“What sets Veris apart from traditional wealth managers is authenticity. We don’t just offer impact investing – we operate as an impact investment ourselves. We apply our own due diligence lens around impact, diversity, equity, and climate. We’re net zero, and we’re a B Corp – very few firms in our industry are. ”
— Stephanie Cohn Rupp
My guest today is Stephanie Cohn Rupp, Chief Executive Officer of Veris Wealth Partners – one of the first impact-only wealth management firms in the world, and one of the rare few that’s been majority women-owned or led since day one.
In an industry still dominated by men, that really matters. But what drew Stephanie to Veris most was that the firm truly aligned with her values – where impact isn’t just an add-on, but the foundation of everything they do.
However, Stephanie’s journey into impact investing wasn’t a straight line. Born in the U.S. and raised just outside Paris, she grew up in an international household. Both her parents were doctors who did medical missions in underserved communities. From an early age, Stephanie learned that careers could – and should – serve a bigger purpose.
“The bonus is not what motivates me,” she says. That belief has guided every step of her career.
Stephanie started with an internship at UNESCO, exploring how education could support democratization. Then she moved to the World Bank, but she quickly grew restless and disillusioned there. The bureaucracy moved too slowly, and she struggled with the disconnect between global institutions and real-world impact. As she puts it, it was a soul killer – especially for someone young and idealistic like her.
Hungry for more direct impact, she pivoted to microfinance, working in Russia and Central Asia with ACDI/VOCA. That experience broke open her worldview and made her realize just how limited traditional finance could be when it came to driving real change.
Determined to sharpen her financial skills, Stephanie earned a Master’s in Public Administration at Harvard’s Kennedy School and later worked at UBS, where she focused on sovereign debt. The experience taught her the mechanics of global finance, but something was still missing.
The turning point came at the Omidyar Network, where she saw firsthand how private capital could drive systemic change. It confirmed what she’d long believed and what still shapes her work today: “Every investment either promotes or detracts from an asset owner’s beliefs.”
After Omidyar, Stephanie became CEO of Toniic, a global impact investing network, where she grew membership tenfold by creating a safe space for wealthy families to share and learn. From there, she joined Threshold Group, a boutique multi-family office, to build their impact investing platform.
When Tiedemann Wealth Management acquired Threshold, she helped manage the transition but realized the large structure wasn’t the right fit. What she really wanted was a firm fully aligned with her mission – where the impact wasn’t a side offering but the whole point.
That’s exactly what she found at Veris Wealth Partners. They weren’t just any firm – Veris was one of the first impact-only wealth management firms in the world. Majority women-led, deeply mission-driven, and at the time – looking for their next CEO.
It was a perfect match!
Stephanie stepped in, and today, she leads a team managing $2.3 billion in assets, all dedicated to an ambitious goal – to create a more sustainable, equitable, and just world.
Veris focuses on four core impact themes: climate solutions, sustainable agriculture, racial and gender equity, and community wealth building. They use a holistic approach, integrating environmental, social, and governance factors across all asset classes.
Unlike most firms, Veris doesn’t just offer impact investing – it operates as an impact investment itself. They hold themselves to the same standards on diversity, equity, climate, and inclusion that they expect from the investments they make.
It’s not always easy with the current political backlash against ESG in the USA and climate denial still making headlines.
Yet despite these headwinds, Stephanie has no dilemma – impact investing is here to stay. Because climate challenges, inequality, and injustice aren’t going anywhere. And will eventually affect us all.
So tune in and let Stephanie show you that impatience for change is actually the best growth engine around.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch the interview on YouTube here.
What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
SHOW NOTES:
[00:00] Stephanie’s multicultural upbringing
[03:14] Education journey
[08:21] Disillusionment with large-scale international development organizations
[11:00] Discovering microfinance as a more direct approach to impact
[16:05] Transitioning into finance
[18:43] Pivotal move to Omidyar Network
[22:24] Scaling TONIIC tenfold and building an impact investing movement
[29:12] Becoming CEO of Veris Wealth Partners and a high-level overview
[33:29] Veris’ theory of change
[36:59] Veris Wealth Partners’ approach to wealth management
[41:21] What sets Veris apart from traditional wealth managers
[45:08] Investment process and approach
[51:38] Translating impact into metrics clients understand
[54:47] The four impact themes Veris focuses on
[58:19] Veris’ intersectional approach – specific examples
[01:03:57] Veris Just Transition Framework
[01:08:38] Sustainable investment challenges
MORE STEPHANIE COHN RUPP QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW:
“You need a process that is repeatable, scalable, and includes checks and balances to ensure no stone is left unturned. That’s the strength of an impact wealth management firm – the impact discovery is fully structured and built into the platform. It can’t be intuitive, or you risk losing quality and consistency of service. ”
— Stephanie Cohn Rupp
“For me, the Eureka moment was being at the GIIN conference in Amsterdam and seeing every major investment firm represented – from AXA to European banks and even Goldman Sachs. Once, it was just small shops and foundations. That meant we’re here to stay – impact investing is now part of the mainstream financial industry. Yes, there are challenges around authenticity and setbacks, like asset managers leaving NZAM, but no matter how the pendulum swings, this sector is here to stay. It tackles fundamental issues that can’t be solved by public policy or philanthropy alone – the financial system has to be part of the solution. ”
— Stephanie Cohn Rupp
