First Principles Investing: Start With the Company

Aristotle taught us that a First Principle is “the first basis from which a thing is known.” But have we stopped paying attention to what really matters in the field of sustainable and impact investing?   

Actual investing starts with the company. What does the company do? How does it do what it does? How well is it performing? Does it acknowledge the risk and opportunities it faces? Can it be a proxy for creativity, innovation, resilience and growth? It’s time to get back to First Principles and focus on what matters most in this incredibly complex world with so many economic and geopolitical cross-currents.