The Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) will host its first venture philanthropy conference in Singapore on 9-10 May 2013. It will be Asia’s premier event on the venture philanthropy and social investment sector, with up to 300 delegates expected to attend the 2-day conference.
AVPN is expecting delegates and participants from more than 25 countries and the participants will span across the spectrum, including individuals from venture philanthropy organisations, impact investors, government, private equity and venture capital firms, wealth management, academic institutions and grant-making institutions among others.
The conference, with its theme of “Creating Social Impact: blending philanthropic and investment capital,” will be held at the Singapore Management University, and is expected to share learning and both broaden as well as deepen the venture philanthropy and social investment community in Asia.
The conference will address certain key issues in the Asian venture philanthropy and social investment space. This sector is still at a nascent stage in Asia, and the ecosystem supporting venture philanthropy and social investment is gradually falling into place. The conference seeks to bring together stakeholders from multiple areas in an attempt to help bridge gaps and to help promote a clearer understanding of the issues that are affecting the venture philanthropy space in the region.
The one and a half day event will see keynote speakers, including international leaders Nat Sloane, England Chair of Big Lottery Fund and Paul Carttar, Director of Social Innovation Fund in the UK, sharing their personal journeys in the sector. There will also be interactive plenary sessions on key topics discussing Social Impact, Engaging the Government, and sharing of Perspectives from Outside Asia. With important players from Europe and the US bringing their experiences to the table, audiences can glean crucial lessons from their systems. Another interesting session is the discussion on Families in Venture Philanthropy.
The conference will also incorporate breakout sessions for more in-depth engagement, covering subjects on Water, Health, Children & Education, and Expanding Financial Markets. Special focus will also be given on regions of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Greater China, and led by key players in the regions. Attendees can also benefit from ‘toolkit’ breakouts, which will delve into “Mobilising Human Capital”, “Effective Due Diligence”, “Fundraising” and “Impact Assessment”. With such a wide selection to choose from, participants will be able to choose sessions most pertinent to them and to also meet with many other professionals interested in the same field via this platform.
Through this inaugural conference, it is the AVPN’s endeavour to support discussions and exchanges of ideas between practitioners from different parts of the region and from different parts of the venture philanthropy and social investment spectrum in Asia. The event promises to be an engaging and informative affair and something all AVPN members are encouraged to participate in.
Registration for the AVPN Annual Conference is currently reserved for members only. Tickets will be released for general sale from mid-January 2013.
Check www.avpn2013.com regularly for updates on the programme and confirmed speakers!
