Do investors care about impact? Often, no: they're more focused on the warm fuzzy feeling of 'doing good'. But some are accepting moderate returns for more impact, and they're crucial to the growth of early-stage social enterprise.
First-time deal means tech for good VC can increase financial firepower up to ten-fold and hold its own among mainstream competitors – while ensuring no “watering down” of focus on impact, according to CEO.
Confidence in impact investment grows five-fold in three years – but six in 10 of those polled find the process 'challenging', pointing to communication and consistency as areas for improvement.
Independent review finds the social investor, which provides a mix of grants and loans to small charities and social enterprises in the UK, has had a major impact – but both its large legacy and its small team are under pressure.
PLUS: Pioneering revenue-based fund launches in Scotland; Back Market raises $335m in “bullish” circular economy market; AU$8m boost for Queensland social enterprises; Dutch trio backs “truly disruptive” AI firm Envision – and more.
Despite the UK's rainy reputation, a sunny future lies ahead for Low Carbon Hub’s Ray Valley in Oxfordshire, set to power 6,000 homes and generate £10m locally, after a hugely popular community share offer and £4.4m loan from Triodos.
BlueMark's in-depth review of 30 investors – with a combined $99bn in impact assets under management – finds more than half not aligned with SDG targets, while cost constraints mean only 11% engage with stakeholders to assess their impact.
