Financing Social Entrepreneurs is a weekly podcast interviewing people who fund and support social innovation in different ways, grant providers, impact investors of various kinds, angel investors, foundations, family offices and more. They talk frankly about how they work, how they make investment,…
Jed Emerson has been an influential leader in changing the way capital is invested in order to drive social change, and coined the terms Blended Value and Total Portfolio Management. He has been awarded a Life Time appointment to North America’s Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior, and selected twice as one of... The post Episode 24 Interview with Jed Emerson appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Dr. Charly Kleissner is a pioneer in the field of impact investment. He believes that the deeper meaning of wealth is to make a positive contribution to humanity and the planet. Dr. Kleissner co-founded KL Felicitas Foundation (www.klfelicitasfoundation.org), and Social-Impact International (www.social-impact.org), which help social entrepreneurs worldwide to accelerate and increase their impact. Dr. Kleissner... The post Episode 23: Interview with Dr. Charly Kleissner, co-founder KL Felicitas Foundation appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Garvin is the Chief Investment Officer of Green Alpha Advisors, an asset management firm that aims to use science-driven, fundamentals-based research to invest in companies whose innovative products and services will enable the transition toward a sustainable economy (the Next Economy). Prior to co-founding Green Alpha Advisors in 2007, Garvin worked at Forward Management, LLC... The post Episode 22: Interview with Garvin Jabusch, Chief Investment Officer of Green Alpha Advisors appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Tim Freundlich is President of ImpactAssets, a boutique donor advised fund that specialises in socially responsible and impact investment options to mobilise human and financial capital towards a sustainable world. Tim is a long-term innovator in new financial instruments in the social enterprise sectors and was instrumental in establishing the precursor to ImpactAssets, the Calvert... The post Episode 21: Interview with Tim Freundlich, President of ImpactAssets appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Jason Scott is a Co-Managing Partner and on the Board of Directors of Encourage Capital, an investment firm that seeks to change the way investment capital is used to solve critical environmental and social problems. The firm was formed through the combination of Wolfensohn Fund Management, LP and EKO Asset Management Partners, LLC. Prior to... The post Episode 20: Interview with Jason Scott, Encourage Capital appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Rodney is Founder of ClearlySo which works with high-impact businesses, charities and funds in the UK to raise capital, and introduces them to institutional and individual investors. ClearlySo is Europe’s leading impact investment bank, and has helped some 100 clients raise more than £108 million in investment capital by leveraging its extensive network of high-net-worth... The post Episode 19 Interview with Rodney Schwartz, Founder of ClearlySo appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Ron Cordes is a veteran of more than 30 years in the investment industry – he co-founded and then sold AssetMark Investment Services. In 2006, together with his wife Marty, Ron set up the Cordes Foundation — a family foundation focused on social entrepreneurship, impact investing and creating economic opportunities for women, later broadening its focus to... The post Episode 18 : Interview with Ron Cordes, founder of the Cordes foundation appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
In this podcast, Susie discusses RSF’s core integrated capital approach for delivering impact and catalyzing change. She also contrasts RSF’s “patient capital” approach with the transactional nature of commercial financing, details the kinds of support that RSF provides to growing social enterprises, and describes RSF’s five thematic funding areas. Susie highlights RSF’s commitment to developing new sources of finance for social innovation, talks about the firm’s shared risk... The post Episode 17: Interview with Susie Lee, chief investment officer at San Francisco-based RSF Social Finance, an innovative lending, giving and investing organization appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Min Pease leads the impact investing program at Echoing Green where she supports Echoing Green Fellows seeking or receiving impact investment. In large part, this involves getting social entrepreneurs investment ready and helping them to find investors that have an aligned understanding of their mission. Min also works to engage investors in the Echoing Green... The post Episode 16: Interview with Echoing Green’s Min Pease: latest research on the key barriers entrepreneurs face in getting access to capital and the main types of support they require. appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) is the largest community foundation in the world, with more than $8 billion in assets under management. The community foundation serves the Silicon Valley community and offers donor advised funds and other means for philanthropists to support the local and global causes they care about. It was founded in 2007 and... The post Episode 15: Interview with Dr Emmett Carson, founding CEO of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Based in Chicago, the Foundation makes grants and impact investments to support non-profit organizations in Chicago, across the U.S., and in approximately 50 countries. It has an endowment of $6.3 billion and provides almost $300 million... The post Episode 14: Interview with Debra Schwartz, Managing Director of Impact Investments at the MacArthur Foundation appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Kevin Barenblat is a highly experienced software entrepreneur with a passion for applying technology for good. He is a big believer that talented people can leverage technology to create scalable solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems. Kevin is the founder of the Fast Forward accelerator that helps tech nonprofits by investing money, providing... The post Episode 13: Interview with Kevin Barenblat, founder of the Fast Forward accelerator appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Clara Miller is President of the Heron Foundation, a US foundation that helps people and communities help themselves out of poverty. Heron began as a grant-maker 25 years ago. The post Episode 12 Interview with Clara Miller, President of the Heron Foundation: Going all in at the Heron Foundation appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
The Ford Foundation has long been a pioneer when it comes to supporting social change via social sector innovations such as the Green Revolution, microfinance, public-private partnerships in cities, and impact investment. In this interview, Christine Looney, senior program investment officer in the Impact Investing program, and Graham MacMillan, Senior Program Officer for Impact Investing... The post Episode 11: Interview with Christine Looney and Graham MacMillan from the Ford Foundation appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Joel Solomon is a highly experience social investor who has invested in over 100 early-growth stage companies in North America. Joel was instrumental in the development the Endswell Foundation, the largest, BC-based, charitable foundation in British Columbia funding environmental issues in the 1990s. Joel is currently Chair of Renewal Funds, Canada’s largest mission venture capital... The post Episode 10: Interview with Joel Solomon, Chairman of Renewal Funds, co-author of the Clean Money Revolution appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Christie is director of New media ventures –the first seed fund and national network of angel investors supporting media and tech startups that disrupt politics and catalyze progressive change in the US. She has overseen investment into a growing portfolio of more than 40 non-profits and for-profits, including NationalField, Sum of Us, and Upworthy. Christie... The post Episode 9: Christie George, director of New media ventures: funding new media & technologies supporting progressive change appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
In recent years crowdfunding has become an increasingly popular way for entrepreneurs and others to raise money for businesses and projects that might otherwise not get funded. Tom Dawkins is founder of the StartSomeGood crowdfunding platform that is designed specifically for the needs of social change ventures and projects, supporting them in raising the funds... The post Episode 8: Interview with Tom Dawkins, founder of the StartSomeGood platform| How crowdfunding enables social innovation appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Jim Sorenson is a highly successful entrepreneur and business executive who has become a pioneer in the field of impact investing. Jim has built successful companies in sectors ranging from technology and life sciences to real estate and private equity investment. Following his experience setting up a videophone for the deaf community, Jim became interested... The post Episode 7 Interview with Jim Sorenson: how Foundations can catalyse social entrepreneurship using PRIs appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Ceniarth is a family office and related private foundation that supports social entrepreneurs delivering market-based solutions that improve livelihoods in underserved communities. Ceniarth primarily engages in developing economies in sectors such as agriculture, energy, and financial inclusion. Leveraging a full spectrum of financial tools, Ceniarth aims to support the most effective enterprises generating measurable impacts... The post Episode 6 How Ceniarth supports social entrepreneurs. appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Building on the interview with Echoing Green President Cheryl Dorsey in episode 4 of Financing Social Entrepreneurs, this episode focuses on Echoing Green’s new impact investment programme. Min Pease leads the impact investing program at Echoing Green where she supports Echoing Green Fellows seeking or receiving impact investment. In large part, this involves getting social... The post Episode 5 Interview with Min Pease, leader of Echoing Green’s impact investing program appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Echoing Green is a leading global non-profit that provides seed funding and technical assistance to emerging social entrepreneurs with ideas for social change. The organisation is celebrating its 30 anniversary in 2017. Over that time it has forged a community of global pioneers, now over 700 strong, and played a pioneering role helping accelerate these leaders to... The post Episode 4 | Interview with Cheryl Dorsey, celebrating Echoing Green’s pioneering 30-year role supporting social entrepreneurs appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Kevin Starr has been supporting social entrepreneurs for as long as the term has existed. He built the current incarnation of Mulago Foundation, a private foundation that funds early-stage social entrepreneurs devoted to maximum impact at scale in the lives of the poorest people in developing countries. In 2003, Kevin set up Rainer Arnhold Fellows... The post Episode 3 | How the Mulago Foundation supports social entrepreneurs: Interview with Kevin Starr, CEO of the Mulago Foundation appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
John is a highly experienced former business executive and venture capital investor now focussing on social innovation and impact investing. He is a co-founder of Toniic, a syndication network of impact investors, and Senior Director of Impact Capital at Santa Clara University’s Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, and he is also a mentor to Social Entrepreneurs at the Center’s accelerator programs.... The post Episode 2 | The changing face of impact investment: Interview with John Kohler, co-founder of Toniic, a global syndication network of impact investors, and Senior Director of Impact Capital at Santa Clara University’s Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship. appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.
Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm that consists of a foundation and an impact investment firm. As such, the firm can provide whatever type of capital is necessary to support social innovation, whether grants or for-profit investments. Omidyar Network has a distinct approach focusing on scaling entire sectors. To date, it has invested over... The post Episode 1 | How Omidyar Network invests: Interview with Scott Wu, partner at Omidyar Network, leader of the firm’s investment, finance, and legal operations appeared first on Financing Social Entrepreneurs Podcast.