Impact Invest

Updated: 12/08/2018

Solution provider

Sweden
Impact Invest Scandinavia is a non-profit organisation with operations in Scandinavia and in the UK. We have the following activities: Running a network of impact investors, supporting entrepreneurs in our own accelerator Care of Business, and providing consultancy to other organisations that support entrepreneurs with a social or environmental mission.

Learning environment for impact investors. Founded in 2012, Impact Invest Scandinavia is the first impact investor membership network in Scandinavia. Our mission is to promote the growth of social and sustainable enterprises by supporting investments in companies that deliver measurable social, as well as financial returns. We offer a community of practice to facilitate and support impact investing.

Learning environment for impact investors. Members get a peer-to-peer learning environment in the area of social and ecological impact in a Scandinavian context. Impact Invest offers a pipeline of pre-vetted entrepreneurs and businesses that have potential for social and economic returns in all sectors.
Secondly, we offer our clients knowledge about how to invest across asset classes for larger impact and can help asset managers and investors evaluate the impact of existing investments.

Learning and support to entrepreneurs Since start we have supported social innovators to get investment ready and to connect with investors. Each year this results in ca 25 teams receiving our support, and funding of €1M - €2M.
In 2016 we started focusing on entrepreneurs who have come to Sweden as refugees. We investigated their specific needs and co-created an accelerator that would fit newcomers. After a successful pilot in Malmö/Lund we have scaled this to also include Stockholm. In July 2018 we finished our second year supporting 24 foreign born entrepreneurs. For our next co-hort we will create a specific track for foreign-born women.

Changing how we think about scaling

In the start-up world we operate in, fast growth and technology is emphasized. We are an inclusive organisation that understands that social innovators often have complicated business models that involve many parties. How quickly and in what way somebody scales must depend on the business model. We also think that mature leaders and teams are more important to creating social impact, than technology. In our accelerator we see also very traditional, manual business flourish - because of the founders'  passion and professionalism.

Impact Invest and its team of external advisors equip entrepreneurs with commercial skills, social business modelling and financial knowledge to manage their businesses.  Last but not least, we extend founders' network of professional contacts to potential clients, partners and funders.


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