Aristata Capital secures nearly £40 million for impact litigation fund

London-based Aristata Capital has announced that it has secured nearly £40 million of capital in its initial closing for its first impact litigation fund, Aristata Impact Litigation Fund I (AILF I). Aristata Impact Litigation Fund I offers investors and the community a win-win. For investors, AILF I will seek to provide above market, uncorrelated returns from investments in commercial litigation. At the same time, AILF I investments aim to produce significant and measurable impact across a global portfolio of claims including human rights, environmental protection, climate change, equality, indigenous rights, and a range of other critical cause areas. AILF I seeks to provide access to justice and the courts to claimants who otherwise would not have the resources necessary to pursue their own claims, beginning to address a serious imbalance of power in the global system of commercial litigation.

The first closing round was anchored by Capricorn Investment Group’s Sustainable Investors Fund and The Soros Economic Development Fund and includes several foundations as well as a number of family offices.

“Aristata is proving that investors don’t have to choose between achieving financial returns and driving social and environmental impact,” said Rob Ryan, CEO of Aristata Capital. “Our impact focus is a powerful competitive advantage – we are confident that Aristata’s innovative investment strategy will drive attractive and competitive returns for our investors in a new market segment, while also enabling us to carry out our mission of closing the justice gap in commercial litigation where the system favours commercial strength and penalises those without.”

Aristata is a pioneer in the field of social and environmental impact litigation, bringing an impact investing lens to commercial litigation funding to seek attractive, uncorrelated financial returns while delivering positive, systemic social and environmental change. Aristata offers the first truly blended approach to litigation funding allowing investors to combine both the commercial rigour of traditional litigation funding methodologies and the success of public interest litigation strategies to drive social and environmental change.

“Since 2000, Capricorn has backed multiple new partnerships focused on specific areas of impact or sustainability, such as renewable energy infrastructure, clean technology, health and wellness, financial inclusion, and sustainable asset management,” said Eric Techel, Partner at Capricorn. “Aristata is a great fit with this strategy, and we are excited to support the team as it builds the platform and establishes the funding of commercial litigation, with positive and measurable social impact, as an asset class.”

Aristata seeks to create a safer and more equitable world by financing legal cases that empower historically marginalised voices, equalise unjust power dynamics and catalyse systemic change that protects the environment and communities. Aristata investments seek to secure compensation for individuals, communities and other claimants affected by damaging commercial activity, to unlock the impact potential of similar cases to provide scalability and to generate successful legal outcomes that pressure corporations and industries to change behaviour.

“This investment builds on OSF’s many years of experience leading strategic litigation work,” said Catherine Cax, acting Chief Executive Officer of the Soros Economic Development Fund. “By using investment capital for Aristata we are hoping to augment the ways in which we strive to bring accountability to human rights abuses and environmental infractions through an innovative commercial model.”

Aristata operates in markets across the globe, sourcing claims from law firms and civil society wherever corporate activity causes harm. Aristata’s experienced litigation funding team is supported by an Investment Committee made up of experienced legal professionals and an Impact Advisory Board of international thought leaders across a diversified range of cause areas.