Weekly Review September 8-14

The impact investing industry is preparing new programs, insights, and, most importantly, entrepreneurs to live up to the big predictions for 2013, which has already been claimed as “the year of impact investing.”

Accelerating Impact: Achievement, Challenges and What’s Next in Building the Impact Investing Industry New Report from the Rockefeller Foundation prepared by E.T. Jackson and Associates
The Rockefeller Foundation commissioned a report to objectively evaluate the foundation’s impact investing initiatives and discuss the evolution of the field. It’s the latest report to hit the industry and is informed by insights from over 100 impact investing leaders. The report opens with a new definition of impact investing, quoting “[it] involves ‘investors seeking to generate both financial return and social and/or environmental value – while at minimum returning capital, and, in many cases, offering market rate returns or better.’” Download the full report here: PDF (6.2MB).

SRI Survey: 2013 To Be Year of ‘Impact Investing.’ Wider Institutional Investor Acceptance of ESG Approach” Press Release from the SRI Conference
The SRI Conference is an annual gathering of responsible investors and investment professionals in North America. The results of the 2012 SRI Conference survey of over 200 SRI/ESG professionals planning to attend have been released in anticipation of the conference that’s set to take place October 2-4 in Connecticut. Respondents identified “impact investing” as the number one growth area in socially responsible investing. Check out the press release for additional survey results and conference details.

Global Social Benefit Incubator still strong” by Esha Chhabra on SF Gate
Last month, 19 social entrepreneurs from around the world convened in Santa Clara, CA for GSBI. This year’s GSBI entrepreneurs include the likes of Katherine Lucey of Solar Sister and Anuj Sharma of Sarvajal. Entrepreneurs attend “MBA boot camp” to learn valuable lessons, most importantly on how to scale, raise the right funds (if any), and stay focused. GSBI caught the attention of SF Gate and over 150 mentors who will continue to work with the enterprises through this fall.

Announcing Village Capital / VentureWell – Boston
Our friends at VentureWell from the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance have teamed up with Village Capital to bring “democratized entrepreneurship” to Boston for university innovators in IT and clean tech. The program starts November 29th and participants will learn how to build a company, scale an innovation, and network with the right investors. Following the unique Village Capital model, at the end of the session, all participants will vote for the two winners who will each receive a $50,000 investment. If you have a for-profit social enterprise in IT or clean tech, be sure to check out the details and apply today.

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