Largest SOCAP to Date Will Host Over 180 Panels and Convene 2,500 Attendees on Impact Investing, Social Entrepreneurship and Using Business to Create Positive Social Impact
Largest SOCAP to Date Will Host Over 180 Panels and Convene 2,500 Attendees on Impact Investing, Social Entrepreneurship and Using Business to Create Positive Social Impact
Largest SOCAP to Date Will Host Over 180 Panels and Convene 2,500 Attendees on Impact Investing, Social Entrepreneurship and Using Business to Create Positive Social Impact
Published 08-27-14
Submitted by Social Capital Markets
This year’s annual Social Capital Markets conference (SOCAP) - SOCAP14, taking place from September 2-5 in San Francisco, will unite innovators in business, finance, tech, the sharing economy, health, philanthropy and more to advance environmental and social causes. A sector now surpassing $46 Billion under management and expected to explode when millennials focus on investing, SOCAP14 continues to grow this year making this the biggest SOCAP to date with 2,500 in attendance, many of whom are first-timers.
Speakers range from the founders of today’s most-loved startups, to leading Fortune 100’s, to major venture capital investors, along with sector-specific leaders. Sponsors making announcements include American Express, Google.org and Omidyar Network. The conference’s theme “Igniting Vibrant Communities” encompasses the range of topics that will be covered and which combined lead to healthy and thriving communities, evidence of successful impact.
“SOCAP’s mission has been to show the world that the market at the intersection of money and meaning - the place between giving and investing - is real, big and growing,” said Kevin Jones, Co-founder & Convener, Social Capital Markets. “The incredible interest and participation in SOCAP14 shows that we have expanded the possibilities for social entrepreneurs. The market is maturing and so are we.”
Notable developments in the impact investing space this year show that every major sector is now engaged:
There’s critical mass among major financial institutions given their increased monetary commitments. SOCAP’s “Major Wealth Platforms in Impact” session features representatives of major financial institutions including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and others speaking about their increasing role.
Government is turning to impact investing models in place of traditional aid. “Powering Africa Beyond the Grid” features a discussion on the potential of the most significant impact investing initiative by the U.S. government so far to not only accelerate energy access in Africa, but to bolster a new generation of clean, reliable energy companies.
William H. Draper, Co-Chair, Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation
Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator, USAID
Dan Schulman, Group President of Enterprise Growth, American Express
Douglas Atkin, Global Head of Community, Airbnb
Danae Ringelmann, Founder and Chief Development Officer, Indiegogo
Leila Janah, Founder and CEO, Samasource
Topics span:
Impact Investing
Health
Place-based Innovation
Financial Inclusion
Food Systems
Resilience
Sharing Economy
This year, SOCAP expanded its brand presence with the success of partner events, “SHARE: Catalyzing the Sharing Economy” presented with Peers, and “SOCAP Health: Creating the Market that Values Health” at The New York Academy of Medicine. SOCAP aims to grow the network of heart-centered investors, entrepreneurs, and social impact leaders and create experiences where changemakers can connect and present their ideas to a global audience. SOCAP started in 2008 with 600 attendees. This year the conference will host close to 2,500 people - many of whom are attending for the first time. SOCAP14 scholarships were awarded to 130 social entrepreneurs, the largest cohort yet, from around the world focusing on a range of issues.
Primary SOCAP14 Sponsors are:
American Express: Dan Schulman, Group President, Enterprise Growth and Neal Sample, CIO & Chief Marketing Technologist, Enterprise Growth will discuss new initiatives to help improve financial inclusion in the U.S.American Express will also host a screening of Spent: Looking For Change, a film about everyday Americans without the financial options most of us take for granted and the movement giving them renewed hope.
Omidyar Network: SOCAP will be the West Coast launch of Omidyar Network’s National Advisory Board on Impact investing. The board launched its first report “Private Capital, Public Good” in June.
Google.org: Google.org will showcase grant recipients selected from the organization’s recent Impact Challenge, which invited Bay Area nonprofits to submit their ideas for addressing the region’s most pressing problems. All 25 nonprofits will receive technical support from Google and one year of accelerator support through Impact Hub SF. Google.org will also be a part of a conversation on place-based innovation in the Bay area.
Other notable sponsors include:
Herman Miller International
Halloran Philanthropies
Vodafone Americas Foundation
IDB
USAID
Wells Fargo
Prudential Financial Services
Deutsche Bank
Shell Foundation
About SOCAP
SOCAP (Social Capital Markets) is a world-renowned conference series dedicated to increasing the flow of capital toward social good. SOCAP's annual flagship event in San Francisco is the leading gathering for impact investors and social entrepreneurs. Our unique approach emphasizes cross-sector convening and gathers voices across a broad spectrum to catalyze unexpected connections. From the leading edge to established players, SOCAP brings together global innovators, investors, foundations, governments, institutions, and social entrepreneurs to build the world we want to leave to future generations. We actively seek out opportunities to accelerate the market at the intersection of money and meaning and, in pursuit of that goal, have convened more than 10,000 people since our founding in 2008.
Social Capital Markets
Social Capital Markets
SOCAP is a multi-platform organization dedicated to the flow of capital towards social good. Our event series connects innovators worldwide - investors, foundations, institutions and social entrepreneurs - to build a market at the intersection of money and meaning. SOCAP has received global recognition as a leader in the social capital space.