Social impact wholesalers, and the making of new markets
STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION: Commercialising social impact investment means ensuring that the economic incentives exist for firms to align their actions with the goals of society. That's the objective of Better Society Capital.
Better Society Capital, initially known as Big Society Capital, was established in 2012. It commenced operations with £400 million sourced from dormant bank accounts, complemented by an additional £200 million contributed by Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, and NatWest. The organization operates as a specialized fund manager and intermediary focused on delivering positive societal impacts.
Better Society Capital positions itself as a "social impact wholesaler," serving as a fund of funds for impact investors. Its primary objective is to pioneer new markets, stimulate co-investments from other capital sources, and facilitate the commercialisation of social impact opportunities. Gemma Bourne, a managing director at Better Society Capital, leads the organization's social property investment strategy.
The discussion covers various aspects, including how Better Society Capital creates new markets, encourages external capital, its base of permanent capital, measuring social impact, social housing key performance indicators, approaches to mixed-use projects, manager selection, the specific attributes BSC seeks in its managers, and balancing social impact with financial returns.
Written by urgent.news from Private Equity Wire's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
