Round up of AVPN-LGTVP Seminar and “HOPS” tour – 21 March 2012 – Hong Kong

Between March 16 and 22, 2012, LGT Venture Philanthropy ran the “House of Philanthropy Solutions” exhibition in Exchange Square in Central Hong Kong. The House of Philanthropy Solutions showcased social organizations that LGT and the Princely Family of Liechtenstein support around the world.As part of a jointly organized AVPN-LGTVP program starting in the afternoon of 21 March, about 70 participants toured the exhibition with LGTVP team members providing explanations on the investee organizations and answering questions from the audience. Following the tour, participants transitioned to a seminar discussion that covered impact investing case studies. Panel members Calvin Chin (CEO, Schoenfeld Foundation), Philo Alto (Founder, Asia Value Advisors) and Wolfgang Hafenmayer (Managing Director, LGTVP) shared some examples from their respective organizations, with Kevin Teo (COO, AVPN) moderating the discussion with the audience.Several topics were covered within this afternoon discussion, including the management of expectations between social enterprise founders and social investors, the relationship between grant-based and equity-based funders in social enterprises and exit strategies for these enterprises. There was also some clarification around how the venture philanthropy model can be meaningfully applied. As in the venture capital realm where not every small business is viable for venture capital support, the same applies to the social sector where not every charity or social enterprise can be feasibly supported by the venture philanthropy approach.