The Deal Share Live Investment Showcase was held in conjunction with the AVPN Conference in Bangkok that brought together 730 delegates, 119 speakers, and 44 sessions. 30 Social Purpose Orgnisations (SPOs) pitched in six concurrent sessions that covered issues on responsible consumerism, entrepreneurship and training, environment and conservation, empowerment through technology, social inclusion and education.
SPOs were exposed to funders such as Apnic Foundation, Ashoka, CARE International and Khonthai Foundation, to work on the continuum of capital – a concept that was visited often throughout the conference and highlighted specifically in the session: Continuum of Social Investing. The concept highlights the breadth of AVPN members’ funding across a spectrum of mediums such as grants, soft capital, debt, and equity to meet the SPOs’ needs throughout their lifecycle.
The AVPN Deal Share Live team interviewed SPOs and members to review how beneficial the Investment Showcase was to the various stakeholders.
A Scaled Platform for SPOs to Gain Visibility
Darren Ho, Head of Farmers at Citizen Farm saw the Deal Share Live Investment Showcase as an opportunity for SPOs to “present [their] ideas on a prolific platform under the endorsement of an AVPN member”. Citizen Farm is an initiative of social enterprise Edible Garden City that champions the “Grow Your Own Food” movement in land-scarce Singapore and provides employment for autistic and intellectually-disabled beneficiaries.
Similarly, Ashoka Singapore’s representative Caroline Guyot – an endorsing member for Citizen Farm – recognised the Deal Share for its ability to “allow members to highlight and give prominence to enterprises they work closely with”.
Avenue for Insights
This platform also provided new insights for attendees who had been unfamiliar with the Deal Share Platform. For instance, AVPN Member British Council who attended the Education session, found the DSL Investment Showcase to be “informative and rewarding”, as she appreciated how “AVPN allows its members to support and recognise enterprises doing good work”.
Open Doors to Collaboration & Co-investments among Trusted Members
The SPOs that presented met with organisations and individuals who were keen to explore collaboration and synergies with their own programmes.
Sahil Choksi, Deputy Director and Head of Development of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) “connected with investors at the Conference, whom [he] may otherwise never have met”.
Safe Water Gardens’s work in providing chemical-free water to villages in Aceh, Indonesia caught the interest of Ramona Bakshi, Head of Responsible Business and Sustainability at Charities Aid Foundation India (CAF India). Constant Van Aerschot, Executive Director of the Business Council for Sustainable Development shared about plans to extend Safe Water Gardens to Cambodia and India so that more villages could benefit from it.
Constant summarised the participation at the Deal Share Live as, “Presenting at the Deal Share Live Investment Showcase showed multi-sector collaboration between the SPO, AVPN Member and interested investor”.
The Deal Share Live in Bangkok showcased SPOs who have been validated by AVPN Members and connected them with new potential funders and resource providers to help them reach the next stage of growth. As we look forward to further connections from this session, we are also excited to share about the next Deal Share Live engagement at the upcoming AVPN India Summit – Investing for Impact in Education on 14 September 2017 in Mumbai. Please visit us at AVPN’s Deal Share for more information on how you can be part of this platform.
