JULY 31, 2018
The Justifiable Ask: Realities of Raising Impact Capital
Since February Miller Center staff and its cadre of mentors have actively accompanied 18 social enterprises selected for its 2018 Global Social Benefit Institute (GSBI®) In-Residence accelerator. Over that time there have been deep dives into refining financial models, uncovering unit economics, and outlining operational practices–all in pursuit of a pathway to scale. Next week these social entrepreneurs will come to Silicon Valley for a ten-day intensive with their cohort and mentors. The open collaboration that is fueled by this combined mindshare and intellectual capital builds to a crescendo on August 15 when the entrepreneurs take the stage at the GSBI Investor Showcase. Indeed, it is a rigorous road to discern a "Justifiable Ask" that's just right to present to an audience of impact investors. Miller Center's GSBI Funding Facilitation Lead, Anastasiya Litvinova, shares her thoughts on why it's not just about capital and "who you know" when it comes to securing the right funding and partners. To read Anastasiya's blog, click here→ .
July 30 was World Day against Trafficking in Persons
Closer To Being Free: Rebuilding Lives of Human Trafficking Survivors
by Sarah Symons
Founder & Executive Director at Her Future Coalition,
CIO at Relevée
Sarah Symons, Founder and Executive Director of Her Future Coalition and Co-Founder and CIO of Relevée, a social enterprise in our current Social Entrepreneurship at the Margins cohort, recounts an experience visiting their shelter built for trafficking survivors. In this profound piece, Sarah introduces us to Leela, a young survivor, and
how Relevée and Her Future Coalition are working in tandem to give these girls a new start at a better life by empowering and teaching them to become skilled craftswomen. To read Sarah's blog, click here→.
This compelling eight minute documentary short explores the problem of human trafficking & the unique solutions offered by Relevée and and Her Future Coalition, including a groundbreaking goldsmith training program.
HIGHLIGHTS
In the news, announcements & more
SCU OFFERS NEW CERTIFICATE PROGRAM THIS FALL | The Silicon Valley Executive Center has launched its newly-designed Certificate Program, Pathways to Impact Investing. This Executive Program is designed for asset managers, asset owners, and mission-driven organizations and foundations with an interest in learning about impact criteria as an alternative vehicle to make a social or environmental difference. Emphasizing the Theory of Change, the program will help you understand investment terms, areas of focus for diligence, term sheet
construction, how funds are constructed, and impact portfolio modeling. Featured speakers at this 3-day program include John Kohler, Miller Center's Executive Fellow & Sr. Director Impact Investing Innovation, and Bob Webster, Managing Director at Small Enterprise Assistance Funds (SEAF). To enroll, click here. DIB EXCEEDS GOALS: HOW DID THEY DO IT AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN? | In 2015, UBS Optimus Foundation created a Development Impact Bond for Educate Girls (GSBI Online ’13) with the goal of helping to fund international development
projects that are 100% focused on the outcomes achieved. Although the bond had a rough start for the first two years, the bond helped Educate Girls to excel beyond its goal and achieve 160% of the targeted learning goals. Read more about Educate Girls, its growth and the nuances of the DIB structure in this Devex article. IDB ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF JUSCELINO KUBITSCHEK VISIONARIES AWARDS | The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) recently announced the four winners of its Juscelino Kubitschek award, an award named after the Brazilian President who helped create IDB, the world’s first regional
development bank. With almost 600 applications for this award, four awardees, all nongovernmental organizations, were chosen for their outstanding contributions to Latin America and the Caribbean. The winners, including current GSBI In-Residence accelerator cohort member Fundación Paraguaya, were highlighted in this article on the IDB website. HOME SOLAR + MICROFINANCE: MITIGATING
RISKS AND MAXIMIZING REWARDS | NextBillion placed the spotlight on various organizations working to bring solar power to low-income neighborhoods internationally. Among these is ONergy (Miller Center double alumni GSBI ’11 and Energy Access India ’16), a solar power provider to large systems on a community level from streetlights to heavy appliances such as agricultural processing machines. Find out how organizations are helping bring solar power to those most in need in this NextBillion article. INTELLECAP AND VILLGRO’S INVENT INVEST IN B2B MARKETPLACE LAL10 | | Current GSBI In-Residence accelerator social enterprise Lal10 recently has raised an undisclosed amount in a pre-series A funding round. To learn more about Lal10, the local Indian artisans it serves, and how the funds will be used, click here.
From July 24-26, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County combined its social capital with Miller Center's intellectual capital to co-sponsor the Bay Area GSBI Boost for local nonprofits and social enterprises. Watch Executive Director Thane Kreiner's interview with KTVU Fox here.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Out & about with Miller Center
Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship is a pioneer when it comes to accelerating social enterprises, so you'll find our team at a variety of events across the globe. We're actively accompanying entrepreneurs on their journeys and sharing our learnings with others in the ecosystem. If our paths may cross, please reach out to us - we'd enjoy connecting! Please note some listed events are not open to the public.
- July 31 | Applications due for Frontier Incubators, a program for incubators and accelerators in the Asia-Pacific.
- August 15 | GSBI Investor Showcase, Santa Clara University
(9:30 am-2:00 pm) | Review Investor Profiles here; to view livesteam, click here
- September 25 | Movie Screening | HAPPENING: A Clean Energy Revolution (5:00-9:00 pm), Santa Clara University
- October 2-4 | ANDE Annual
Conference, Tarrytown, NY | Panel moderator: Pamela Roussos
- October 7-9 | HEALinc Future Health Innovation
Summit , Nassau, New Providence | Featured speaker: Pamela Roussos
- October 15-17 | Pathways to Impact
Investing (certificate program), Santa Clara University
- October 23 | GSBI Social Entrepreneurship at the Margins Showcase, San Francisco (4:00-6:00 pm)
- November 7-8 | FLII CA&C (Latin American Impact Investment Forum, Central America and the Caribbean), Antigua, Guatemala
To view pictures from the Bay Area GSBI Boost, click here.
Missed one of our newsletter editions? Click here for Miller Center's newsletter archive.
ABOUT US
Miller Center is the largest and most successful university-based social enterprise accelerator in the world. Founded in 1997, Miller Center is one of three Centers of Distinction at Santa Clara University, located in the heart of Silicon Valley. Here we leverage this entrepreneurial spirit with the University’s Jesuit heritage of service to the poor and protection of the planet. Miller Center's Global Social Benefit Institute (GSBI®) helps social entrepreneurs help more people. Since 2003 we have accelerated over 900 social entrepreneurs, who have raised over $948M, and positively impacted the lives of over 323M people.
Fox News interview screenshot: KTVU 2018, YouTube screen preview: Her Future Coalition. Unless otherwise indicated, all other images and photography are property of Santa Clara University.
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