Transform Finance Investor Network Webinar Recordings

Latest Episodes:

Unpacking Finance-First and Impact-First Strategies: A Close Look at Ceniarth's Investment Strategies | September 6, 2017 Mar 05, 2018

Show notes

The conversation on the trade-off between financial returns and impact seems tired as much as it remains underexplored. How do some in the Transform Finance community think through it?

In this webinar, Greg Neichin of Ceniarth joins the Transform Finance Investor Network to explore their approach to the risk/return/impact continuum. Greg reviews the strategies ranging from responsible asset management to impact-driven capital preservation and programmatic investing. Aner Ben Ami of Candide Group provides a context for this approach vis a vis that of other family offices and impact investors.

[These "podcasts" are the direct audio recordings of TFIN Webinars. As the original format was a video webinar, please excuse any brief technical difficulties and note that presenters may refer to slides. To watch the TFIN webinar recordings with their corresponding slide decks, please visit http://transformfinance.org/investor-resources/.]

Funding the Resistance: Investing in Activists as For-Profit and Non-Profit Entrepreneurs | July 12, 2017 Mar 05, 2018

Show notes

There is an inspiring trend in the current political environment: more activists are turning to entrepreneurship, and more investors are willing to support efforts to create a stronger civic environment through enterprise. This trend has important implications for who gets funded, how power gets built in communities, and how enterprises can be a tool for transformative social change.
Joining the Transform Finance Investor Network in this webinar are Julie Menter of New Media Ventures, the first seed fund and national network of angel investors supporting media and tech startups that disrupt politics and catalyze progressive change, and Sarah Williams of Propel Capital, an investor in New Media Ventures.

Democratized Tech and Distributed Ownership as an Exit Strategy | April 27, 2017 Mar 05, 2018

Show notes

In this webinar, the Transform Finance Investor Network discusses real-world examples of technology platforms that are ripe for a transition to cooperative ownership — from young startups to the "Buy Twitter" initiative. We also discuss examples of platform cooperative investment term sheets, describing how investors can begin to think about supporting platform cooperativism and how existing investments can get liquidity for portfolio companies that may not be ideal candidates for future financings or big liquidity exits. Leading this discussion are Jason Wiener, a lawyer focusing on mission-driven business models and co-founder of Colorado Cooperative Developers, and Nathan Schneider, Scholar-in-Residence of Media Studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and leader in the platform cooperativism movement.

The Movement for Black Lives Economic Platform: The Role of Investors | April 13, 2017 Mar 05, 2018

Show notes

The lack of racial justice in the United States is one of the most crucial issues for social justice investors to tackle. The Movement for Black Lives released last year a comprehensive platform that includes an economic plank that discusses various opportunities for the economic development of black communities. This webinar is led by Cathy Albisa, Director of the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative, and Rashad Jamal Buni of the Black Youth Project.

Affordable Housing Without Government Subsidies | March 29, 2017 Mar 05, 2018

Show notes

In the current political climate, even less support can be expected from the government to drive the agenda of social change through investments. Affordable housing is one area that has historically relied on governmental support via tax advantages, and it is poised to worsen. The affordable housing crisis is not going away, even if the federal government decides to ignore it. Is there room between government-subsidized and market rate housing for impact investments to provide solutions? In this webinar, Sibley Simon, President of New Way Homes, presents a compelling model for addressing these challenges.

Muni Bonds and Social Justice Part II: What Investors Can Do | February 8, 2017 Mar 05, 2018

Show notes

We explored recently with Activest the intersection of racial justice and municipal bond finance, looking specifically at how to marshal progressive capital to incentivize and fund policy reforms at the municipal level. In this follow-on webinar, we will explore further how investors can engage with municipal bond finance from a social justice perspective. HIP Investor explains how they use impact metrics can form a basis for further accountability and impact management for the expected results of muni bonds. After which Neighborly will show how local investors can use municipal bonds to fund and support various improvements in local governments and nonprofits, spurring more civic engagement as well as recapitalizing communities.

Tech Platform Cooperatives, Food, and the Sharing Economy | January 11, 2017 Mar 05, 2018

Show notes

Home cooks – largely immigrants and at-home parents from communities of color – are generally cut off from the food industry, or exploited by it. Tech platforms can offer an alternative entry point. With this webinar we explore the topic of platform cooperativism, or the shared ownership of tech platforms so far dominated by VC investors, by looking at Josephine, a food and labor justice organization that empowers home cooks to sell meals to their neighbors and communities.

Racial Justice and Municipal Finance | December 14, 2016 Mar 05, 2018

Show notes

Municipal bonds are largely overlooked as a high impact investment strategy. Yet there can be no doubt of the interplay between the way US cities are financed and the social justice outcomes that get driven. As a $3.7 trillion market, it is hardly one that ought to be overlooked, in particular in light of the precarious state of municipal finance for many cities.

Activest is a new project looking at marshalling progressive capital to incentivize and fund policy reforms at the municipal level. Founders, Ryan Bowers and Micah Gilmer, spoke about the group's insight into how cities' social policies and practices are predictive of financial risk and social outcomes.

Loan Guarantees as a Tool for Economic Transformation | November 26, 2016 Mar 05, 2018

Show notes

After Apartheid officially ended in South Africa, economic justice, especially along racial lines, remained a major issue. Shared Interest identified the use of loan guarantees as a way of facilitating the provision of loans to previously excluded segments of the population. Donna Katzin and Casey Cline joined us to speak about the use and the structuring of loan guarantees and shed some light on the specific context of Southern Africa, highlighting how guarantees can be a powerful tool in other regions as well.

Alternative Deal Structures to Maximize Impact: The Fund Perspective | September 29, 2016 Mar 05, 2018

Show notes

The mismatch between traditional investment structures and what works for many impactful enterprises is fairly clear by now, as Aner Ben Ami documented in his TF blog post last year. This webinar dives deeper into the LP reasons to favor structured exits with a presentation by Aner Ben Ami of Pi Investments.

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