Events
SOCAP 2014

Listing of proposed panels for working analysis

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Hey Fish Lady, is there REALLY such a thing as Sustainable Aquaculture? Suggested by: Kelly Pendergrast, Future of Fish Preview: Aquaculture is the world’s fastest growing food industry, but for many, it’s still a dirty word—think mystery “tilapia” and razed mangroves. But impressions about what aquaculture means today are often stuck in what the industry was years ago. Cheryl Dahle (“Hey Fish Lady”) wants to flip that … Tags: Community, food systems, impact investing, oceans, sustainability 0 comments

A Renewable Proposition: Strategies for Investing In Clean Tech for All Suggested by: Scott Anderson, NextBillion Network Preview: Investing in clean technology companies hoping to serve low-income markets comes with extraordinary technical, financial and management challenges. How should impact funds harness investment strategies to overcome persistent challenges faced by clean and renewable energy businesses, such as organizing last mile distribution, designing useful product features, setting … 6 Tags: Environment, impact investing, renewable energy, solar 0 comments

A Partnership for the Entrepreneurial Economy Suggested by: Renata Hron Gomez, The Hitachi Foundation Preview: We are all familiar with the phrase “the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts.” A new partnership between The Hitachi Foundation, Village Capital, and Investors’ Circle is living proof of this mantra. Called SOURCE – Solutions from Our Country’s Entrepreneurs – this joint … 0 Tags: entrepreneur, Financial inclusion, impact investing innovation, partnerships, philanthropy 0 comments

Peak Storytelling: Stories that organize more than advertise Suggested by: Danny Spitzberg, Peak Agency Preview: Stories make moral decisions clear for a community. Does your community recognize you as a member? Can you tell a story that speaks for them? Impact investors seek social change stories, but their demand is met by advertising with no moral core. Stories that organize more than … 0 Tags: advertising, moral, organizing, storytelling 0 comments

Engaging the Private Sector for Public Good Suggested by: Mike Shanley, Konektid International Preview: Discuss how engaging the private sector can increase the positive impact of international aid projects. Will include discussion of how to broker and implement these partnerships successfully. Why an idea with such wide support has been so challenging to implement. 0 Tags: PPP; Emerging Markets 0 comments

Waste to Wealth Suggested by: Purabi Thakre, Kiverdi, Inc. Preview: With increasing levels of waste generation and decreasing available space for disposal, each year 134M tons of landfill, 170M tons of agriculture and 60M tons of forest waste generated in the United States is an untapped biomass resource. Decentralized solutions for waste utilization offer communities opportunity to … 0 Tags: cleantech, Community, decentralized solution, sustainability, technology, waste management 0 comments

Good Food in the Hot Seat Suggested by: Vince Trotter, Good Food Web Preview: Where do entrepreneurs in the burgeoning economy of sustainable food turn for help in tackling challenges and laying a foundation for long-term success? One great source of assistance and sound advice comes from the experienced food entrepreneurs who are out there “doing it”. In this session, we … 2 Tags: entrepreneurship, food systems, mentorship, peer-to-peer, technical assistance 0 comments

Social, Health and Environmental Impact through Vertically Integrated Businesses Suggested by: James Frame, Natural Health International Preview: SOCAP investments and companies should not limit themselves to one dimensional strategies. Just as most global challenges call for complex multifaceted solutions, SOCAP investors and entrepreneurs must look at businesses that have the potential to impact multiple areas of impact on a global scale. From creating industry, … 3 Tags: Vertically integrated problems call for vertically integrated solutions 0 comments

Impact Investing Data: Getting to performance Suggested by: Joanna Reynolds, MaRS Centre for Impact Investing Preview: Participants will workshop potential interventions to accelerate access, availability and velocity of data in the impact investing ecosystem. Global momentum in impact investing has reached a new stage of coordination that is seeking opportunities to broaden access within financial markets and to better inform impact investors. To … 0 Tags: data, ecosystem, international 0 comments

Platforms, Funds and Products: Innovations across Canada’s impact investing landscape Suggested by: Joanna Reynolds, Associate Director, MaRS Centre for Impact Investing Preview: Impact investing in Canada has reached new heights of activity. Learn about Canada’s unique approach to impact investing that harnesses the talent from across the public, private and community sectors. This panel will introduce you to innovative investment platforms, financial products and funds that are changing the … 0 Tags: Canada, financial products, funds, impact investing 0 comments

East Africa and mobile money Suggested by: Dan Kleinbaum, Beyonic Preview: There was more money processed via mobile payments in 2013 in Uganda than in the United States. Kenya sent 40 times more money via text message on feature phones than the US did on iPhones. We will discuss the revolution in mobile money and how it is … 0 Tags: Africa, entrepreneurship, Financial inclusion, innovation 0 comments

Rebuilding to Remain: Village-Centered Design & Crowd-funded Mortgages, an Antidote to Demolition Orders Suggested by: Donna Baranski-Walker, Rebuilding Alliance Preview: Our panel tells the story of how one Palestinian Village, Al Aqaba, is building its future despite demolition orders issued against 97% of their homes, the mosque, the medical clinic, and even their kindergarten. After years of abuse, they successfully petitioned the Israeli High Court to stop … 0 Tags: collaborative economy, Financial inclusion, impact investing, meaning, place-based innovation, real assets, Resilience & Resilient Cities 0 comments

Enlightened Negotiation: The 8 Laws for Sustainable Success Suggested by: Mehrad Nazari, Ph.D., MBA, Enlightened Negotiation Preview: Discover a new paradigm of Negotiation for the emerging generation of entrepreneurs. In this session you will learn how to actualize the genius within in order to master the art of collaboration and co-creation in the spirit of oneness, dignity and fairness. Learn to bridge the worlds … 0 Tags: business, Creativity, entrepreneurship, governance, interdependence, leadership, Learning, meaning, relationship, spirituality 0 comments

The Unique Role of Small-Staffed Foundations in Mission Investing Suggested by: Mara Slade and Melanie Audette, Mission Investors Exchange, Mission Investors Exchange Preview: Small-staffed foundations play a unique and critical role in the mission investing space given that they are nimble, non-bureaucratic, hyper-focused, and typically fast decision-makers when it comes to managing their mission investing portfolios. This session will discuss best practices and ways that social entrepreneurs, non-profits, and large … 0 Tags: impact investing, Mission Investing, philanthropy, small-staffed foundation, social impact 0 comments

NextGen MBAs: Educating & Empowering Our Future Leaders & Investors Suggested by: R.Paul Herman, HIP Investor Inc. Preview: Our next generation of leaders and investors need to not only embrace sustainability, but also practice launching new ventures, accelerating corporate initiatives and re-allocating capital to higher-impact portfolios. Meet leading professors in universities and MBA programs who are educating and empowering their students to create the world … 0 Tags: efficient markets, impact investing, market returns, Modern Portfolio Theory, risk reduction, sustainable investing 0 comments

It’s Time for Wall Street to Retire Modern Portfolio Theory – and Embrace Higher-Impact Portfolio Theory Suggested by: R.Paul Herman, HIP Investor Ratings LLC Preview: Investors, analysts and fund managers on Wall Street and globally have embedded a Nobel-Prize winning approach into nearly all investing called Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT). Conceived in 1952, MPT encourages diversification of your portfolio, based on efficient markets. Yet, higher-impact portfolios (HIP) can reduce risk even more … 0 Tags: efficient markets, impact investing, market returns, Modern Portfolio Theory, risk reduction, sustainable investing 0 comments

Income + Impact = Fixed Income Portfolios to Build a Better World Suggested by: R.Paul Herman, HIP Investor Inc. Preview: Muni bonds, community capital, high yield corporates — all can contribute to a higher-impact portfolio. But how do you know what is impactful? 3 leading investment managers of impact-focused fixed income strategies will show how you can realize income and impact. Also, up to 2 impact investors … 0 Tags: cleaner energy, fixed income, high yield, impact investing, sustainable cities, water sourcing 0 comments

Pathways to Going Fossil Free in Your Portfolio Suggested by: Shilpa Andalkar, HIP Investor Inc. Preview: Coal, oil and gas pose a financial downside risk to your portfolio as well as to the planet. Reducing or eliminating your exposure to fossil-fuel producers can make your investing more resilient as well as contribute to a wider effort for fossil-free investing. Learn from investors, investment … 0 Tags: cleaner energy, eco-systems, endowments, Environment, fossil free investing, impact investing, risk reduction 0 comments

Technology, Development and Disaster Risk Reduction: Next Steps Suggested by: Paula F. Lytle, The World Bank Preview: The first generation of disaster response and crisis mapping has been global in scope (Kenya, Haiti, Philippines). For development practitioners, the potential has created a new paradigm in empowerment of local communities. This panel would look at next generation technologies used in international development and what are … 3 Tags: crisis mapping, diasaster response, International Development, mobile financial services 0 comments

Retirement Plans as a Tool for Impact Investing and Employee Engagement Suggested by: R.Paul Herman , HIP Investor Inc. Preview: More than $20 trillion flows through retirement plans (401k, 403b), and nearly all employees can benefit from them. How can your 401k be used as a tool for impact investing ? Find out how in these 2 compelling case studies, resulting in new choices for 401k plans … 0 Tags: 401k, 403b, corporate innovation, employee engagement, impact investing, retirement plan, SME, systems change 0 comments

The Rogue Seed Stage Investment Suggested by: Megan Christenson, Points of Light Civic Accelerator Preview: The pioneer gap has not been filled. How might we invest in early stage nonprofits, for-profits, and everything in between in a way that truly aligns incentives for investors and entrepreneurs? Deconstruct and reconstruct the seed stage investment agreement with us. We’ll hack into 3 unique impact … 0 Tags: design thinking, impact investing, impact investment, the pioneer gap, venture philanthropy 0 comments

Autism = Disability or Competitive Advantage? Suggested by: Rajesh Anandan, ULTRA TESTING Preview: 1.5 million American adults have Autism Spectrum Disorders, 1/3 of whom are high functioning and can have heightened abilities like focus and pattern recognition. And yet 80% are not employed. Gamified recruiting, redesigned workflows, virtual teams, and assistive technologies have the potential to unlock this incredible talent … 0 Tags: Autism, employment, impact sourcing, innovation, technology 0 comments

Is the food & agriculture sector getting too frothy? Suggested by: Taryn Goodman, RSF Social Finance Preview: In 2013, 26 new private funds focusing on food & agriculture investing were launched and investment in the sector grew 33% from 2012. Is food & agriculture investing just the hot, new trend or is there real opportunity to transform our food system? Are investments overvalued? What … 0 Tags: food & agriculture, impact investing, social enterprise 0 comments

Games for change Suggested by: Doug Lee, D3Jubilee Preview: Games are taking over. The dominance of games on mobile platforms is well-documented, as is the gamification of services from airline reservations to healthcare. Many feel threatened by this, that games encourage violence and other anti-social behavior. But instead of fighting it, how about harnessing this force … 0 Tags: adaptive learning, education, Environment, Games, gamification, impact 0 comments

Impact Media Ventures – Investing, Setting Goals and Measuring Impacts Suggested by: Cynthia LaGrou, Compathos & Rise of the Eco Warriors Preview: Impact media ventures provide great potential to contribute to some of our most pressing social and environmental needs. This panel showcases Rise of the Eco Warriors (REW) measurable impacts while building value for impact media ventures. REW theatrical release in Australia has engaged viewers and over 60,000 … 2 Tags: Civic engagement, Consumer awareness, Culture, education, Film, food systems, global health, impact investing, impact media, International Development, international investing, policy change, storytelling, sustainability, Youth 0 comments

Cloudy with a chance of re-decentralization: a call to humanity-centric technology Suggested by: Jonny LeRoy, ThoughtWorks Preview: What do technologists have to learn from farmer’s markets, tactical urbanism and the sharing economy? Social innovators understand the importance of grass-roots community, but the technologies we employ are tending ever more towards centralization and homogeneity and are creating vast digital and data monopolies. How might we … 2 Tags: technology resilience collaboration community local economy decentralization systems 0 comments

Real Assets for the Real World: Impact strategies for real assets investment Suggested by: MaryKate Hanlon, New Forests Preview: Population growth and shifting demographics, the changing climate, and the realities of the Earth’s limited capacity to supply natural resources will continue to create opportunities and risk for investors in real assets such as timber, agriculture, and infrastructure. Real assets have not featured strongly in the discourse … 1 Tags: alternative assets timber, environmental mitigation, impact measurement, mitigatoin banking, real assets 0 comments

Fishing for investment but worried about mission drift? Learn how to structure your investment in order to preserve your mission but also attract investors. Suggested by: Daniel Rostrup, Thomson Reuters Foundation Preview: Impact investors seek opportunities for financial investments that produce social or environmental benefits. But, how do you attract investment while protecting your mission? Hear from top legal experts in the field of social enterprise about the best ways to protect your mission when fishing for investment. Impact … 0 Tags: impact investing, investing, legal, pro bono, Purpose 0 comments

Cross Sector Opportunities and Challenges in Mission Investing Suggested by: Mara Slade and Melanie Audette, Mission Investors Exchange, Mission Investors Exchange Preview: The latest models of mission investing are bringing together formerly unlikely partners as the JPMorgan’s and Goldman Sachs’ of the world work together with foundations, NGOs, and government. We will discuss the cultural differences that exist among these organizations and the importance of speaking the same language … 0 Tags: Cross-Sector Collaboration, Environmental Impact, impact investing, Mission Investing, philanthropy, Private Banks, social impact 0 comments

How to Connect Investors to your Vision: A Workshops in Values-Based Communications Suggested by: Marica Rizzo, Briteweb Preview: What you do is truly impactful. What we want to know is what you are doing to stand out to investors? We know impact investors are looking for meaning-driven investments – and they are looking for smart partners with a straightforward understanding of where their money is … 1 Tags: branding, communication, Creativity, Investment, values 0 comments

Innovation in entrepreneurial support: key to inclusiveness and success Suggested by: Daniel Buchbinder, Alterna Preview: The support industry within the social enterprise ecosystem has adopted and adapted “traditional” schemes for supporting entrepreneurs. Incubators, accelerators and business plan competitions seem to dominate the scene. These approaches have proved to work for a certain type of enterprises and entrepreneur profiles. This panel will explore … 0 Tags: collaboration, inclusiveness, innovation, local, social enterprise 0 comments

Leveraging Blended Capital and Innovative Partnerships to Grow Social Enterprises Suggested by: Jen Tweddell, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves Preview: Given the nascent nature of base of the pyramid markets, it takes a combination of enterprise capacity building and capital with a relatively high risk appetite to grow social enterprises serving these markets. However studies and surveys have shown that there is a limited number of impact … 0 Tags: innovation; social enterprise; capacity building; blended capital 0 comments

Preventing Avoidable Blindness – Eye Heroes Suggested by: Yusrah Shweikh , Eye Heroes Preview: The problem: Over 2 million people in the UK are living with sight loss. For at least half of the people affected, their sight loss could have been prevented. Sadly, avoidable blindness is projected to rise steeply in years to come. The poor uptake of regular eye … 0 Tags: blindness, education, eye health, Prevention, public health, sustainability 0 comments

From 1 to 1 Billion: Last Mile Strategies For Scaling Access To Energy Suggested by: Anish Thakkar, Greenlight Planet Preview: Today, the quest to solve the energy access problem with innovative technology has become sexy. A myriad of start-ups and multinationals alike have thrown themselves into the game backed by private, angel, social, foundation and VC investors. Yet, few of these technology players are reaching scale. This … 15 Tags: clean tech, development, distribution, entrepreneurship, Financial inclusion, global, innovation, poverty, scale 0 comments

From Philanthropy to Pay-For-Success: Using the Right Capital at the Right Time Suggested by: Nicole Simoneaux, REDF Preview: This panel will discuss how philanthropy and philanthropic equity in early stage organizations, or before a period of growth in mature organizations, enables for a different type of capital absorption at a later stage. We will look at the success of Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) as … 0 Tags: impact investing, pay for success, philanthropy, pioneer gap, priming the pump, Social Impact Bonds 0 comments

How Compassionate Ethics Are Changing The World and Will Keep on Changing It Suggested by: Dalai Lama Fellows, a project of Community Initiatives, Dalai Lama Fellows Preview: A panel discussion among those who have invested in young problem-solvers to build a world-wide network generating positive social change from a compassionate and ethical foundation, addressing the most entrenched and interconnected contemporary global challenges. The panel will demonstrate Dalai Lama Fellow’s work, so far at more … 0 Tags: agriculture, Community, education, Human Capital, innovation, interdependence, international, Investment, leadership, meaning, poverty, race, social enterprise, spirituality, technology, values clarification, Youth 0 comments

Solar for Universal Need Suggested by: SfunCube, SfunCube Preview: There is a universal need for electricity, but a fundamental lack of access and yet the solar industry is a $100 billion dollar business worldwide and growing. The price of solar hardware, like solar panels and inverters, has crashed. Now we need start-up ingenuity to reduce the … 2 Tags: cleantech, energy access, entrepreneurship, innovation, solar 0 comments

Effective approaches to support investment readiness Suggested by: Chris Dadson, The Social Investment Business Preview: Initiatives to support investment readiness of social ventures in the UK are beginning to demonstrate real impact. Eight organisations supported by the Investment and Contract Readiness Fund in the UK (ICRF) have raised a total of £35m via targeted business support which was funded by grants of … 0 Tags: Impact investing; investment readiness 0 comments

Catalytic Capital in Action Suggested by: Seb Elsworth, The Social Investment Business Preview: The Socal Investment Business presents a discussion on the practical uses of first loss capital. Through our foundation we have made a £1.5m first loss investment in a new fund run by our partners Social and Sustianable Capital, providing simple unsecured debt to UK based social ventures. … 0 Tags: Impact investing; catalytic investment; philanthropy; first loss 0 comments

First In Flight: The Challenge of Scaling Inventions Suggested by: Janine Elliott, National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) Preview: Whether in research labs, maker spaces or the proverbial “garage,” around the world scientists, engineers, inventors and innovators are developing technological solutions to many of the planet’s most pressing challenges. Yet the elusive step remains: transforming research into products with market potential delivered via self-sustaining ventures that … 6 Tags: Entrepreneurship; scaling; invention/innovation; sustainability; global health; cleantech 0 comments

What’s Your Status? For-Profit? Non-Profit? Hybrid? How to Make the Choice and Live With It. Suggested by: Megan Kashner, Benevolent Preview: Three early-stage civic sector entrepreneurs and SOCAP entrepreneurs bring their experience and knowledge to the fore in this honest discussion about corporate structure and its implications for funding, access, attention, partnership and more. Ayesha Khanna, President of the Points of Light Civic Accelerator will moderate and Kyle … 1 Tags: entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, for-profit, hybrid, legal, nonprofit, social enterprise, start-up, structure 0 comments

Mobile Crowdfunding Suggested by: Eric Harr, Make a Stand Technologies Preview: Vivienne Harr is 10 years old. After seeing a photo of two boys in Nepal, her age, with rocks strapped across their heads, she decided to do something. She set up her lemonade stand every day, rain or shine, for 365 days in a row and crowdfunded … 0 Tags: Crowdfunding 0 comments

The Secrets of Transforming Philanthropy through Business Savvy Suggested by: Caryn Stein, Network for Good Preview: How can a company do good faster? After helping good causes raise over $1B, Network for Good is poised to unleash generosity on a massive scale with an innovative business model and investments in technology and talent. Network for Good’s CEO, Bill Strathmann, and Todd Johnson, Partner … 0 Tags: bcorp, socent 0 comments

Imperative for Innovation in Sanitation for Sustainable Community Health in Developing Countries Suggested by: Namita Banka, Banka BioLoo Pvt Ltd Preview: Even though there are technological advancements in sanitation there are bottlenecks in terms of available capital and right execution. Countries such as India where health hazards are increasing every day due to lack of proper execution of sanitation projects and scarcity of right people on the ground. … 0 Tags: Sanitation, Toilets, WaSH, Water 0 comments

Putting Human before Capital: innovative investments in education Suggested by: Mario Ferro, Wedu Preview: Investing in Human Capital through education is one of the most powerful strategies for poverty alleviation and a critical component for continuous growth in advanced economies. How can you benefit from this emerging trend? Learn how organizations all around the world are revolutionizing the way we fund … 1 Tags: education, Future Income Sharing, Human Capital, innovation, Investment, leadership, social enterprise, venture capital 0 comments

Generation Meaning: Why Millennials Want Meaningful Work Suggested by: Adam Smiley Poswolsky, Author, The Quarter-Life Breakthrough Preview: Despite being shackled by debt, recession, and the jobs crisis— millennials aren’t motivated by money. Rather, they’re driven to make the world more compassionate, innovative, and sustainable. We’re not the “me me me generation.” Over 50% of millennials would take a pay cut to find work that … 0 Tags: careers, job-hunting, jobs, meaning, meaningful work, millennials 0 comments

Water and rocks: the advantage of opposites for creative output Suggested by: Tirza Hollenhorst, Hummingbird Labs Preview: The same diversity which feeds our inspiration also taxes our capacity for discernment and decision-making. The vast input of information may help us generate good ideas, but good ideas alone do not add value: they need execution, which requires structure, limitation and focus. Water needs rocks and … 1 Tags: awareness, Creativity, entrepreneur, freelancing, innovation, leadership, meaning, productivity, systems thinking 0 comments

Discovering Unexpected Connections and Kindred Spirits Suggested by: Amy Kincaid, ChangeMatters Preview: This workshop will use slightly silly structures (speed “dating” about project ideas, magnetic topic circles, entrepreneurial type groups…) to spark real conversations about SOCAP14 themes with conference participants you might not otherwise meet. No direct pitching, but you’ll leave this session with a handful of unexpected connections … 1 Tags: entrepreneur, impact investing, meaning, social impact 0 comments

Investing in India Suggested by: Amy Kincaid, ChangeMatters Preview: Making smart investments in technology and development for innovation and sustainable social impact anywhere is easier said than done. Investing effectively in the evolving markets of South Asia means understanding and responding to a unique set of challenges and opportunities. Panelists explain how good intentions can go … 1 Tags: collaborative economy, Financial inclusion, health, impact investing, philanthropy, place-based innovation, resilience, resilient cities 0 comments

Forms without Function: Preventing Premature Incorporation Suggested by: Amy Kincaid, ChangeMatters Preview: “What legal form should I choose for my social enterprise startup?” “Should I change the corporate form of my existing venture?” Social entrepreneurs tend to ask this question way too soon. Better to be guided by passion and impulse (for innovation, for change, for meaningful impact), focused … 0 Tags: benefit corporation, entrepreneur, impact investing, Purpose, social impact 0 comments

Can Mobile Drive Mobility? Suggested by: Sarah Martin, Martin Public Affairs Preview: Mobile phones have rocketed through the developing world, extending access to ICT, financial, health, and social services never before imagined. The rapid rise of mobile money for payment, lending, and remittances and increasing use of cell phones for market information and supply chain management points to a … 0 Tags: economic development, Emerging Markets, Financial inclusion, impact investing, mobile, social enterprise, technology 0 comments

How Can Fashion + Sustainable Practices = Profit? Suggested by: Sophia Hyder, Evolvemint Preview: This session will help you think through your business model by asking yourself, “How am I currently operating? What are my strengths/weaknesses?” We will dissect concepts and transform them into digestible steps geared toward action-oriented processes. We will discuss the importance of human nuances such as communication … 2 Tags: economic development, fashion, gender, innovation, social impact, supply chain, sustainability, value chain 0 comments

Public Health Education As A Solution To Gender Imbalance In India Suggested by: Gail Vida Hamburg, Rainworks Omnimedia LLC Preview: India is reckoning with the effects of gender imbalance caused by families using sex selection in order to have male children. In nature, the gender ratio is 105 boys to 100 girls; between 104 to 106 is biologically acceptable. According to Indian census data, the gender ratio … 3 Tags: education, Gender Imbalance, India, public health, women's rights 0 comments

Does My Social Enterprise Really Work? Suggested by: David Lehr, Linked Foundation Preview: Most social enterprises struggle to measure the impact of their work and usually – like McDonalds – default to ‘numbers served’. Instead, we should really be looking at, and understanding, how communities and lives have changed, and how we can use this information to not only improve … 1 Tags: impact, measurement, Random Control Trials, social enterprise 0 comments

Gearing Up to Implement SIB and Pay for Success Initiatives Suggested by: Dr. Sandy Martin, Connecticut Center for Social Innovation Inc. Preview: There is national interest in adopting Social Impact Bond and Pay for Success Initiatives. However, preparation for implementing these new financial models requires far more complex project design and data collection protocols than most expect. This session will detail the essential steps in building a satisfactory SIB … 0 Tags: Pay for Performance, Social Impact Bonds, social Impact Financing 0 comments

Youth Sports As A Solution to the Health Challenges Facing Kids In America Suggested by: Up2Us, Up2Us Preview: This panel will explore a growing movement in the U.S. to address poor childhood health outcomes through the intentional design and execution of youth sports programs. This “sports-based youth development” (SBYD) movement combines 30 years of know-how from best practices in mentoring and adolescent-friendly healthcare into a … 0 Tags: childhood obesity, health, sports, violence, Youth, youth development 0 comments

The Power Of Purpose: Your Personal Mission Statement Suggested by: Mark Monchek, The Opportunity Lab Preview: The Power of Purpose is a practical, interactive program that helps you define what is truly important in your life, the obstacles in your way, and the resources you already have to overcome them. In this workshop you will: 1. Learn how a personal mission guides your … 0 Tags: mission, Purpose, statement 0 comments

Mexico, the opportunities with an emerging ecosystem Suggested by: Alejandro Villanueva, POSiBLE Preview: Over 21,000 Mexican social impact entrepreneurs registered in the 2014 POSiBLE program representing a 50% growth from 2013. There are several new events like Catapulta, programs, incubators, funds and services emerging everyday in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana and souther cities like Oaxaca and Merida. An international … 0 Tags: collaboration, innovation, international, investment opportunities 0 comments

Risk Mitigation and Indirect Expropriation – Cause for Corporate Impact Suggested by: Douglas Jerome Martin, Arcadia Link Preview: Outright expropriations of foreign assets have become rare, although they do still occur. More common are state actions that limit corporate profits through measures that have no direct impact on ownership of property. Litigation is costly and time consuming in the event of direct or indirect expropriation. … 0 Tags: Corporate Social Responsibility, impact investing, real assets, Resilience & Resilient Cities, Shared Value 0 comments

Investing in Food Systems Suggested by: Kavita Vijayan, The Reinvestment Fund Preview: Our nation deserves a system that ensures farmers can produce and market in an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable manner; consumers have the resources they need to lead healthy and productive lives; and all communities have ready access to affordable, nutritious food. This requires bold initiatives across … 0 Tags: collaborations, food systems, Healthy food, impact investing 0 comments

Judgement House Suggested by: Tina Maloney , Self employed Preview: Social and impact investing is often driven by a personal commitment to make a difference. This. Inferactive session will look at our perceptions and judgements of those we seek to serve. Tina has extensive experience in building experiential learning exercises and after a recent five week immersion … 0 Tags: impact, interpersonal dynamics; and communications, leadership development, Learning 0 comments

A Global Cleantech Innovation Network to Support International Collaboration Suggested by: Joerg Geier, Borderstep Institute for Innovation & Sustainability in collaboration with LA Cleantech Incubator Preview: The Global Innovation Network (GIN) is an international consortium of cleantech innovation and start-up support organizations to promote international cleantech collaboration between innovative startups, entrepreneurs, and investors. GIN reduces the friction of entering new markets by innovative cleantech companies. It supports startups in gaining experience in another … 3 Tags: cleantech, collaboration, Environment, green solutions, innovation, international, sustainability 0 comments

Making IMPACT through Peace & Sustainability Suggested by: Emilie McGlone, Peace Boat US Preview: The International organization Peace Boat is a leading example of what it takes to create a sustainable project on a global scale that focuses on peace and sustainability. After 30 years of organizing global voyages for peace on a passenger ship that carries more than 1000 participants … 1 Tags: communities, development, global, impact, local, Peace, social entrepreneurs, sustainability, travel 0 comments

Democratizing Access to Social Capital: Different Models for Business Mentoring at Scale Suggested by: Samantha Albery, MicroMentor Preview: Providing entrepreneurs with management expertise and social capital through business mentoring is recognized as a valuable component of entrepreneurial success, yet these services are typically costly to provide and difficult to standardize and scale. Accelerators and Incubators across the globe are working towards providing the critical mix … 2 Tags: collaboration, economic development, entrepreneurship, innovation, Social capital, technology 0 comments

Investing in Local Renewable Energy Projects: Community, Climate, Profits Suggested by: Ty Jagerson, Village Power Finance Preview: Community organization at home and abroad have some of the strongest demand for renewable energy and efficiency projects, but trail in actual adoption rates because of lack of capital, credit, and support. This is changing as solar and other technology costs fall, awareness grows, and innovative finance … 0 Tags: climate, Community, Crowdfunding, endowments, Energy, investing, renewable energy, solar 0 comments

Investing in Commercial Media to Explore and Extend Culture Suggested by: Amy Fredeen, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc. Preview: There is increasing concern the rapidly changing and digitally infused nature of modern life has resulted in youth becoming increasing disconnected from their elders and culture. Often concern is pointed to the fact that youth spend close to 8 hours a day immersed in digital media. This … 0 Tags: Culture, Film, Games, impact, Indigenous…, media, Youth 0 comments

Pathways to Scaling Impact (not just organizations) Suggested by: Jen Driggs, The Bridgespan Group Preview: Over the past couple of decades, social entrepreneurs have developed a growing catalog of programs and practices that have real evidence of effectiveness; they’ve demonstrated the ability to successfully replicate, reaching thousands or even millions of those in need. Despite this progress, today even the most impressive … 3 Tags: growth strategy, impact, Scaling, transformative scale, what works 0 comments

Democratizing Access to Shared Mobility Options Suggested by: Rick Hutchinson, City CarShare Preview: The San Francisco Bay Area has become the model for “sharing transportation modes” and the technology that has made these options possible. Our panel will address how technology and innovation have enabled more access and connectivity to newer modes of shared transportation — such as carsharing, ride-sharing, … 0 Tags: collaboration, Creativity, entrepreneur, impact, innovation, leadership, movement, philanthropy, social enterprise, social impact, sustainability, systems, technology 0 comments

The Impact of Equity Engagement (IE2): Evaluating the Impact of Public Equity Investing Suggested by: Joshua Humphreys, Croatan Institute Preview: This session would present initial outcomes emerging from an exciting new multi-stakeholder initiative known as the Impact of Equity Engagement (IE2). Building upon path-breaking research on “total portfolio activation,” IE2 is deepening our understanding of the impact of public equity investing by developing a robust framework for … 3 Tags: active ownership, Engagement, impact investing, public equity, total portfolio activation 0 comments

Climate Opportunities – Where Impact Investment and Climate Solutions Meet to Build New Markets for Good Suggested by: Amanda Ravenhill, Project Drawdown Preview: There are few areas in social enterprise and impact investing, from public health, to poverty, to oceans, that are not directly impacted by a changing climate. The public discourse on climate change focuses either on denial or doom and gloom, and the amazing opportunities to address the … 0 Tags: Climate Change, Environment, impact investing, social enterprise, sustainability 0 comments

Amplify Your Impact by Engaging a Non-Traditional Workforce Suggested by: Sarah Smith, REDF Preview: The success of any social enterprise or business hinges on the quality of the team. Individuals that are connected to the community, mission, or operations bring the needed passion and know-how to execute against goals and achieve success. However, there are millions of people around the globe … 0 Tags: Community, entrepreneurship, Job creation, poverty, Scaling, Workforce, Youth 0 comments

Indie Philanthropy: Funding Outside the Box Suggested by: Arianne Shaffer, Kindle Project Preview: Flow funding. Giving circles. Micro-granting. Crowdfunding. These methods are all examples of Indie Philanthropy (IP); an emerging philanthropic movement contributing to inclusive, creative and meaningful social change. In this panel we will explore IP and have a rich discussion with IP practitioners about pioneering grantmaking methods creating … 3 Tags: collaboration, Crowdfunding, indie philanthropy, leadership, meaning, movement-building, philanthropy, social impact, social innovation 0 comments

Alternative Routes to Scale for Businesses Serving the Base of the Pyramid Suggested by: Melody Meyer, The Global Impact Investing Network Preview: For many impact investors, scale and profitability are often seen as clear indicators of a successful business model. But how well can these business models continue to serve the base of the pyramid (BoP)? Are there alternative routes to scale that would maximize impact for the BoP … 0 Tags: base of the pyramid/BOP, business models, impact investing, scale 0 comments

+Acumen Design Thinking Workshop: Building a Community to Change the Way the World Tackles Poverty Suggested by: Tomoko Matsukawa, +Acumen, Acumen Preview: +Acumen and the Value Web will bring together an interactive session in which participants will (1) experience design thinking through a hands on workshop and (2) support Acumen in thinking through a strategic issue related to its leadership development course initiative in the process. Since its launch … 5 Tags: collaboration, community of practice, design thinking, entrepreneur, innovation, leadership, social enterprise 0 comments

Going beyond the Enterprise: A Holistic Approach to Impact Investing Suggested by: Melody Meyer, The Global Impact Investing Network Preview: Impact investors are increasingly looking beyond investments in individual enterprises to influence change at the community or sector level. Applying a wider portfolio-level lens to investments enables impact investors to address critical infrastructure or service gaps within an ecosystem, which can benefit additional enterprises operating in a … 0 Tags: community investing, ecosystem, impact investing, impact measurement, investment strategy/approach, systems 0 comments

Sustainability by investing in the next generation of leaders Suggested by: Marti Grimminck, International Connector Preview: With the largest generation of 15 to 24 year olds in history, of which 90% live in developing countries, a focus on creating skill-development initiatives to support them is critical. Currently, youth today face a lack of opportunities, high unemployment, and restricted access to the right education. … 3 Tags: community building, millennials, problem solving, sustainability, unemployment 0 comments

Advocacy: A Force Multiplier for Social Change Suggested by: Elizabeth Murphy, The Sheridan Group Preview: The largest source of capital is federal money. If you want to create social change on a large scale, you need to go after the largest capital market that exists by engaging in effective advocacy. By not targeting federal dollars, you’re missing out on the biggest piece … 6 Tags: advocacy, campaigns, grassroots, impact investing, innovation, lobbying, politics, press, social impact 0 comments

Where is Impact Investing Headed? Suggested by: Melody Meyer, The Global Impact Investing Network Preview: For the first time, the 2014 annual impact investor survey from the Global Impact Investing Network and J.P. Morgan dug deep into the ways that investors expect to change their portfolio allocations across regions and sectors. This session will bring together a sampling of impact investors whose … 0 Tags: Africa, Asia, beyond microfinance, food and agriculture, healthcare, impact investing, market trends 0 comments

Leveraging Catalytic Capital Suggested by: Melody Meyer, The Global Impact Investing Network Preview: Securing financing for start-up and growth is a persistent challenge for entrepreneurs, especially those perceived as risky by mainstream investors. “Layered capital” transactions can help overcome this challenge by leveraging risk capital provided by foundations or governments to enable banks and others to bring the bulk of … 0 Tags: : impact investing, catalytic capital, de-risking, first loss, government, layered capital, partnerships, philanthropy 0 comments

Turning your Social Enterprise into a Media Hit Suggested by: Daniel Rostrup, Thomson Reuters Foundation Preview: So you’re an expert at pitching your social enterprise to your industry? Now how about pitching your work to the media? Media coverage can be an excellent way to quickly and globally get the word out about your organisation, but it’s not always easy. Don’t despair! Learn … 5 Tags: journalism, legal, media, pro bono, storytelling 0 comments

The Data Gap: What impact investing can learn from traditional private equity Suggested by: Nick Ashburn, Wharton Social Impact Initiative Preview: Although traditional private equity finds its roots in the late 1940’s, it wasn’t until the 1980’s that the investment practice gained traction. Did private equity simply reach the tipping point, or were there other factors that contributed to the rise of these investments? Research and reliable data … 1 Tags: data, impact investing, research, social entrepreneurship 0 comments

Impact Measurement: How Much is Enough? Suggested by: Melody Meyer, The Global Impact Investing Network Preview: Impact measurement has been touted as a hallmark of impact investing, but there are different ideas about how to do it successfully. Does impact measurement require commitment to a practice outside the scope of standard portfolio engagement? Or is it something that should be integrated into the … 0 Tags: impact investing, impact measurement, social/environmental performance 0 comments

Collaborating, consolidating and coalescing around measuring our social impact Suggested by: Heather Esper, The William Davidson Institute Preview: Join us as we explore ways to collaborate to better measure social metrics and demonstrate our individual organizations’ and the broader ecosystem’s value proposition. The conversation will build off potential solutions to current measurement challenges developed by working groups at the 2013 BoP Summit and the 2014 … 1 Tags: collaborative economy, cross-sector, Failure, impact, impact investing, innovation, meaning, measurement, movement-building, problem solving, social enterprise 0 comments

Re-Envisioning Poverty: Mapping Abundance and Resiliency Suggested by: Jennifer Gurecki, Zawadisha Preview: Creating resilient communities relies heavily upon recognizing then cultivating abundance in the face of adversity. When we work within a framework of scarcity, such as with vulnerable populations, we tend to focus on problems and solutions. However, when we expose the underlying abundance within communities, we are … 0 Tags: collaboration, Community, Creativity, data, development, global, inclusion, innovation, international, local, measurement, poverty, real assets, resilience, resiliency, resilient cities, sustainability, systems thinking, technology 0 comments

Social Credit: Using relationships and trust to underwrite financial capital Suggested by: Rachel Maxwell, Community Sourced Capital Preview: Do we need to do everything by the numbers? How can (and do) we use relationships and trust to build the capital needed for a new economy? Three organizations who are radically transforming the capital system by using trust and human relationships in finance are: Kiva, who … 1 Tags: collaboration, innovation, relationships, Social capital, social credit, underwriting 0 comments

What Does Spirit Have To Do with Finance? Suggested by: John Bloom, RSF Social Finance Preview: In this session, we will explore the deep connections between spiritual and faith practices and what they have to say and teach us about money. How do we find a new moral basis for working with money? And, how might we view working with money and finance … 0 Tags: finance, money, reflection, soul, spirit, values 0 comments

Catalyzing the Power of the Crowd Suggested by: nina wright, Indiegogo Preview: Today, it’s hard to find someone who has never run a crowdfunding campaign, contributed to a crowdfunding campaign, enjoyed a product made possible by a crowdfunding campaign, or even just shared a crowdfunding campaign through social media. Crowdfunding not only connects companies and people, but it provides … 0 Tags: Conscious Capitalism, crowdfunding for social good, food systems, social entrepreneur, social innovation, sustainability innovation, the evolution of the crowd 0 comments

A Complete Continuum of Resilient Capital Suggested by: Benjamin Schmerler, Root Capital and Nonprofit Finance Fund Preview: Please join us for an unbounded conversation with Willy Foote (Root Capital) and Antony Bugg-Levine (Nonprofit Finance Fund) as they discuss the sometimes roller-coaster ride of running impact investing funds. Leading organizations with a combined ~50 years of collective experience making impact investments, Willy and Antony will … 0 Tags: collaboration, impact investing, innovation, resilience, social enterprise, social impact 0 comments

Healthy Food Finance 2.0 Suggested by: Noelle St.Clair, UpLift Solutions Preview: It has been 10 years since the launch of the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative, the first public-private partnership that served as the catalyst for a national movement around healthy food access. Hear industry leaders discuss lessons learned and explore current needs/challenges in the capital market. Panelists … 0 Tags: Capital Markets, Community, entrepreneurship, food systems, health, inclusion, investing, philanthropy, resilience, sustainability 0 comments

Scaling Social Ventures in Low-Income Countries Suggested by: Ann Mei Chang, Mercy Corps Preview: We all know the promise of double bottom-line social enterprises and have seen some significant successes in the US and other developed countries. Yet, in the developing world, where the need is greatest, we’ve seen precious few examples of ventures which have achieved significant scale. A breakthrough … 0 Tags: impact investing, social enterprise, social ventures 0 comments

Years of Living Dangerously – Documentary Panel Discussion and Screening Suggested by: Derek Chin, Tides Preview: In 2012 Tides joined leading Hollywood figures James Cameron (Director of “Avatar”) and Arnold Schwarzenegger to invest in a groundbreaking documentary series on climate change – “Years of Living Dangerously.” Co-created by 60 Minutes® producers Joel Bach and David Gelber, “Years of Living Dangerously” recruits top Hollywood … 0 Tags: Climate Change, Documentary, Environment, sustainability, Sustainable and Responsible Investing 0 comments

Leading with purpose and the Next Silicon Valley Suggested by: Stefan St. Marie, Elevate Publishing Preview: How your organization can attract and retain Millennials and other purpose-driven professionals who are motivated, engaged and committed to your mission. Are you doing enough to attract and deeply engage purpose-driven employees? In the Purpose Economy, Aaron Hurst argues that purpose has overtaken information as the core … 0 Tags: economy, millennials, mission, movement, Purpose, serve 0 comments

Creating Financial Intermediaries for Impact Investing – A Legal Perspective Suggested by: Deborah Burand, International Transactions Clinic, University of Michigan Law School Preview: What structures are currently in use for aggregating capital for impact investing? What legal and regulatory obstacles are limiting the structures available for attracting institutional and retail impact investors into these impact investment vehicles? How can we lower legal transaction costs and improve the suitability of these … 3 Tags: capital, financial intermediation, Fundraising, impact investing, legal 0 comments

Pussy Riot in a power suit Suggested by: Chris Jochnick, Oxfam America Preview: For decades, those of us fighting poverty have circled around the private sector with a mixture of awe and revulsion. Engagement with the private sector has devolved into two opposing camps. In one corner are the rock-throwing corporate campaigners. In the other are those smitten with the … 0 Tags: activism, charity, economic development, global, impact, impact investing, international, philanthropy, poverty, social enterprise, social impact 0 comments

Are Tech Companies in the Developing World Social Enterprises by Default? Suggested by: Nathaniel Manning, BRCK Preview: BRCK is a for-profit tech company. We build a redesigned version of the modem and router for the 65% of people on the Internet who happen to live in the developing world. We are based in Nairobi, Kenya. We raised a 1.2M seed round in March 2014. … 0 Tags: hardware, social enterprise, technology 0 comments

Measuring The Impact of Financial Services Innovation Suggested by: Elizabeth Vivirito, CFSI Preview: This panel of financial services thinkers and innovators will discuss how to effectively measure success and impact within underserved communities. Impact is always difficult to assess, but even more so with financial products because of a lack of standard metrics and effective measurement tools. Hear how these … 12 Tags: CFSI, Core, financial services, impact, innovation, investing, measurement, NCIF, Progreso 0 comments

Democratizing Education through Sharing Suggested by: Michel Visser, Konnektid Preview: Over the last few years we’ve seen the rise of collaborative consumption and the sharing economy. More and more people are experiencing the impact sharing can have on your day to day life, our wallet and our social life. At the same time we’ve seen a huge … 1 Tags: collaborative consumption, democratize, education, sharing, skillsharing 0 comments

How Startups Are Changing The Cities We Live In Suggested by: Tumml, Tumml Preview: The world is rapidly urbanizing, but many of our urban problems are getting worse (transportation, education, waste management etc). How do you launch a startup to improve city living? How can you overcome the regulatory and legislative challenges that come with launching an urban impact company? Hear … 3 Tags: civic good, entrepreneurship, innovation, startups 0 comments

Holacracy: Unleashing Genius Suggested by: Margaret Ryan, WonderWorks Consulting Preview: Holacracy® is a revolutionary structure for distributed leadership. It’s a framework for optimized decision-making, harnessing employee innovation and ultimate transparency in the workplace. What does that really mean? No more wasting time with office politics, no more meetings wasted to indecision or consensus-driven decision making and no … 0 Tags: Accountability, Autonomy, Coaching, Conscious Capitalism, Creativity, Decision Making, Engagement, Holacracy, impact, innovation, Passion, Professional Development, Purpose, team building 0 comments

Pay for Success in Developing Countries: A Case Study of Education in India Suggested by: Sydney Malawer, Instiglio, Inc. Preview: Curious to understand how Pay for Success initiatives work in addressing the issues that plague developing countries? This session will walk through the process of designing and implementing the first-ever Development Impact Bond, focused on increasing school enrollment and learning of girls in India, partnering the NGO … 4 Tags: Fundraising, impact investing, International Development, venture philanthropy 0 comments

Growing Great Governance in Social Entrepreneurship & Impact Investing – Evolving Role of Board Duties & Liabilities Suggested by: Julie Abrams, Impact Investment & Social Entrepreneurship Consultant and Deborah Burand, International Transactions Clinic, University of Michigan Law School Preview: Board members are expected to exercise fiduciary responsibility toward the institutions that they govern. But what does this mean in today’s world of social entrepreneurship and impact investing? How do Board members exercise fiduciary responsibility in situations that require a trade-off between financial performance and social impact? … 0 Tags: Board membership, Corporate governance, fiduciary responsibility, impact investment, leadership, social enterprise, social entrepreneurs 0 comments

Reject the System: Disruptive Giving Suggested by: Bartlomiej Jan Skorupa, Groundwork Opportunities (GO) Preview: Money, money, money. Donors are faced with a never-ending parade of worthy causes. We want to provide clean water! We are training leaders! On and on. While working to combat poverty, modern non-profits must also navigate the game-changing social and technological innovations affecting (and sometimes overwhelming) their … 2 Tags: activist, audience engagement, bartlomiej jan skorupa, charity, collaboration, Crowdfunding, digdeep, disruptive, economic development, entrepreneur, Fundraising, george mcgraw, go, groundwork opportunities, innovation, investing, Make A Stand, pamela hawley, philanthropy, social enterprise, storytelling, technology, universalgiving, Values Based Messaging 0 comments

10 Things To Consider When Forming or Investing in Impact Funds Suggested by: Scott Smith and Matt Fisher, Hanson Bridgett LLP Preview: Are you thinking about launching an impact fund? Or investing your money in one? This session will look at 10 do’s and don’ts to consider before signing the bottom line. In particular we will examine key terms you should look for and consider, how to negotiate them, … 0 Tags: impact fund, impact investing, social enterprise, social impact, venture capital 0 comments

Hybrid Structures: Bridging the Divide between Nonprofit and For-Profit Suggested by: Leslie Keil, Hanson Bridgett LLP Preview: Increasingly nonprofits, especially those with earned income, are wondering whether they could have a greater and more sustainable impact as a for-profit. Benefit corporations allow a social enterprise to keep their mission central to the organization, while allowing for a for-profit business model. The stability provided by … 3 Tags: benefit corporation, entrepreneur, Fundraising, impact investing, social enterprise, venture philanthropy 0 comments

Let’s Make a Deal: Negotiation for Impact Entrepreneurs Suggested by: Scott Smith and Leslie Keil, Hanson Bridgett LLP Preview: There are hundreds of companies participating at SOCAP14 and each is likely to have its own path towards growth and sustainability. This highly interactive session will explore one hypothetical company’s path and some of the legal and financial pitfalls along the way. The session will begin with … 0 Tags: benefit corporation, entrepreneur, Fundraising, impact investing, social enterprise 0 comments

The Case for Being a Benefit Corporation Suggested by: Jonathan Storper and Leslie Keil, Hanson Bridgett LLP Preview: The social enterprise revolution in corporate law is helping social entrepreneurs looking for new structures to better embed their mission into their business venture. To date, benefit corporation legislation has been passed in 25 states (including California, effective on January 1, 2012 and Delaware, effective on August … 0 Tags: benefit corporation, entrepreneur, Fundraising, social enterprise 0 comments

Why Shouldn’t Everyone Profit by Doing Good? Suggested by: Paul Estey, Public Inc Preview: Why do so many companies still hold such a narrow definition of purpose? And think in charitable terms, framing community activities separately from core money-making interests? The problem is many still believe charitable initiatives should not be connected to bottom line growth, limiting social impact. We believe … 0 Tags: Cause Marketing, charity, Profit, Profitable Good, Public Good, Purpose, social impact 0 comments

Strategy for Social Entrepreneurs- How to stay the right course Suggested by: Fernando De Obeso, Salud Fácil Preview: As an Entrepreneur you know that your initial business model and premises will change as your business evolves. However there are instances where taking a different business route despite looking promising might deviate you from your core business. We can talk to this instance as we recently … 4 Tags: #Entrepreneurship #SocialEnterprise #Strategy #Healthservicesforthepoor 0 comments

Impact Investing gets spicy! Suggested by: Leticia Gasca, FuckUp Nights / Factual Preview: An evening to explore the growth of the social innovation and impact investing movement in Mexico. 1. To begin, a panel showcasing one of the fastest growing impact investing ecosystems in the world: Mexico, with the participation of the most relevant players in the country. 2. Following, … 15 Tags: Failure, impact investing, Mexico, Party., social enterprise 0 comments

Trying to Solve a Big Problem? Make it Bigger Suggested by: Anna Muoio, Monitor Institute Preview: There isn’t a big problem in the world that’s not linked to other big problems. You can’t tackle education without having the linkages to health, poverty, or incarceration on your radar. To address childhood obesity without opening the aperture to focus on education, poverty, or the state … 1 Tags: cross-sector, innovation, movement-building, problem solving, swarming, systems 0 comments

Open-kimono: making the economics of impact investing stack up Suggested by: David Sher, Low Carbon Enterprise Fund Preview: Venture and early growth impact investments are risky. Few, if any, portfolio investments offer the lottery ticket returns that allow one deal to make a fund. Creating a sustainable model for an impact fund requires understanding your returns, finding investors with expectations that you can deliver on, … 0 Tags: Fundraising, impact investing, strategic partnerships 0 comments

MPTs: Impact Investing for Global Reproductive Health Suggested by: Bethany Young Holt, PhD., CAMI Health, Initiative for Multipurpose Prevention Technologies (IMPT) Preview: Global health relies on the health of women and their families. Today we have 86 million unintended pregnancies around the world every year, 2.7 million new HIV cases, and 1 million people contracting a new sexually transmitted infection (STI) every day. Multipurpose Prevention Technologies (MPTs) deliver comprehensive … 0 Tags: Collective Impact Collaboration, Health Impact Investing, MPTs, Prevention, Prevention Innovations, Sexual and Reproductive Health 0 comments

Impact Investing: A Social Entrepreneur’s Perspective Suggested by: Audra Renyi, World Wide Hearing Preview: As the impact investing field grows, lack of investment-ready social enterprises and challenges in assessing new hybrid business models are recurring themes. In order to ensure successful outcomes from impact investing, what can be done to make social enterprises more investment-ready? In this session, we will discuss … 0 Tags: impact, impact investing, innovation, social enterprise, venture philanthropy 0 comments

SOCAP @ SOCAP Suggested by: Jonny Price, Kiva.org Preview: In late 2011, Kiva.org launched the Kiva Zip pilot program to more closely connect Kiva’s community of a million lenders with the entrepreneurs they crowdfinance. We’ve been overwhelmed by the engagement and connections we’ve witnessed as a result. Lenders are no longer just lenders. They are now … 0 Tags: Crowdfunding, economic development, Kiva.org, Microfinance, Social capital, social enterprise, Social underwriting, technology 0 comments

Democracy democratized Suggested by: Dimitri Fischler, Patio Preview: Introduction to a new platform to make group decisions easily. Change the paradigm, disrupt politics as we know it. 0 Tags: Politics Social 0 comments

Measuring Indirect Impact Suggested by: Rhonda Evans, Monitor Institute Preview: A key question with impact investing and venture philanthropy is how to more fully capture the social impact of investments, including indirect innovation and influence effects. These can include the development of related technologies, the acceleration of new funders into the field, and the creation of new … 0 Tags: impact, impact investing, influence, innovation, meaning, measurement, social enterprise, venture philanthropy 0 comments

Tech for Impact: Systems in the Impact Investing Arena Suggested by: Audrey Selian, Artha Networks Inc Preview: As a follow on from the session we had at SOCAP 13, this session will address the existing platforms, networks and systems that have been launched over the last ten years to address challenges of efficiency, intermediation and transaction costs in the impact investment arena. What’s working? … 0 Tags: networks, operating system, platforms, technology 0 comments

Be well and do good Suggested by: Vincent Siciliano, New Resource Bank Preview: There is a popular expression: “do good and do well”. However, while we often have the intention to do good , we often fail to achieve. I will present an alternative framework wherein we seek to be well and then do good. The difference reflects a different … 0 Tags: conscious economy, Mindfulness, new economy 0 comments

Making sense of the hype: toys, “pinkification”, and increasing diversity in STEM Suggested by: Annika Harper, Roominate Preview: Alice Brooks and Bettina Chen, Stanford engineers and founders of Roominate, will share their findings from the front lines of studying girls at play with their wired building kits and discuss the research suggesting the extent to which the toys children play with shape their future job … 0 Tags: education, gender gap, marketing, sociology, STEM, toy 0 comments

Knowledge isn’t the problem… How do we stop modern-slavery? Suggested by: Jonathan Walton, Intervarsity USA Preview: We all hear about the factory fires in Bangladesh, children in diamond mines and sex-trafficking in the US and abroad; but few of us actually change our every day lives to address these ills. How do we close the distance between the knowledge we have and the … 0 Tags: creation care, green living, labor exploitation, local, Modern slavery, sex slavery, sustainability 0 comments

Place Based Impact Investing for Fiduciaries: the example of the San Francsico Bay Area Suggested by: Lauryn Agnew, Bay Area Impact Investing Initiative Preview: Process and research on developing impact investing portfolios across all asset classes, using current financial theory and fiduciary standards requiring market risk and return expectations, and attracting like-minded investors to work collaboratively for maximum impact on the common mission – like “investing for sustainable economic and environmental … 0 Tags: community development, fiduciary duty in impact investing, financing and investment structures, intermediaries 0 comments

Divest-Invest: Philanthropy: innovative finance mechanisms for developing a new energy economy Suggested by: Jenna Nicholas, Phoenix Global Impact and Wallace Global Fund Preview: The objective of this session is to position foundation endowments to lead in filling demand and opportunity for clean trillion, unleashing innovation and experimentation, creating models and stimulating other sectors to move. This session will include a consideration of the carbon bubble, risks to stranded assets and … 0 Tags: Divest-Invest, impact investing 0 comments

Give-gasm: How to create pleasure in fundraising Suggested by: Taylor Conroy, Change Heroes Preview: What makes you feel overwhelmed with joy, satisfaction, pleasure and makes you feel tingly inside? Amongst other things, it should be fundraising – creating long lasting impact on the many issues we face in our world. Change Heroes founder and CEO, Taylor Conroy speaks to his revolution … 3 Tags: charity, Fundraising, social entrepreneurism, social impact 0 comments

Paper or Plastic? Debunking an Evironmental Myth. Suggested by: Traci Allen, Leyla Acaroglu, Director and Founder of Eco Innovators Preview: We all know sustainability is essential to our future, in vague terms. But what does that mean for the choices we make every day? In other words: paper or plastic? For one thing, design consultant Leyla Acaroglu wants you to think beyond choosing a material for your … 0 Tags: design and engineering, life cycle thinking, opportunity generation, problem solving, strategy, sustainability innovation 0 comments

Impact Investing for All: Creating Opportunities for Retail Investors Suggested by: Mark Herrera, RSF Social Finance Preview: practitioners ranging from the new to the established explore the latest in impact offerings for unaccredited investors. Accredited investors are blessed with a broad field of play. For retail investors there are fewer opportunities. This panel will discuss trends, barriers to entry both legal and otherwise, and … 1 Tags: http://www.cuttingedgecapital.com/signs-growing-trend-community-investing/ 0 comments

Startups – when is the right time to apply to become B Corp Certified Suggested by: Allison Grappone, Nearby Registry Preview: Do you want to know when the right time is to apply for B Corp certification? We’ll walk you through the step-by-step to give you a good idea of the requirements and expectations you should have for applying. 0 Tags: B Corp, socially responsible business, startup 0 comments

The BioEnergy Revolution Suggested by: Christopher R Lindstrom, ReSource BioEnergy/BioEnergy Works Preview: As the urgency to transition away from fossil fuels to a post carbon future becomes more dire, BioEnergy has lagged behind the more popular renewable technologies such as solar and wind. But a new generation of bio-energy companies and technologies are paving the way for a new … 0 Tags: bioenergy, biofuel, biogas, biomass, gasification 0 comments

Predicting Risk in Emerging Markets at the Touch of a Phone Suggested by: Jessica Carta, First Access Preview: First Access is a data analytics company that sells an instant risk assessment tool to financial institutions worldwide. First Access can reliably predict risk for the world’s 2.5 billion indivduals who have never had a bank account or credit score, using their prepaid mobile data. A private, … 1 Tags: big data, economic development, Financial inclusion, mobile, mobile technology, technology 0 comments

Scaling finance for energy access. Suggested by: Mitra Ardron, Lumeter Networks Preview: If the energy access problem is to be cracked at its scale – 1.4b people still without – then large amounts of finance will need to be mobilized. This session will explore the barriers to this finance – from development banks who can’t handle large numbers of … 1 Tags: Energy 0 comments

Building the First Modern Waste-to-Energy Facility in Africa (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) Suggested by: Samuel Zenebe Alemayehu, Cambridge - DP Cleantech Preview: Waste is currently a major headache for many African countries as a health hazard and burden to their budget. The session is to discuss the unlikely success story that created the first cost-effective and customized waste-to-energy facility in Africa with pipeline in over 20 cities. 1 Tags: Africa, cdm, Ethiopia, green energy, health hazard, innovation, renewable energy, silicon valley, waste, waste-to-energy 0 comments

Food Hubs: Building 21st Century Food Systems Suggested by: Thomas Nelson, Capay Valley Farm Shop Preview: Regional food systems are a cornerstone solution for meeting the daily eating needs of communities around the planet. Across the U.S., networks of farmers and social entrepreneurs are organizing as food hubs to efficiently aggregate and distribute source-identified farm products to serve institutions and larger markets. Engage … 0 Tags: collaboration, food systems, health, place-based innovation, resilience 0 comments

Radical Real Estate Development Suggested by: Kevin Danaher, Global Exchange Preview: We will explain a new model for urban real estate development, combining a green retails eco-mall and affordable housing on city-owned property. 1 Tags: affordable housing, green building, green retail 0 comments

Investing for Impact: Steak & Sizzle (Public Markets & Private) Suggested by: Steve Schueth, First Affirmative Financial Network / The SRI Conference Preview: This session features a panel of impact investing experts, all seeking to own, support, and profit from “companies of the future.” The panel will move beyond the hype to explore impact investment strategies in action — in both the public and private markets. This session will frame … 0 Tags: capitalmarkets, impact, impactinvesting, privatedebt, privateequity 0 comments BitCoin for Good Suggested by: Arjan Schutte, Core Innovation Capital Preview: Bitcoin is disrupting money, like the Gutenberg bible disrupted the spoken word. The fledging industry is assailed with fraud and scandal, yet bitcoin – and crypto currencies in general – hold tremendous potential to do good: from international remittances to voting systems and property rights. We’ll explore … 0 Tags: bitcoin 0 comments

How Can You Make Difference Suggested by: Make A Stand, Make A Stand Preview: People are struggling with how to connect with others. As Biz Stone has said the purpose of the internet and interconnectivity is to help each other. Only cooperative communities adapt and survive. Let’s explore how we all can do this. 0 Tags: Crowd Fund Your Cause, Make A Stand, Social Impact in 30 seconds 0 comments

Clean Energy Services For All Suggested by: Justin Guay, Associate Director Sierra Club International Climate Program, Sierra Club Preview: One in five people around the world, approximately 1.3 billion people, lack access to electricity. Entrepreneurs are pioneering business and financial model innovation that is unlocking clean energy for energy poor populations around the world. These new approaches represent the cheapest, most effective means of delivering on … 0 Tags: energy access, energy efficiency, energy poverty, solar 0 comments

Uncovering the Hidden Power of Self Evident Truth | Building a Values Based Message Suggested by: Sherri Pittman, Metropolitan Group Preview: Nonprofits, foundations and corporations working to address some of the most wicked problems of our time rely on the power of strong messages and story telling to move people to action and build ongoing support for their work. Too often, organizations find themselves in a place of … Tags: audience engagement, storytelling, Values Based Messaging 0 comments

Weaving Impact: How Strong Internal Leaders Create the Fabric of Social Enterprise Suggested by: Shivani Ganguly, Friday Consulting Preview: The role of the visionary founder in building a social enterprise is often discussed and celebrated. Less frequently do we recognize those who play internal leadership roles and help to make big ideas succeed by building operational infrastructure and strong teams. In conjunction with the Impact Weavers … Tags: impact investing, leadership, social enterprise, systems, team building 0 comments