While impact investors are generally comfortable evaluating whether they can help a particular social enterprise to succeed, few know what is needed to make that group’s success widely replicable. This is particularly true for many solidarity economy business models, such as community land trusts, cooperatives, and regenerative agriculture. This is the session for you if you want to learn how to support the emergence of these alternative business sectors, helping them become recognized, robust, and fundable ecosystems. Leading solidarity economy organizations will share their experiences accelerating the deployment of capital to create a more equitable, sustainable and just economy. Participants will come out of this session with familiarity around a range of capacity building tactics such as financial innovation, technical assistance, network creation, infrastructure support, and advocacy coordination, with a particular focus on doing this work in a racial, gender, and economic justice framework.
Building an Investable Field: Lessons from the Solidarity Economy
Format
Fireside Chat (3 speakers maximum)
Themes
solidarity economy, integrated capital, systems change, emerging markets, impact-first investing, catalytic capital, new economic models, non-extractive finance, restorative economics, infrastructure, cooperative economies, community control
Purpose and Desired Outcome
Impact investors are hungry to find ways to move money towards impactful sectors. Solidarity economy enterprises have drawn particular interest because of their strengths in achieving social outcomes in tandem with financial sustainability. Yet, the solidarity economy faces challenges in scaling up because of factors like a lack of familiarity in the financial sector, confusing regulations, and limited service providers, factors that are compounded for entrepreneurs from BIPOC communities. This session will provide participants with a deep appreciation of the work that goes into helping an entire impact-driven business ecosystem to thrive, including the capacity building, networking, standardizations, and creative capital strategies that help lay the groundwork for the emergence of a new investable market sector.
Audiences
Asset Managers
Allocators (Family Offices, HNW Individuals, Foundations)
Intermediaries (Financial Advisers, Investment Bankers)
Entrepreneurs
Accelerators & Incubators
Service Providers
Government
Speakers
- NameRaymond Pettit
- TitleDirector of Field Building
- OrganizationPossibility Labs
- StatusConfirmed
- NameLeo Freeman
- TitleDirector of Fund Development
- OrganizationSeed Commons
- StatusConfirmed
