Latest news with #2025ImpactAward
Irish Post
27-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Post
Irish entrepreneur receives international award for work which ‘preserves the planet'
AN IRISH businesswoman has received a global award for her commitment to the planet. Dublin-based Tracy O'Rourke was the only Irish entrepreneur among nine international awardees to be presented with the 2025 Impact Award from the Cartier Women's Initiative. Ms O/Rourke, who is the founder and CEO of Vivid Edge, an Irish climate action impact company, received her award at a prestigious ceremony held at Expo 2025 in Osaka in Japan this week. Tracy O'Rourke received her award at a ceremony held in Osaka 'It's a huge honour for me personally and on behalf of our incredible team at Vivid Edge to have been awarded a 2025 Impact Award by the Cartier Women's Initiative,' she said. 'It is a great privilege to be included among this group of inspirational female entrepreneurs who are driving social and environmental change around the world through their companies.' She added: 'At Vivid Edge we are on a mission to make it easy and financially rewarding for large energy users to decarbonise, bringing energy expertise, delivery capability and capital. 'In terms of impact, we estimate that the projects we have delivered to date for clients have avoided over 36,000 tons of carbon emissions, equivalent to planting over 100,000 trees and saved over 119 GWh of energy. 'Vivid Edge's work is making measurable contributions to global climate goals, and we are proud to be delivering measurable impact contributing to a better future for people and the planet.' Ms O'Rourke received her award in the Preserving the Planet category, alongside Kristin Kagetsu, of Saathi in India and Kresse Wesling, of Elvis & Kresse in the UK, who were awarded in the same category. Each of the nine awardees receive a $100,000 grant to support their ongoing work. See More: Cartier Women's Initiative, Impact Award, Tracy O'Rourke
RTÉ News
26-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Vivid Edge founder wins 2025 Impact Award from Cartier Women's Initiative
Tracy O'Rourke, the founder and CEO of Vivid Edge, an Irish climate action impact company, has been presented with a 2025 Impact Award by the Cartier Women's Initiative. Vivid Edge helps medium and large organisations transition to low-carbon operations through its "efficiency-as-a-service" model. The company provides fully funded, turnkey energy upgrades, removing traditional financial and operational barriers for customers, while its approach delivers fast-track carbon reductions without upfront capital investment. Vivid Edge is headquartered at NexusUCD in Dublin and is supported by Enterprise Ireland as a client company. The Cartier Women's Initiative (CWI), founded by Cartier in 2006, is an international entrepreneurship programme that aims to drive change by empowering women impact entrepreneurs. Ms O'Rourke is one of nine international female entrepreneurs and business leaders and the only Irish entrepreneur, who were presented with their Impact Awards during an event held at Expo 2025 in Osaka in Japan. The CWI Impact Awards, presented only for the second time since 2020, are dedicated to former CWI fellows whose ventures have demonstrated "extraordinary" long-term impact aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Tracy was one of three awardees in the Preserving the Planet category, which recognises innovations advancing climate action and environmental sustainability. Tracy O'Rourke, founder and CEO of Vivid Edge, said it was a great privilege to be included among this group of inspirational female entrepreneurs who are driving social and environmental change around the world through their companies. "At Vivid Edge we are on a mission to make it easy and financially rewarding for large energy users to decarbonise, bringing energy expertise, delivery capability and capital," she said. "In terms of impact, we estimate that the projects we have delivered to date for clients have avoided over 36,000 tons of carbon emissions, equivalent to planting over 100,000 trees and saved over 119 GWh of energy," she said. "Vivid Edge's work is making measurable contributions to global climate goals, and we are proud to be delivering measurable impact contributing to a better future for people and the planet," she added.
Business Wire
23-04-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Catalyst Opportunity Funds Closes Fund II at $140M With Major Banking, Healthcare Limited Partners
SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Catalyst Opportunity Funds (Catalyst), a double-bottom-line real estate investment platform focused on impactful investments in historically underserved U.S. markets, today announced the final close of Catalyst Opportunity Fund II LP ('Fund II') with total capital commitments of $140 million. The close brings Catalyst's total assets under management to $350 million, representing more than $1.3 billion in project costs across its portfolio. Fund II raised capital from a base of prominent institutional investors, including JPMorganChase, UnitedHealth Group, American Express, and KeyBank, as well as foundations, family offices, and other mission-aligned capital partners. The strong investor participation underscores growing institutional demand for attractive market-rate, socially responsible real estate investment opportunities – even amid broader market fundraising challenges. Unlike many comparable investment strategies that focus on preserving existing affordable housing through acquisition and renovations, Catalyst is expanding the nation's housing stock through ground-up development, directly addressing the estimated 5.5-million-unit shortage of new construction. By bringing new workforce and affordable housing units online, Catalyst targets the root cause of the supply-demand imbalance that has exacerbated housing affordability challenges nationwide. Fund II is primarily focused on investing in workforce and affordable housing developments that serve households earning 60-80% of area median income (AMI) – a segment often referred to as 'the missing middle.' This group includes working families and individuals who earn too much to qualify for traditional affordable housing subsidies, but still struggle with rising housing costs in high-growth markets. In addition to housing, Fund II also invests in mixed-use developments and commercial spaces that provide essential services, further strengthening the economic and social fabric of these communities. 'The successful close of Fund II demonstrates that institutional investors continue to see value in well-executed impact investment strategies,' said Jeremy Keele, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Catalyst Opportunity Funds. 'We are grateful for the confidence of our new and returning partners, and we remain committed to deploying this capital into transformative real estate projects that create lasting financial and social benefits in the neighborhoods we serve.' Fund II has already been deployed into eight real estate investments across strategic U.S. markets. Three of these developments – Metropolitan Village, The Eden, and The Moraine – are now operational and delivering impact in the regions they serve. Metropolitan Village was honored with the 2024 CoStar Impact Award for Multifamily Development of the Year in Greensboro and Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and The Moraine was recently recognized with CoStar's 2025 Impact Award as Multifamily Development of the Year in Seattle. These awards underscore Catalyst's commitment to expanding access to high-quality housing in underserved communities. Catalyst's investment strategy prioritizes data-driven, locally responsive development, with first-floor commercial spaces in many projects dedicated to essential businesses and service-oriented tenants, creating a "housing-plus" model that enhances economic and social stability for residents. The firm also prioritizes working with local developers, helping to keep investment within the community while supporting greater opportunity. Together, this approach advances strong market-rate performance, long-term investor outcomes, and measurable social benefits. Investor Perspectives on Fund II 'Investing in workforce housing is critical to addressing the widening housing affordability gap across the country,' said Diana Kolar Leach, Executive Director – Head of Fund Investing, Impact Finance & Advisory at JPMorganChase. 'Catalyst's community-first approach aligns with our commitment to supporting scalable solutions that not only expand access to quality housing but also invest in commercial spaces that strengthen communities and drive long-term economic resilience, all while delivering strong financial outcomes.' 'Access to stable, quality housing is a critical social driver of health,' said Courtney Mattson, Vice President, Assistant Treasurer at UnitedHealth Group. 'At UnitedHealth Group, we recognize the deep connection between housing and health outcomes. This investment expands access to affordable housing while fostering healthier communities – ensuring individuals and families have the stability needed for improved well-being and financial security.' 'Catalyst's mission to expand the supply of affordable housing and activate commercial spaces for underserved communities aligns with our goal of investing capital to help families and businesses in underserved communities thrive,' said Celia Smoot, Senior Vice President at KeyBank. 'Affordable housing is a cornerstone of economic opportunity, and everyone deserves to live and work in a community that supports their aspirations.' About Catalyst: Catalyst is a double bottom-line private equity firm focused on transformative real estate investments in high potential, but historically underserved U.S. markets. With over $1.3B worth of total real estate across the U.S., Catalyst invests in impactful, market-rate-return-oriented development projects led by community-driven developers, with a primary focus on workforce affordable housing. In addition to providing new, affordable housing units, Catalyst works to facilitate an influx of community services tailored to the needs of each investment community, including preventative healthcare, workforce training, and healthy, nutritious food. Institutional investment expertise, relationships with qualified sponsors in high-growth secondary markets, as well as significant experience in the structuring of creative capital stacks give Catalyst a competitive advantage in delivering long-term value creation to investors, as well as positive outcomes within communities. For more information, please visit
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Finalists for 2025 James Beard Awards Include 5 L.A. Restaurants and Chefs
The finalists for the annual James Beard Awards were announced April 2. Named after the renowned American chef, James Beard, this foundation has been around since 1990. The James Beard Foundation presents awards annually honoring excellence in culinary arts, hospitality and Beard Awards are the nation's most prestigious food and beverage awards. The Foundation has honored numerous excellent chefs over the years such as Wolfgang Puck, Rick Bayless and many Angeles made a mark on the semifinalist list, released in January. Los Angeles businesses and professionals received nominations in 12 categories. The narrowed down finalists, however, still have significant L.A. representation. Daniel Castillo, Heritage Barbecue, San Juan Capistrano, CaliforniaJon Yao, Kato, Los Angeles, California Gusto Bread, Long Beach, California Strong Water, Anaheim, California Tobin Shea, Redbird, Los Angeles, California L.A. is known for its diverse and eclectic food scene. The city has always been revered as a culinary powerhouse and this year's representation in the list of finalists shows its growing influence on the country's culinary scene. However, the James Beard Foundation has not gone without controversy. In 2020, staff members of the foundation sent a letter requesting better pay and a greater emphasis on diversity and equity within the company and leadership team. The leaked letter, that can be found here, led to the 2020 and 2021 awards being Foundation addressed the issue by conducting an internal review and making the voting process more inclusive and also altering the Best Chef category to operate regionally allowing for a more diverse range of talent to be honored. The awards are introducing a new award this year called the 2025 Impact Award. This award honors organizations dedicated to a 'more equitable, sustainable, and economically viable restaurant industry and food system,' according to the JBF website. The 2025 James Beard Awards will be presented June 16 and held at the Lyric Opera House of Chicago.
