SOCAP strives to offer diverse content across the spectrum of business and capital innovation advancing social and environmental impact. SOCAP Open is a public submission platform that helps us source suggestions directly from our community. As in past years, SOCAP16 will include interactive sessions, panel discussions, workshops, and storytelling opportunities. By proposing a session idea and/or voting, we invite you to add your unique voice to the conversation.
Submit Your SOCAP Open Proposal Here
As you plan your submission, consider the most effective, engaging format for your content idea. The SOCAP16 themes are available to help you gain an understanding of some primary areas of programming, but we always welcome a variety of topics connected to the social impact movement. Don’t forget to check out the SOCAP Open FAQs and our Tips for Crafting a Winning SOCAP Open Idea as you develop your proposal.
The session will present original and novel research into the strategic management of intellectual property by social entrepreneurs and the implications for impact, scaling, collaboration, networks, and investment/funding.
In this interactive session participants will get to hear from a diverse group of women sharing their stories of breaking into impact investing, navigating the VC world, finding mentors, and driving the future of investing for profit and purpose. The goal is for participants to walk away …
It seem to me, the more we look at risk as a fear inducing, one-sided and problematic element the more we restrict the potential of socially beneficial returns. Could we improve our chances of creating positive social change if we were to look at risk as something …
While use of solar as an alternative energy source for commercial use is growing, it has been difficult to fund with traditional sources of capital. This panel will explore creative use of tax credits and other incentives to help dramatically reduce the cost of solar installations, and …
Program Related Investments have been around for a long time, but recently coming into vogue with among foundations and family offices seeking to find co-investors in impact investments. Recent regulations have again opened the door for private sector impact investors to add venture philanthropy as a credible …
Climate Change related investing has been the ignored step-child of the Venture Capital world, and funding for longer term technology based companies still falls short of what is needed to make the needed societal impact in the next decades. This will be an interactive session where top …
This session will explore the relationship between ethical fashion and socially responsible investing and their collective impact on poverty alleviation and economic empowerment. The panel will feature prominent investors, leading advocates in ethical fashion and long-time veterans of the space who will provide insights into how to …
New investment structures and first time fund managers are gaining more traction as the broader field of impact investing grows and evolves. But can the larger community ensure the most attractive and vital investment vehicles and best managers rise to the top? How can the development of …
The last year has seen a flurry of activity around quality jobs, much of it centered on enabling investors to pursue a quality jobs approach. From CDFIs to the Department of Labor, several initiatives are successfully tackling this issue. Come hear about the state of the field …
Our present economic system prioritizes growth and short-term outcomes, putting humans and ecosystems on a collision course with the finite, physical limitations of the biosphere. There is, however, a new economic movement afoot – one that works to value and regenerate capital assets. The regenerative paradigm draws …
Every city can be a hub of for-benefit development, but every city has its own unique strengths and opportunities. This panel will discuss three different approaches to supporting and strengthening your local for-benefit ecosystem with lessons learned from New York City, the City of Encinitas, and the …
Today, 1 in 6 people in the US is Latino. Many Latinos work under “no-matter-what” circumstances- they strive, endure, and have an uncanny ability to fearlessly navigate bilingual, multicultural settings—an advantage in a global economy. As the number of Americans with Latino roots grows, so does the …
While early-stage investment for entrepreneurs in emerging markets is growing, social enterprises still struggle to access the appropriate capital needed to help move them from “proof of concept” to scale. When banks are unwilling and invests are unable to finance the risk, blended finance - the mixing …
Despite persistent political engagement and humanitarian assistance, traditional peace building efforts world-wide often breakdown due to their failure to secure long-term, equitable and inclusive economic development. Impact Investing presents a new opportunity to directly link capital and expertise with traditionally sidelined entrepreneurs, empowering them to generate the …
Traditional fund managers seek financial returns and are rewarded for achieving those returns. Impact fund managers seek both financial and social returns, yet are largely compensated just on their financial performance. This session explores the case for tying a fund manager’s returns to their actual impact and …
Utility-scale renewable energy generation in the Global South needs to take structural, social and cultural factors carefully into consideration, since the most competitive renewable energy sources are often on land that belongs to indigenous and other vulnerable communities. Institutional ESG safeguards are failing to mitigate social risk …
“We need to fight extreme wealth to defeat extreme poverty.” Impact investors are tackling this issue by being mindful that market-driven specific efforts do not end up increasing wealth inequality overall. Let us combine the broad discussion of drivers of wealth inequality with concrete examples of for-profit …
Research shows that the gender pay gap remains significant, with the typical woman receiving 21% less pay than the typical man. When education, occupation, industry, and job title are held constant, the pay gap remains. In the US, this gap has not changed substantially over the last …
The UN’s 17 SDGs are the world’s to-do list and achieving them by 2030 will take all of us working together. Business innovation plays a critical role in accelerating progress. But much of it is undiscovered in small to medium-sized businesses that are disconnected from the emerging …
How do you turn an idea into a big impact? Socially minded entrepreneurs and investors have great aspirations, but they face the overwhelming problem of figuring out how to start. What’s the common theme among those who create social change? They think big, but start small. Every …
Ever wonder if major institutions - from Fortune 500 companies to INGOs - are investing for impact? We often hear impact investment positioned on a spectrum of investor expectations, with one side anchored by an appetite for high commercial returns and the other by philanthropic investors, or …
Lack of funding for entrepreneurs of color has been addressed as a matter of under-representation. An emerging approach highlights the demographic change in the United States toward a majority minority economy. This panel will address the different avenues to a more inclusive ecosystem, focusing on the economic …
While 67% of millennials believe that their investment decisions are a way to express their values, impact investing as a meaningful personal practice is still in its infancy and requires ongoing innovation. We can find inspiration for creating meaningful experiences from a perhaps unlikely source – religion. …
While 67% of millennials believe that their investment decisions are a way to express their values, impact investing as a meaningful personal practice is still in its infancy and requires ongoing innovation. We can find inspiration for creating meaningful experiences from a perhaps unlikely source – religion. …
As climate change intensifies, the need for investment to build environmental resilience has never been greater. Alternative models that leverage private capital, such as pay-for-success, represent an opportunity to attract new sources of funding to meet critical environmental challenges. How do you measure “success” and how do …
Important 2016 Dates
- JUNE 3
Final day to submit an idea. - JUNE 1-15
Commenting and voting period. All sessions open for voting. - JUNE 16-28
Judging panel and final selection by SOCAP16 Content Team. - JUNE 29
Winning sessions announced to session organizers.
