Socap builds off U.S. support, spreads to Europe
SOCAP/Europe will convene in Amsterdam from May 30th - June 1st for the first time to gather more than 500 global stakeholders of the Social Capital Movement at a 'reconvening of the world's capital markets' at the Beurs van Berlage, the site of the original stock market.
'We're going back to the place where the capital markets began, and this time adding meaning to money,' says Kevin Jones, founder of SOCAP. SOCAP stands for 'social capital,' and names a movement that began in San Francisco 3 years ago with the SOCAP08 conference, which drew 600 people to 'a marketplace at the intersection of money and meaning.' Convening just 2 weeks before the Lehman's collapse, SOCAP caught a spirit of disaffection with the status quo of capital markets, and a rising tide of activism amongst social entrepreneurs. Two years later, by SOCAP10, attendance had more than doubled to 1400, with 20,000 watching globally online.
Now the SOCAP movement comes for the first time to Europe. The pioneering organizations already onboard are Triodos Bank, Stitchting DOEN, Root Capital, Untld, Skoll, Blue Orchard Finance, ResponsAbility, Kiva, Omidyar Network and more. The change in the financial markets can be seen with ABNAMRO, one of the Netherlands most historic banks, joining as a conference sponsor. Included in the conference are an evening kick-off reception honoring 50 social entrepreneur scholarship recipients, and two-full days of presentations, exhibits and opportunities to meet with investors, entrepreneurs and others who are deeply engaged in impact investing throughout Europe and the world.
'Europeans have been doing what's now being called Impact Investing for years, with significant investment from public and foundation money,' SOCAP convener Kevin Jones said. 'Many of those high impact groups are going to be telling their story at SOCAP, joined by investors and entrepreneurs from Africa, India and the Americas. And now as we see public subsidies ending, the private equity and investor market in Europe is demanding product where money has meaning and impact.'
SOCAP/Europe is a cross-continent partnership between founder Kevin Jones and SOCAP events, and Amsterdam's PYMWYMIC (Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Company), one of the earliest and most experienced impact investing firms in Europe. Frank van Beuningen, founder of PYMWYMIC, started Europe's first impact investing fund in 1997, and has since seeded 30 impact companies. 'We needed local partners with expertise and track record, who can help build community in Europe. SOCAP is a community effort,' said Jones.
'We need solutions that come through business. The entrepreneurs are the heart of the social capital market, and these new models completely blend financial and social return. And we need European families and investors to put their money where their mouth is, and help fund solutions,' said van Beuningen. 'We are creating a space that gets good things done.'
'As we have been touring Europe engaging the community in conversations about this rapidly expanding field of impact investing, it has become clear that this conference will sell out,' said Executive Producer, Rosa Lee Harden. 'We also want to ensure that no more than 20% of our attendees come from any one country, so if you are planning to attend, purchase your ticket early in order to ensure there will be a ticket for you.'
The fee for this conference will be €1400, with an early-bird discount of €1250. This price includes all fees and is VAT inclusive. Additionally, there are 50 scholarship places reserved for entrepreneurs, and opportunities to volunteer for aspiring social innovators. Expected to quickly sell out, SOCAP/Europe participants are invited to register early to join in this highly interactive, participatory event. Registration opens February 23.
To register:
http://europe.socialcapitalmarkets.net/socap-europe-registration/
To apply for a scholarship:
http://europe.socialcapitalmarkets.net/social-entrepreneur-application/
To apply for a volunteer position:
http://europe.socialcapitalmarkets.net/volunteer-application/
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