Finance-Focused Strategies: Moving Forward Tech Accountability

Whistle Stop Capital | December 2023

At the core of this report is the idea that investors can be motivated to press companies for change that benefits society and enhances long-term value of investment portfolios. However, it is important to understand that most investors are not activists. Their goal is to enhance investment returns, not to drive social change. The key question is: How can civil society organizations working for social change make common cause with investors and so take advantage of the influence they have over corporate boards and management?

Identifying goals, collecting strong data, simplifying complex messages, and building collaboration efforts can be challenging. However, the benefit to society of these efforts can be enormous; investors have a great deal of power in influencing companies’ behavior and, armed with the necessary information and techniques, can be persuasive enough to create real and lasting change.

Given the complexity of the tech sector’s impacts on society, conduits to formalize communication with civil society experts are essential. Opportunities exist to unite and amplify existing efforts by investors, activists, legislators, tech employees, and other stakeholders. Existing organizations skilled in facilitation and coordination of investor engagements should be looked to to assist in developing and implementing these efforts.