we finalized our Environmental and Social Management System, (“ESMS”).”

In addition to its ESG Program, TriLinc’s impact tracking and reporting disciplines are designed to prove that capitalism can be used as a force for good. TriLinc achieves impact in three meaningful ways: 1) through the impact objectives of the funds that TriLinc sponsors and manages; 2) through the local and global impact achieved by TriLinc borrower companies; and 3) through the personal efforts of the TriLinc team.

 

About TriLinc Global

TriLinc Global (www.trilincglobal.com)

TriLinc Global, LLC, founded in 2008, is a private investment sponsor dedicated to launching innovative funds that increase participation in impact investing. Founded on the conviction that significant private capital is needed to help solve some of the world’s most pressing issues, TriLinc’s primary goal is to create sophisticated, institutional-quality impact investment products that will attract private capital at scale. As an impact investing company, we strive to achieve both a competitive, risk-adjusted financial return for investors as well as create positive, measurable economic, social and/or environmental impact in the communities where investments are made.


DISCLAIMER

This information is for general purposes only and does not represent a recommendation or offer of any particular security, strategy, or investment. There is no guarantee that TriLinc’s investment strategy will be successful or will avoid losses. Investment in a pooled investment vehicle involves significant risk including but not limited to: units are restricted; no secondary markets; limitation on liquidity; transfer and redemption of units’ distribution made may not come from income and if so will reduce the returns; are not guaranteed and are subject to board discretion. TriLinc is not suitable for all investors. TriLinc Global, LLC (“TLG”) is a holding company and an impact fund sponsor founded in 2008. TriLinc Advisors, LLC (“TLA”) and TriLinc Global Advisors, LLC (“TLGA”) are wholly owned subsidiaries of TLG and are SEC registered investment advisors. Securities offered through CommonGood Securities, LLC, Member FINR/SIPC. Regulation and membership do not indicate a certain level of skill, training, or endorsement by the SEC, FINRA, or SIPC.

Contacts

Robert Kronman – Director of Marketing
rkronman@trilincglobal.com
(o) 424 200 6202
(c) 310 497 2116

Third in a Series: COVID-19 Webinar Replay


On May 6, 2020,  Gloria Nelund, Founder and CEO of TriLinc Global, and Paul Sanford, Chief Investment Officer, hosted our third webinar on COVID-19 and the financial markets.

The webinar offered commentary on the coronavirus’s current and potential impacts on TriLinc’s portfolios and the financial markets, followed by a Q&A. This series serves as a complement to TriLinc’s Coronavirus Update webpage.

Click here to download a copy of the webinar deck.

2019 TGIF Sustainability & Impact Report

The TriLinc Global Impact Fund 2019 Sustainability & Impact Report provides an overview of investment activity from June 2013 to December 2019 (the “Reporting Period”), and offers evidence through numerous case studies as to how TGIF’s small and medium enterprise (“SME”) borrower companies are helping to contribute to the economic, social, and environmental well-being of their communities.

 

To download a copy of the report, please click here.