Social entrepreneurs, fund managers, nonprofits, foundation staff, and more will converge in San Francisco next week for SOCAP — one of the leading impact investing conferences in the country. With four days of networking, panels, and other events, SOCAP is an excellent opportunity to learn about the intersection of money and social good and to connect with others doing exciting work in the field.
With over 100 sessions and a wide variety of other events, it can also be a bit overwhelming at times. As SOCAP veterans, we’ve put together a quick preview to help you make the most of your time at the conference. Here are the sessions we’re most excited for:
- Healthy Food Financing: What Do We Know?: More and more healthy food financing initiatives are working to increase access to nutritious food in low-income communities. Along with staff from Capital Impact Partners and PolicyLink, PCV InSight’s Tom Woelfel will share his thoughts on the importance of impact evaluation for these projects. (Wednesday, October 7, 10:45-11:45AM)
- Impact Investing in 2015: A Panoramic View of the Field: Impact investing continues to evolve year after year as new participants join the market, new sectors gain in popularity, and new financial innovations emerge. This panel will provide participants with a broad look at recent developments and projected trends within the impact investing field. (Wednesday, October 7, 10:45-11:45AM)
- Social Sector Transformation Through Pay for Success: Over the past few years, a number of Pay for Success projects have launched in the United States. These initiatives cover a wide variety of social issues ranging from criminal justice to homelessness, early childhood development to public health. On this panel, experts will share insights on how Pay for Success projects in the US are effectively leveraging private capital for social good and what challenges they’re encountering along the way. (Wednesday, October 7, 1:15-2:15PM
- At the Tipping Point: Risks and Opportunities of Impact Going Mainstream: Over the past several years, impact investing has garnered considerable interest and mainstream institutions have increasingly stepped in to the field. This panel will address the future of the industry, some of the risks that may come with its growth but also the potential for expanded impact as more capital becomes available for socially and environmentally-focused projects. (Thursday, October 8, 11:00 AM-12:00PM)
- The Results Are In: Impact Funds Are Outperforming: Introducing the Impact Investing Benchmark, a report released in June by Cambridge Associates and the GIIN, took a bold step towards debunking the myth that impact investing must be concessionary. Join Cambridge Associates and the managing directors of several top impact funds for a discussion on how impact funds are faring in comparison to their traditional counterparts and what factors are driving their success. (Thursday, October 8, 12:15-1:15PM)
- Impact Measurement: Views From The Experts: At PCV InSight, we’re always excited to see the evolving conversation around impact measurement and its crucial role in impact investing. This panel will cover different measurement tools in the field, how impact measurement can be used to drive key investment decisions, and the challenges facing practitioners today. Can’t make this session but still interested in learning more? Check out our recent blog post, “Four Key Best Practices for Social Impact Measurement”. (Thursday, October 8, 2:45-3:45PM)
These are some of the sessions we at PCV InSight are most looking forward to, but they only scratch the surface of what will be available at SOCAP next week. For the full schedule, visit https://socap15.pathable.com/meetings. We hope to see you there!