Fuelling Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education

Impact Investing @ UBC

James Tansey, Executive DirectorJana Svedova, Director Impact Investing

Centre for Social Innovation & Impact Investing

Centre for Social Innovation & Impact Investing (S3i)

• Founded in 2009 • Objective: leverage business tools to advance

social innovation and sustainability through research and application

• Focus on three stages of the innovation process: invention, incubation, investment

• Activities: research, training, and practice• Core team of 5, fellowships, internships• Coast Capital Savings Innovation Hub

accelerator• Impact investing program launched 2013

Impact Investing at S3i• Began with an exploration of the space,

opportunities and challenges and where S3i could contribute

• Publication: “Demystifying Impact Investing”

• Challenges:• Funders – lack of access to information, desire

to engage but not actively making investments• Pacific Impact Investor Network

• Early stage funding – early risk capital for ventures, pipeline for investors• Impact Seed Fund at UBC

entrepreneurship@UBC• Supporting UBC entrepreneurs from idea to

funding• Open office • Accelerator program – 5 week lean

launchpad• Startup space• e@UBC SEED fund

• Aspect biosystems: 3D printing of human tissues

• Target Tape: surgical tape• Elix: wireless electrical power transfer

e@UBC Impact Seed Fund• Modeled on e@UBC SEED fund• Seed capital for impact ventures from UBC

community• UBC/e@UBC• S3i/Coast Capital Savings Innovation Hub

• Structure:• UBC Management Inc, wholly owned by

UBC• Board of Directors• Investment Committee

• Funding from donors to University, returns reinvested

e@UBC Impact Seed Fund• Why a philanthropic fund?

• Still difficult for ventures (impact and traditional) to raise seed funding

• High risk for funders• No tax incentive to fund impact ventures• Philanthropic fund enables funders to use

philanthropic capital to seed ventures• “Pioneer gap” (Monitor Group/Acumen),

Catalytic capital• Need for catalytic capital is recognized in

the start-up sector• Tax incentives (ex. BC Venture Capital Tax

Credit)

e@UBC Impact Seed Fund• Funding component of full range of

support for social innovation at UBC• Curriculum: entrepreneurship 101, new

venture design, social entrepreneurship• Student engagement: Chasing

sustainability/Net Impact, UBC SE Club, ARC Initiative, Sauder Africa, CBEL (Changemaker showcase)

• Internships: Sauder S3i (impact investing/iHub)• e@UBC Lean launchpad (mpact ventures)• CCS Innovation Hub/Sauder S3i

Impact Fund moving forward• Fall 2015 – fundraising

• 3 million by 2018• 2016 – begin funding, pipeline

examples:• Arbutus Medical – low cost surgical drills• Tapp Global – affordable, self-cleaning

water filter• Wize Monkey – coffee leaf tea

UBC Impact Seed FundQuestions?

jana.svedova@sauder.ubc.caSauderS3i.sauder.ubc.ca@SauderS3i