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.
Join us as some of North America’s top impact ventures pitch to leading investors at SOCAP16. Ten high-growth, world-changing impact ventures in health, cleantech and social technology from the SVX network in Canada, the United States, and Mexico will deliver their best 90 second elevator pitch to …
Investment advisors, certification bodies, CSR/foundation professionals and charity raters share an analytic problem: what constitutes good impact information? The answer points to an emerging profession: skilled impact analysts. This panel will articulate the WHO, WHAT and HOW of this profession by: mapping the players, articulating why they …
We are experiencing the most significant culture shift of our time in 2016. The Millennial Generation now out populates all other generations in the workforce. The values that this generation demands are changing the way we market, the way we buy and the way we lead. The …
A collaborative discussion with seasoned impact investors and chief executives on making impact investments in public and private companies, as well as the role of impact investors in accelerating both business growth and environmental benefit.
The American Dream Is the cultural motif that has inspired North America for the last century. Work hard, save, sacrifice and you will get ahead. America offers the freedom of upward mobility. But over the last decade the American Dream has been called into question. For many, …
What does a “100% for justice” approach to impact investment look like? Leading with impact as an approach supports the necessary innovation and infrastructure to transition the global economy to one that is sustainable, generative and just. Get inspired and see how it’s possible to keep a …
The purpose of this workshop is to get the participants thinking about innovative ways to make their work less demanding and more collaborative. The reason most people don’t see returns on their investment are because of the over saturation of the market and the less attention paid …
Many are now recognizing that impact enterprises addressing the most intractable social problems, particularly in emerging markets, benefit from donations, grants or subsidized loans in the early stages of their development, as they seek to create new business models in underdeveloped markets that build impact into the …
We all exist in networks full of unseen resources. Leverage Your Network is designed to help you identify those resources and realize that no matter what goal you are trying to accomplish, you already have the necessary tools to accomplish it. In this workshop, you will imagine …
This panel will discuss the best techniques employed by three leading entrepreneurial support organizations to collect impact data on the work they do and the work companies they work with do. How do you effectively track data in hard to reach populations? How do you incentivize data …
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.
AgTech startups and innovators in emerging markets have taken off in recent years and are scaling up to reach a billion smallholder farmers globally. Securing Water for Food: A Grand Challenge for Development has identified game-changing solutions that will increase water availability and/or promote efficient use of …
With the proliferation of solar and advancement in technology see a collection of leaders in the field of why off-grid and solar are the best scalable investments in development. Solar and off-grid entrepreneurs gather to explore opportunities and barriers.
Go behind the scenes of selecting which development innovations to fund and what the elements of a good proposal are. Are there “magic words”? Why do some innovators seem to be “darlings” and some can’t get a dime? Learn how donors, investors, and funders are collecting “business …
Education is a central factor in both individual and community economic stability. In order to address and break down the structural barriers inhibiting citizens and neighborhoods from achieving financial self-sufficiency, a drive for creative, innovative solutions for workforce preparation, skill building, credentialing and access to professional networks, …
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 …
Come experiment in the emergent field of Group Harmonics where Buckminster Fuller’s insights about the geometry of natural design, (Synergetics), meet: Hans Jenny’s experiments with the creative power of sound (Cymatics); Rudolph Steiner’s insights Come experiment in the emergent field where Buckminster Fuller’s insights about the geometry …
Over the past 5 years across the African continent, tech hubs, donor dollars and accelerators have started giving way to Angel Investors, Seed Funds, and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems. As the cost of connectivity fell and mobile adoption neared 90%, “Silicon Savannah” was hyped as the next big thing …
Over the past 5 years across the African continent, tech hubs, donor dollars and accelerators have started giving way to Angel Investors, Seed Funds, and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems. As the cost of connectivity fell and mobile adoption neared 90%, “Silicon Savannah” was hyped as the next big thing …
Teams collaborate and innovate in a constantly changing world with entrenched interests and conflicting ideas, organizational politics and complex power dynamics. Some teams succeed at it while others fail. How do the successful teams do that? How do they become productive collaborators transcending the boundaries? How do …
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 …
Practicing everyday inclusion immediately opens us up to valuable opportunities for social connection. Solutions to our biggest problems or the gateway to the most valuable connection could be the result of one meaningful conversation that was the result of establishing a goal like meeting 1 new person …
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 …
Important 2016 Dates
- JUNE 3
Final day to submit an idea. - JUNE 4-15
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.