How to Make the Most of Your Time at the 2025 Conference
What can you expect at SOCAP25? Three days of catalytic content, cross-sector collaboration, and bold ideas to take impact mainstream.
At a time when gathering, learning, and collaborating are not just critical but essential, SOCAP25 will bring together hundreds of thought leaders from across the impact ecosystem to address the seismic changes our world continues to experience. “There’s always a reason to make a positive impact in the world,” said Robert Munson, SOCAP Global President. “That’s why we get together. …Ultimately, all the people who attend have a profound impact on the lives of millions of people around the world. The ripple effect of the people who gather at SOCAP is undoubtedly its special sauce.”
Under the theme “The Future Is Collaborative: Taking Impact Mainstream,” SOCAP25 introduces innovative new opportunities for connection with the goal of moving capital for impact. “We felt like this was a critical turning point and evolution for the event,” said Sarah Sterling, Executive Director of Programming & Convening. “The focus of the event is how to make it easier for people to connect who should be connecting in order to create the impact that we wish to see in the world — to take the experience of SOCAP beyond the conference itself.”
Learn more about what’s new at SOCAP25 and how connection is taking center stage below — and secure your ticket to take advantage of all SOCAP25 has to offer!
A Focus on Attendee Relationships and Connection
The first full day of SOCAP25 is dedicated to intentional relationship-building, marked by the debut of Capital Connections Day. Designed to connect attendees with one another through hands-on learning, entrepreneur and funder showcases, and curated networking sessions, this new kickoff to SOCAP will lay the foundation for deeper collaboration throughout the conference.
Stepping outside the traditional conference structure, Day One of SOCAP25 will offer a variety of interactive session structures to help attendees connect and learn more about one another, including:
- Expanding Ownership, Expanding Opportunity
- Rethinking Resilience: Navigating Complexity in a Well Way
- Seeding New Systems: Investing in Cultural & Creative Economies
- Founder Showcase: Women Entrepreneurs Driving Change
- SOCAP25 Funder Showcase
- Miller Center 2025 Social Enterprise Ignite Talk: Origin Stories
New Content and Session Features
The role of technology, DEI, and impact measurement is woven throughout the agenda as underlying themes that permeate the content. For example, based on Siegel Family Endowment’s expertise at the intersection of technology in education, workforce, and infrastructure, SOCAP offered the organization the opportunity to strengthen the technology perspective in the SOCAP25 agenda. By embedding responsible tech thinking and dynamic, action-oriented session formats into SOCAP’s programming, we aim to inspire investors and changemakers to direct capital toward solutions that are inclusive and future-ready. Examples of the responsible tech sessions include:
- The AI Generation: A High-Impact Opportunity for Investors: This solutions-focused session explores how emerging edtech and workforce innovations can help young people thrive because of AI, not despite it. It will spotlight early-stage ventures enabling continuous reskilling, upskilling, and smarter career navigation.
- Solve-It! Unlocking $10B for Responsible Tech: Beginning with a fireside chat to explore the relationship between capital and technology development, and followed by participants working through a series of problem-setting discussions, attendees will envision new forms of capital and investor relationships needed to support responsible innovation.
SOCAP25 will once again feature “Brief & Bold: Lightning Talks for Collective Impact.” In this fast-paced format, speakers will deliver powerful insights on collaboration and scaling impact, highlighting diverse approaches to building inclusive, cross-sector partnerships, unlocking capital at scale, and breaking silos to advance collective solutions. Attendees will leave energized and equipped with actionable ideas to drive collaboration and accelerate impact within their own work and across the broader ecosystem.
For the first time, we created the role of Advisor on Indigenous-Led Content, held by Vanessa Roanhorse, a Diné (Navajo) citizen, to ensure that Indigenous perspectives and voices are woven throughout the agenda. Her expertise will help elevate Indigenous-led solutions and narratives across the event’s programming, including at the two sessions below. These sessions are by invitation only. If you’re attending SOCAP25 and would like to join, please reach out to Paluck at paluck@socapglobal.com.
- Indigenous Changemakers Networking: This session brings together Indigenous leaders from across regions to connect, share experiences, and strengthen community-driven impact. We’ll explore shared challenges, celebrate cultural knowledge and resilience, and identify opportunities for collaboration across territories.
- In Relation, In Investment – Indigenous Capital Connects: This session aims to strengthen capital connections for Indigenous investors, funds, and entrepreneurs by addressing structural challenges, showcasing successful Indigenous-led investment models, and fostering direct, trust-based connections between Indigenous capital allocators and investable Indigenous-led enterprises.
Other sessions, such as “Love and Fear in a Warming World: A Reflective Workshop for the Climate Crisis,” will incorporate poetry and storytelling. Participants will leave with a renewed sense of purpose, having imagined climate action that feels both meaningful and possible through this workshop from Slam Out Loud and Climate Shift. The organizers will also lead the SOCAP25 “Poetree of Our Values,” a co-created art installation on display in the hallway between the Classroom and Boardroom at the Contemporary Jewish Museum. All attendees are invited to contribute throughout the three-day event.
Content Designed to Take Impact Mainstream
Within the SOCAP25 theme, there are five content tracks. Sessions range from discussions on macro-level policy to place-based thought leadership and financing innovation across borders — all with a shared goal of broadening the scope of impact. Preview some of the sessions under each content track:
Place-Based & Community Impact
- Local Futures: Investing in Artists & Culture for Community Health
- Mobilizing Capital for Global Housing Solutions
Climate & Nature-Based Solutions
- Expanding the Nature-based Solutions Toolkit: Using Innovative Financial Models to Drive Scale
- Financing the Future of Nature: Biocultural Innovation at Scale
Catalytic Capital 2.0
- Expanding the Capital Continuum for All Businesses
- Catalytic Capital in Practice: Strategies, Challenges, and Innovations from Global Investment Leaders
The Future of Global Finance
- Financing Innovation Across Borders
- Unlocking Impact: How Companies Can Learn from Social Entrepreneurs
Justice & Economic Prosperity for All
- The Ownership Revolution: Workers, Wealth, and the Future of Business
- Surviving 4 More Years: Protecting and Advancing Impact
Learn more about how the SOCAP25 agenda is structured to facilitate relationship development and deal flow. Then, be sure to register to attend SOCAP25!
