This year we've covered everything from a transgender beauty salon in Pakistan, to Ethiopia's first domestic drone manufacturer. Get up to speed with our most popular social enterprise and impact investment stories of the year.
Trusts and foundations are starting to talk seriously about climate action, and in the UK 30 of them have just signed the new 'Funder Commitment', promising “ambitious action”. Is it enough?
Social investors and venture philanthropists agree that taking risks should be core to the DNA of those investing for impact – but are they clear about who’s shouldering those risks?
A SOCAP first-timer is inspired by the American willingness to fund data, the power of influencers and some bold commitments on diversity – but wonders where the entrepreneurs and end users are.
How can corporates, and their foundations, drive systemic change? Daniel Nowack shares insights from research at Yunus Social Business – with examples of how some of the world's biggest commercial names are deploying more than just cash.
Great investments are about backing brilliant people with fantastic ideas – right? Or does the best impact come from clear planning and a touch of realism and humility?
Foundations are uniquely placed to support social ventures, but they won’t be taken seriously as impact investors until they deploy their endowments as well – and until we help them do so.
Investing for impact, where the primary goal is social impact, looks set to grow far more slowly than demand for such finance – unless we make some major changes. Chris West identifies five opportunities to tackle the mismatch.
