Social Impact

I have a friend who is staring her own business. It’s a for-profit social impact enterprise. As a result, the financial returns she aspires to achieve are lower than a typical startup’s, and she’s struggling to attract investors. Creating an enterprise that aims to generate social benefit as well as financial benefit requires a specific type of investor that is rare. That is to say, there are few entities willing to make a large investment in a company without the potential of a large return on investment. But there are lots of people interested in making social change, and in backing it financially. Most people make some sort of charitable donation each year. Perhaps these people and their social change-seeking dollars could be channeled towards people like my friend. Read the rest of this entry »