Who gets to be trusted?

2 min read · October 24, 2025
New Power Labs

In ImpactAlpha, Smitha Das (World Education Services) flips the script on impact investing: impact isn’t just who or what we fund - it’s how we do it.

Her team practices trust-based investing – doing their own homework so founders don’t have to, publishing criteria to level the playing field, and redefining risk to value lived experience over track record. They’ve even shifted decision-making from their board to staff, pushing power closer to community.

It’s a reminder that if we want to rebalance systems, capital has to move with trust, not just money.

Less gatekeeping. More transparency. Shared ownership.

The shift isn’t about new tools, it’s about new terms of relationship.

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Don’t miss Smitha Das at the Capital Unlocked Summit, where she will join other thought leaders – Dr. Caroline Houssein, Dr. Shilpa Tiwari, Jon Shell, and Andrea Clarke – to chart the future of capital, one that works for everyone. 

Join us: newpowerlabs.org/capital-unlocked-2025 on November 12th & 13th.

Narinder

New Power Labs

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