Better Society Capital

With the Prime Minister announcing an early UK general election in July, we're excited to highlight social impact investment as a vital tool for the future Government to address a range of social issues, from NHS waiting lists to youth unemployment. We will continue working with key decision-makers at the heart of Government to focus on the following priorities: 🌱 Spend smarter – allocate existing spend to projects that crowd in more social and private investment 💪 Put people at the heart of public services – shift to commissioning for outcomes so that the Government only pays for genuine positive and measurable change to people’s lives ✨ Integrate social impact investment across government – given its vital role in tackling complex issues, we hope to set up a cross-government strategy driven by a central team in the Cabinet Office or Treasury. Find out more in our video⬇️ #BetterBritain #SocialImpactInvestment

Good work is good for business – as shown by a new Social Enterprise UK report we funded, exploring social enterprise employment conditions and lessons for wider business. From paying fair wages and investing in skills to providing flexibility and giving workers a voice, social enterprises lead the way in offering high-quality jobs. As a #SocialEnterprise Knowledge Centre partner, we’re proud to support this important research, which we hope the UK Government will consider as it develops the New Deal for Working People. Read the full report: https://bit.ly/3Yk5xq1

🚀 We recently partnered with Access - The Foundation for Social Investment, Pathway Fund, and other organisations on the Diversity Forum, a project aimed at improving EDI data collection practices across the sector. We recognise the complexities around collecting sensitive diversity data and the challenges faced by many organisations in our sector. In response, we produced a report and framework designed to ensure the quality and meaningful use of diversity data collection, while fostering effective collaboration between social enterprises and social investors 🤝 Click the link below to discover more about this framework and how it can help your organisation drive diversity and inclusion. Read the full blog and join us in supporting the important work of the Diversity Forum 👇 https://bit.ly/3LMnmGB

We want to build a world where all investments are used for social good. However, we recognise that too many investors face challenges when trying to incorporate social and impact investing within their strategies or portfolios. Part of our mission is to break down the barriers preventing people from making the investments they want to make. This is why we collaborate with pension funds, university endowments, charitable foundations, Government and others to promote the role of social investment in creating positive outcomes for people and the planet. Hear from Kelly Clark and Barnaby Wiener as they delve into the evolution of impact investment over the past decade. Kelly highlights our role in growing the market and shares how working together has enabled more social impact through investment. She states, "Better Society Capital has provided a great deal of support, engagement, education, and some of the important guidance around frameworks... and BSC has been very helpful in highlighting opportunities to invest across the country." Click the link below to watch the full video: https://lnkd.in/gddzkaY5

🌱 Social Investment Business (SIB) is a great example of a social investor helping to grow the third sector in the UK. We've worked with SIB and other social investors to support a wide range of organisations in accessing affordable finance in some of the most disadvantaged communities. From small loans to charity bonds, such social lending models help enterprises grow their trading income, provide working capital, and increase resilience. Swipe below to see the impact SIB has made in further reaching marginalised people and communities by adapting its investment process ⬇️

🌞 Yesterday the BSC team headed to Kennington Park for our annual summer social! 🏃♂️ We kicked off a fun-filled afternoon playing the BSC Olympics, with games of rounders, relay races, and garden sports where everyone brought out their competitive spirit to try and win points for their teams. After a short stroll to The Foundry, we indulged in a delightful spread of food and drinks from social enterprise 9 Kitchens, enjoying time to rest, relax, and catch up with colleagues. Below are a few snaps from the day — here’s to more moments of fun, camaraderie, and team spirit 🎉

💡 Our co-founder, Sir Ronald Cohen, has written a compelling piece on the impact revolution, arguing that impact investment could hold the key to a brighter future for the UK. He commends the new wave of thinking around investment as a transformative force for good. He also discusses parallels between the emergence of impact investment and venture capital, drawing on his own experience with young entrepreneurs and tech businesses. 🚀 At a time when government budgets are stretched, impact investment offers a unique opportunity to address some of the UK's most pressing challenges, like child poverty and the shortage of social and affordable housing. Read the full piece in Investment Week to learn why impact is the next leap forward in shaping a more sustainable economy and a fairer society ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gWXP9atW

📣 Great read from Colleen Cheetham-Gerrard, our recently appointed People & Talent Manager, on the occasion of International Self-Care Day! Colleen shares what self-care means to her and why, as an HR professional, she firmly believes that giving people space and time for their well-being can lead to a happier team and a more engaged workforce. At Better Society Capital, our people and organisational culture are at the heart of everything we do. Visit the link below to read the full blog on the importance of well-being for our colleagues 👇

Are you signed up to our quarterly newsletter? 🤔 Fill the form to stay informed about our latest events and announcements, and to keep up-to-date with sector highlights. This edition covers our insights on growing the impact investing community in Scotland and our latest report on the value of social outcomes contracts, among other updates. Sign up now: https://lnkd.in/edEkAasg

We’re delighted to see that Aparito, a #TechForGood company in the Bethnal Green Ventures portfolio serving biotech and healthcare clients, has joined forces with one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. This acquisition presents a significant opportunity to scale Aparito’s impact alongside its platform, Atom5, whose proven capabilities have been used in studies for neuronopathic Gaucher disease, Parkinson’s disease, and long COVID. Impact is a rapidly evolving area, and the venture ecosystem is still experimenting with how best to create, sustain, and scale it. Considering impact across exits is a critical piece of this puzzle, and here are a few ways we believe acquisitions can enhance impact: 🚀 Enabling the scale of the company being acquired by allowing access to the buyer’s customers 🌱 Enabling the buyer’s scale of impact by acquiring new customers 🤝 Enabling other channels to enhance impact 💡 Helping impact become more mainstream for the buyer 🎯 Positive signalling to the broader market Read our blog for further insights into what determines a successful exit for an impact startup: https://lnkd.in/evmmU6jw Melanie Hayes | Aparito - a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company