TRACK SUMMARY

Discover social entrepreneurs who can and are changing the world, and those who support them – investors, foundations, and government – particularly here in the United States.

INTRODUCING TRACK CURATOR: BEN THORNLEY

Hi, I’m Ben Thornley, Director of InSight, the thought leadership practice at Pacific Community Ventures — a growth equity manager deploying $60 million to high-potential companies in underserved communities in the US. My work includes building a global network of researchers, investors and public officials focused on the critical role of government in growing impact investing, supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, and consulting to the largest pension fund in the US, CalPERS, on the social impacts of the over $17 billion it invests in California.

I am excited to use this track as an opportunity to link the many worlds that comprise social capital and impact investing markets in the US and to highlight the collaborative ideas and experiences from which we all can benefit. See you at SOCAP11!

TRACK SESSIONS

First Comes Meaning: A Conversation with Tom Steyer

Tom Steyer, founder of Farallon Capital and one of America’s leading investors and philanthropists, joins Drummond Pike, Principal at Equilibrium Capital and the founder of the Tides Organizations, in a conversation about the personal convictions that underpin the emergence of social capital markets as a transformative global phenomenon. What motivated one of the world’s most successful investors to create the innovative One PacificCoast, the award-winning community bank? Should financial- and impact-first investing remain compartmentalized? Under what conditions will “mainstream” markets incorporate principals of impact investing? What does the future hold for social and environmental markets and the entrepreneurs that, like Tom, are driven by both money and meaning?

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The Business Case for Impact Metrics

This session will explore the business case for impact metrics. The panel will feature business, philanthropic and investment leaders exploring the ways in which tracking impact metrics has had a tangible effect - from bottom line to customer relationships, from attracting investors or helping inform public policy. As new systems of measurement and standards emerge, what are the tensions from within a company or a fund about how much time and effort to put into metrics? Who are the ultimate consumers of metrics and what kind of cost/benefit analysis needs to be done about meeting their needs? The goal of the session is to explore what actually works in terms of making metrics actionable and valuable.

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Changing the Game: The Big Role for Smart Government

This session brings together an important mix of interests (a policy maker, social entrepreneur, philanthropist, investor, and platform provider) and focuses on the government’s deep and abiding interest in investment markets with explicit social and/or environmental benefits. With shrinking public budgets, and a laser-like focus on job creation, the race to develop innovative policy mechanisms driving greater pools of private capital toward increased public good is as urgent as it’s ever been.

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The Long View: What Institutional Investors Want Every Social Entrepreneur to Know

Institutional investors approach social capital markets in a very particular way - usually with a focus on financial returns, conventional assets, and more established intermediaries. They also have a large stake in sustainable economic growth over the long haul. In this session, some of the largest and most influential investors share their views on the opportunity for delivering sustainable long-term performance at the intersection of money and meaning in health care, the environment, and other impact markets. This active panel focuses on the do’s, don’ts and pet peeves institutional investors have to share with social enterprise founders and senior management teams seeking institutional capital.

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Capital Ideas

In this session, a panel of experts representing private, philanthropic, financial-first and impact-first capital, will work in real time with the audience to solve a series of challenging financial conundrums. SOCAP participants are being asked to submit live “problems” ahead of time which they are facing in either finding appropriate social capital or in allocating capital. The session will emphasize collaboration and creativity in connecting social capital with the right opportunities.

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Blue Sky: The Shape of the Impact Economy in 2012
and Beyond

As the discussion about social capital markets shifts to the mainstream economy, many are wondering about its future trajectory. We have already seen more financially-driven investors enter the market, and a wave of entrepreneurship, but what will the next generation look like? What can we expect as the field evolves? What are the high-performing social enterprise business models driving the field forward, and the smart ways of identifying and financing them? In this session, four noted thought leaders share their insights on the future we have to look forward to.

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TRACK Question

What is the single most important step to creating a more established social capital market?