What are OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s motivations in restructuring his tech firm into a public benefit corporation? Amendments to the law in the US state of Delaware might give a clue on whether Altman is looking for social impact or profit maximisation.
Venture capital funding towards impact startups continues a sharp downward trend as VC investors lose appetite for climate tech, the latest Dealroom figures reveal.
Running a venture that helps both people and planet is hard. Amid inflation, instability and even war, it sounds almost impossible. But, for the pioneers of green business in Palestine, Lebanon and Egypt, sticking to the mission makes sense.
Locally-rooted and entrepreneur-led, with zero interest and ‘social’ repayment options – Kindred has created a flexible financing solution that’s strengthening dozens of social ventures.
Social enterprises and others can apply for grants of up to £9m as part of the government's new Youth Investment Fund, delivered by Social Investment Business, and set to fund 300 existing or new youth facilities.
ACF, School for Social Entrepreneurs and Access Foundation set up taskforce to boost earned income through grants – billed “the missing piece in the finance jigsaw” – by building on success of match trading.
Certifying as a B Corp isn't easy, even for the most experienced ethical businesses. But should the bar be higher? The latest in our Awkward Questions series puts forward some important challenges. Plus, an overlooked solution to messy metrics.
Social Value International adds explicit requirement to ‘be responsive’ – as too few organisations have reached the stage of managing, not just measuring, their impact.
The B Corp idea disrupted entrenched narratives in business. But certification of companies like Nespresso shows that it must now evolve to embrace newer, bolder ideas in business – or risk being adapted to the needs of the “old economy”.
PLUS: EdTech Provider APDS gains US$7m to 'transform the correctional system'; new report calls for US$6trn in impact investing improve urban slums; Wysa raises US$20m to expand AI-powered mental health services, and more.
New study by Global Steering Group for Impact Investment calls for a change in viewpoint from seeing slums and their inhabitants as a problem and instead acknowledging the potential to transform urban liabilities into assets.
When organisations select their preferred impact metrics in isolation from others, it wastes time and makes it difficult to compare results with others. A promising solution: indices.
