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Investors Panel

The Investors Panel are at the heart of the Investment and Contract Readiness Fund. Chaired by Big Society Capital, the Panel drive programme design, decision making, awarding grants to social ventures and defining the standards of approved investment and contract readiness providers.

 

Berenberg Bank

Berenberg Bank | Impact Ventures UK Fund

Established as a collaboration between Berenberg and LGT Venture Philanthropy, Impact Ventures UK is a cross-sector growth capital fund investing in enterprises that benefit less advantaged people in the UK while targeting a positive financial return. The fund will provide growth capital, business networking and mentoring for social entrepreneurs to help their business models scale successfully.  It is guided by an investment committee with experience in private equity, social entrepreneurship, philanthropy and building businesses.  

IVUK employs experienced, local UK investment managers, while leveraging off LGT Venture Philanthropy investment experience of more than five years during which more than $14m in growth capital has been deployed in over 25 enterprises in emerging markets through its global team. IVUK is an integral part of this global activity and benefits from tapping into the team s global coverage, network and access to best-practice business models. 

 

Big Society Capital

Big Society Capital is an independent financial institution. We were established to develop and shape a sustainable social investment market in the UK. This gives organisations tackling major social issues access to new sources of finance to help them thrive and grow.

We invest directly in social investment finance intermediaries (SIFIs) that provide appropriate and affordable finance and support to social sector organisations  tackling some of our most intractable social problems. We believe that by supporting SIFIs to grow and become more sustainable, they will be able to bring millions more in investment into the social sector than we could bring alone. This means that over the long term, the social sector will have access to reliable sources of appropriate and affordable finance. 

About Big Society Capital

 

Big Issue Invest logo

Big Issue Invest

Big Issue Invest (BII) is the social investment arm of The Big Issue. Our mission to dismantle poverty and inequality by investing in business solutions to social and environmental challenges.

We help scale up social enterprises and charities throughout the UK by providing loans and investments from 50,000 to 1m. We are led by social entrepreneurs and experienced social financiers who have first-hand experience of building and running social businesses in both good and difficult times.  

About Big Issue Invest

 

Big Lottery Fund

The Big Lottery Fund is the largest distributor of Lottery money to good causes.

The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) is responsible for delivering 46 per cent of all funds raised for good causes (about 13 pence of every pound spent on a Lottery Ticket) by The National Lottery.

Since June 2004, BIG has awarded over 4.4bn to projects supporting health, education, environment and charitable purposes. Most of our funding is awarded to voluntary and community sector organisations.

BIG is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Cabinet Office. 

About Big Lottery Fund

 

Bridges Ventures

At Bridges Ventures, we are committed to working with ambitious entrepreneurs to help build great businesses with long-term value. We are active investors, providing support and advice to the companies we back including helping build effective boards.

We believe in backing entrepreneurs to make a difference. All our funds combine financial and social/environmental goals. 

Bridges Ventures currently has three sustainable growth funds under management. In December 2011, we launched our third sustainable growth fund, Bridges Ventures Fund III, with a first close on equity commitments of 72 million.

About Bridges Ventures

 

CAF Venturesome

CAF Venturesome provides unsecured loans to charities, social enterprises and community groups that have been operating for at least a year.  It offers loans of between 25,000 and 250,000 (up to 5 years) to meet a range of financial needs, including cashflow support and investing in transition or growth. 

It also co-invests with other investors, when organisations require a larger amount. It has a ten year track record and has loaned over 26 million to over 300 organisations, using a range of innovative financial mechanisms.   

About CAF Venturesome

 

Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank is a leading global investment bank offering unparalleled financial services throughout the world.

In November 2011, we announced the launch of our Impact Investment Fund I in the UK. This 10m Fund of Funds provides finance to social enterprises with the aim of generating both positive social impact and a financial return. Deutsche Bank is the first investment bank to create a discrete, ring-fenced fund to invest in this nascent asset class.

The Investment and Contract Readiness Fund compliments our activities and commitment and enables us to play a role in encouraging and developing the social finance market. 

About Deutsche Bank

 

FSE Group

FSE C.I.C. (a Community Interest Company), known as The FSE Group, has a mission to support economic growth and social impact through the design, development and delivery of innovative funding mechanisms and support programmes that address the specific needs of under-served communities. All regulated activity is undertaken through another Group company; FSE Fund Managers Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

The FSE Group has designed and recently launched two new Funding initiatives for social impact businesses: the Community Generation Fund to provide funding for community based renewable energy projects to create revenues for re-investment into community projects; and the Social Impact Co-Investment Fund, co-investing alongside business angel investors to provide growth funding to enterprises that deliver social impact. A number of other initiatives are currently under development.

The FSE Group, is delighted to be working with The Social Investment Business to support the growth and development of social impact enterprises through the Investment and Contract Readiness Fund by improving their ability to access the finance required to grow as the social sector increasingly becomes part of the mainstream of public conscience and attracts a new generation of entrepreneurial talent, motivated by social purpose. 

About the FSE Group

 

NESTA

Nesta is an independent charity with a mission to help people and organisations bring great ideas to life. We do this by providing investments and grants and mobilising research, networks and skills. Our work on impact investment aims to help ventures that address the UK's major social and environmental challenges by providing them with the capital and development support they need to succeed and grow.

The Investment and Contract Readiness Fund is an excellent way of getting earlier stage funding and advice to high potential organisations, and it s a great opportunity to collaborate with other impact investors too. 

About NESTA

 

Panahpur

Panahpur

Panahpur means Place of Refuge in Hindi. We were founded in 1907, originally as a community for orphaned children in India. During the 20th Century we became a grant making trust. Since 2004 we have been exploring the evolving nature of what sustainability means in response to the constraints of charity.

This has led us into the field of social investment, where we have invested in the first social impact bonds, the Social Stock Exchange and the Big Society Finance Fund (a prototype fund for Big Society Capital), as well as numerous funds and social enterprises in the UK and the majority world. 

About Panahpur

 

Natwest

We already have a strong heritage in supporting community-based businesses, such as social enterprises, charities and co-operatives, as well as business activity that has a positive impact on society. 

About Natwest

 

Triodos Bank

Triodos Bank s Corporate Finance department has been advising sustainable businesses and social enterprises on raising capital since 1999 having raised over 65m through 22 placements/public issues.

Our services include putting together information memoranda, prospectuses and financial promotions- project managing the entire regulatory, applications and investment administration processes including liaising with external advisors. We have also undertaken full business plan reviews, business valuations and can advise on strategic changes including mergers, acquisitions, international expansion, arranging loan finance, asset finance, invoice discounting or other banking facilities.

Triodos Bank s investment team in the UK also manages other funds (including Triodos Renewables plc) and provides discretionary portfolio management services to investors. This forms part of the overall investment activity within the Triodos Group (currently managing over 2bn globally). 

About Triodos Bank

 

Social Investment Business logo

Social Investment Business

The Social Investment Business is one of the largest social investors in the UK and has been a driving force behind the development of the social investment market. We have disbursed over 360 million to social ventures, including charities, community groups, and social enterprises. We have made over 1200 investments in viable, non-bankable projects, facilitating their move into more enterprising ventures and bringing to scale the most innovative ideas.

About the Social Investment Business