The Bengaluru Forum, held on 24 July 2025 at Sabha, a heritage venue emblematic of Bengaluru’s old-school architectural legacy, convened leaders across finance, enterprise, philanthropy, policy, and innovation to explore how capital can meaningfully contribute to a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future.

Designed as a thoughtful, practitioner-led dialogue, the forum emphasized lived experience over theory and practical pathways over abstract commitments. Across four thematic sessions, participants examined how sustainability, purpose, and long-term value creation are reshaping capital allocation, business models, and institutional mindsets in India.

”“The Bengaluru Forum was conceived as a space for honest inquiry, a moment to pause, listen, and reflect on how capital, innovation, and purpose must evolve together to meet the realities of our time.”
Kamna Hazrati, Founder, AndPurpose

Session Highlights

Session 1 explored the evolution of ESG from a compliance obligation to a strategic imperative. Speakers reflected on the need to embed ESG into everyday decision-making, navigate short-term pressures with long-term purpose, and shift mindsets to enable systemic change rather than incremental improvement.

Session 2 examined how capital structures and governance models must evolve to support sustainable growth. Discussions focused on aligning incentives, strengthening accountability, and ensuring that long-term value creation remains central even amid market volatility and performance pressures.

Session 3 highlighted the role of innovation and enterprise in addressing complex social and environmental challenges. Panelists emphasized the importance of grounding solutions in local context, enabling experimentation, and building institutions that can absorb risk while scaling impact responsibly.

Session 4 “Purposeful Capital for a Livable Future,” brought together perspectives from philanthropy, impact investing, and venture capital to examine how innovators can unlock finance across different stages of their business journeys. The conversation underscored the catalytic role of philanthropic capital, the need for human-centric investment models, and the importance of patience, trust, and community accountability in underserved and emerging markets.

Purpose Pitch & Social Innovation Showcase

Running alongside the sessions were a purpose pitch and a social innovation exhibition, which provided entrepreneurs and mission-driven organizations a platform to present real-world solutions addressing challenges across climate resilience, livelihoods, access to services, and community well-being. These engagements grounded the forum’s discussions in practice, enabling investors, ecosystem leaders, and peers to engage directly with on-the-ground innovation.

Overall Impact

The Bengaluru Forum fostered open, reflective, and cross-sectoral dialogue, creating space for candid conversations on what it takes to finance impact responsibly at scale. By bringing together varied forms of capital and diverse voices, from civil society to venture investors, the forum reinforced the importance of collaboration, long-term thinking, and trust-based approaches in shaping India’s sustainable growth trajectory.

The discussions, pitches, and showcases collectively underscored a shared insight: meaningful impact emerges not from isolated interventions, but from aligned capital, patient partnerships, and a deep commitment to people and purpose.

The Impact Report – AndPurpose Forum, Bengaluru 2025 captures a reflective convening that brought together over 250 leaders, practitioners, investors, and innovators from across India’s impact ecosystem. Rooted in dialogue and lived experience, the Forum explored how capital, technology, and governance can work in service of people and planet. Through conversations on ESG beyond compliance, urban resilience, purposeful technology, and patient capital, the Forum highlighted the need for trust-led systems, long-term thinking, and community-centred solutions. Showcasing 12+ social innovations and diverse cross-sector voices, the report reflects AndPurpose’s commitment to building resilient, inclusive futures through collaboration and conscience-led action.

Read Report Here