This post was originally published on the PCV blog. It was posted by Sarah Ritter, Program Coordinator of Insight at Pacific Community Ventures, with recaps provided by InSight’s Associate Director Colby Dailey.
This week at SOCAP12 InSight, CASE at Duke University and ImpactAssets launched A Market Emerges: The Six Dynamics of Impact Investing, the second report for The Impact Investor project. As part of the launch the research team curated several panels exploring findings and highlights from the report. Below are recaps from the first two sessions, as reported from InSight’s Associate Director Colby Dailey. More sessions remain on the agenda so check back soon for more updates and recaps.
Mission Meld: A Case Study in Impact Investing Players and Priorities
InSight research partner Cathy Clark from CASE at Duke University lead this morning’s engaging panel discussion at SOCAP12, exploring how alignment of transparency and purpose in impact investing can drive funds to succeed. The panel highlighted RSF Social Finance, which seeks to align investor and investee priorities through transparency. Specifically, RSF Social Finance holds joint pricing meetings where investors and investees provide input into the cost of capital and investor returns, in turn directly informing RSF Social Finance pricing and business development. This practice in transparency is a unique and replicable example of how funds can encourage purpose alignment between investors and investees.
The Creative Core of Impact Investing: Transforming Uncertain Opportunities Into Viable Markets
InSight’s Ben Thornley led this afternoon’s panel at SOCAP12, framing the discussion around how, across the globe, creativity fosters impact investing ecosystems. Examples from the Omidyar Network, MacArthur Foundation, Big Society Capital, and IGNIA demonstrate that whether an Active Investor or Pioneering Fund, impact investors must innovate to navigate local sociopolitical environments and financial markets to affect social change. From MacArthur’s $150 million initiative to provide patient, flexible capital to affordable housing efforts in the U.S., to the Omidyar Network’s support of the systems that facilitate innovation in European markets, creativity is key to growth in the space.
Learn more about how the dynamics such as purpose alignment, pioneering funds and active investors are key to the growth of impact investing.