For over a decade, the Impact Capitalism Summit (ICS), hosted by Big Path Capital, has convened visionary leaders, investors, and decision-makers to shape the future of impact investing. Being held in historic Charleston, South Carolina, the 2026 summit takes place at a critical inflection point for our industry, just ahead of the midterm elections that will define the policy landscape for years to come.

The conference theme, “Resilience & Response: The Future of Impact in Private Markets,” speaks to the magnitude of the moment. At ICS, the ecosystem’s most influential voices will come together to collaborate and actively chart the strategic path forward through an era of unprecedented challenge and opportunity. It is our shared imperative to ensure that impact investing in private markets continues to thrive in the years and decades to come.

Big Path Founder and CEO Michael Whelchel heads the firm’s investment banking activities. A longtime industry leader committed to raising the expectation of capital, Michael has organized essential industry convenings for more than a decade, including the ICS, now in its 12th year, and the MO Summit, one of the nation’s largest annual convenings of CEOs of high-growth, positive-impact companies.

With more than 16 years of experience in capital raising, capital advisory, and investor relations, Big Path Managing Director Erin Breslawski joined the firm in 2025 and leads its fund placement services. Throughout her career, Erin has raised over $1.1 billion from a wide spectrum of LPs, including pensions, consultants, insurance companies, endowments, foundations, OCIOs, fund of funds, family offices, RIAs, and HNWIs. She is eager to attend her first ICS and build authentic connections that translate into long-term partnerships.

In this Q&A, Michael and Erin share their outlook on the upcoming ICS, including the biggest factors defining the impact investing ecosystem today, why it’s critical for the community to come together now, and the perspectives Big Path hopes to share and gain at the event.

Michael, what are some of the biggest factors you see the impact investing community tracking right now, and how do you anticipate those factors will define the policy landscape in the years to come?

Michael: The factors we are tracking are deeply intertwined. Climate is the throughline — intensifying climate effects are forcing the world to reckon with what the impact community has long understood: My actions today affect you, your children, and their children’s future. That is the immutable law of the commons. At the same time, we are seeing an increasing awareness across sectors of the importance of making space for diverse perspectives. There must be room in the conversation for more than one opinion. As the tent gets bigger, the perspectives get richer, and we all get smarter.

Policy follows narrative, and the narrative is being written right now — heading into a midterm election cycle at a genuine inflection point. As climate effects intensify, society will be forced to choose a fundamental direction: Will we build a world based on our interrelationships and commonality, or will we double down on protecting our own turf at the literal expense of others?

The companies and funds in this community — proving that you can achieve market-rate financial returns AND high impact — are the living, breathing evidence that there is a smarter path forward.

How our ethics show up in how we invest and deploy capital will be more apparent than ever before. The companies and funds in this community — proving that you can achieve market-rate financial returns AND high impact — are the living, breathing evidence that there is a smarter path forward. The policy landscape will be shaped by whether we hold our ground and make that case clearly.

Erin, why do you believe it’s critical for the impact investing community to unite in this moment? What’s created when we come together?

Erin: When impact industry leaders come together, what’s created isn’t just dialogue — it’s direction. This year’s ICS focus on resilience reflects a key shift in impact investing: It’s no longer about proving the model, but about performing through cycles with discipline and durability. Convenings like this build LP conviction, help GPs calibrate to rising expectations around transparency and outcomes, and spark the relationships that ultimately translate into long-term capital and partnerships. Most importantly, they reinforce accountability — ensuring that as it scales, the industry continues to be defined by measurable results, not just good intentions.

When impact industry leaders come together, what’s created isn’t just dialogue — it’s direction.

Michael, what do you find critical about connecting right now? And what’s unique about ICS compared with other conferences?

Michael: What feels to most of us like common sense — kindness, integrity, a commitment to something bigger than ourselves — is under real pressure. Coming together helps us find our footing and remember what we hold in common. Events like ICS are where we, as a community, build our resolve and confidence and remind each other that the link between natural, social, and financial capital is not a trade-off to be managed but a compound force driving a new standard.

Capital does not move through spreadsheets — it moves through people who believe in each other.

There is a compounding effect that happens when you bring the right people into the same room. Ideas get stress-tested. Conviction gets renewed. And perhaps most importantly, you realize you are not alone in what you are trying to do. In private markets, especially, where so much depends on trust and relationships, that matters. Capital does not move through spreadsheets — it moves through people who believe in each other. Beyond individual deals and connections, something larger is at stake. This community is still making the case — to the broader market, to policymakers, to skeptics — that impact investing is not a compromise, it is the standard. Every time we come together and demonstrate our depth, sophistication, and track record, we strengthen that case. Convenings like this are where the movement gets its energy, direction, and resolve to keep going.

What outcomes are you hoping to experience from your first time at this event?

Erin: I’m hoping to come away with a deeper sense of how others across the ecosystem are navigating this moment — what’s working, what’s not, and where conviction is strengthening. In a year centered on resilience, I’m especially interested in the tangible ways GPs and LPs are adapting strategies, maintaining discipline, and still driving meaningful impact despite headwinds. Equally important, I’m looking forward to building authentic relationships that extend beyond the event — connections that translate into long-term partnerships and ultimately help more capital flow to the solutions that matter most.

What perspectives will Big Path bring to the event, and what perspectives do you hope to gain from attendees?

Michael: Big Path brings something I believe is genuinely rare: a ground-level, real-time view of what is actually happening in the market. We are in the markets every day, working alongside impact companies raising capital, founders navigating exits, and fund managers connecting with institutional investors. We work exclusively in this space, with more impact companies and funds than any other investment bank. That means we are not observing these trends from the outside — we are living them with our clients. We bring that real-world, transactional perspective into the room: What is moving capital right now, what is slowing it down, where is genuine momentum, where are the real headwinds?

What we hope to gain from attendees is equally important — and honestly, it is why we keep organizing these events after all these years. The LPs, the policy thinkers, the fund managers, the founders — each of them holds a piece of the picture that we don’t have. That exchange — our on-the-ground market intelligence meeting the broader strategic perspective of the room — is where something genuinely useful gets made.

Join investors actively deploying capital for impact and return, including family offices, foundations, institutional investors, wealth advisors, and asset managers at the 2026 Impact Capitalism Summit, June 1–3 in Charleston. Learn more and apply here.