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5 SF Bay Area Funding Resources for Social Entrepreneurs [Green Business Academy]

Green for All‘s Capital Access Program recently convened a two-day event focused on serving social entrepreneurs. The event, titled the Green Business Academy, was held September 29th-30th 2011, was a no-cost event, and took place at the University of Phoenix campus in San Jose, California—located in the vicinity of two of Silicon Valley’s noted tech & innovation pillars, Cisco and eBay.The Green Business Academy gathered green business leaders, socially responsible (impact) investors, legal experts, and support institutions providing local resources including legal services and mentorship necessary to build a social enterprise.Green Business Academy Day 2: Impact Investor Panel

Green Business Academy impact investors panel

Day 2 of the Green Business Academy in San Jose kicked off with a panel of impact investment firms discussing types of funding resources available to local SF Bay Area social entrepreneurs and how to go about pursuing them.

The panelists included:


5 SF Bay Area Resources for Social Entrepreneurs

The panelists largely spoke about their organization’s focus and resources. Below are key points about each of the 5 local resources introduced.

1. Opportunity Fund (@OpportunityFund) is a non-profit organization that supports local entrepreneurship by providing small business loans to maintain and grow companies. It has lent more than $17M to small businesses throughout California.

Panelist Alex Dang mentioned that Opportunity Funds has primarily served 2 types of green businesses: 1) smaller businesses that have had to go green because of regulatory requirements, and which have in turn formed marketing opportunity with new green business models; and 2) businesses that have chosen to source products sustainability.

You can read about Opportunity Fund success stories from their clients.

2. Hub Ventures (@Hubventures) is a 12-week program providing funding and guidance to Bay area social entrepreneurs, based in Hub SoMa and Hub Berkeley. Participants refine business models and investor pitches and build broader networks through weekly sessions, and compete for $75K in seed funding, as decided by their peers.

Panelist Wes Selke mentioned that Hub Ventures is raising $3M in funding to expand the program.

You can browse through the recent cohort of social entrepreneurs from the last Hub Ventures session.

3. Toniic is an angel investor currently comprised of 30 investors in 5 countries, with 3 global chapters, and is growing. Toniic has placed 18 investments with other $3M over last year.

Investors are interested in funding “tranformational enterprises”–that seek to do well by doing good. Toniic funds social ventures across the globe addressing issues such as poverty and climate change.

You can view selected investments by Toniic.

4. Investor’s Circle (@InvestorsCircle) invests in early-stage social start-ups and works to grow its base of “patient capital” investors. Patient capital investors prioritize external rates of return and optimize internal rates of return. Investor’s Circle hosts 2 social venture fairs per year where entrepreneurs and investors meet to discuss potential investment.

You can read about recent presenters at Investor Circle venture fairs.

5. GreenVC (@GreenEconomy) aggregates news and resources on green venture capital, funding, and startups. It is a go-to place to learn about green incubator programs, green funding resources, upcoming events for social entrepreneurs, and registration discounts.

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The Hub: A Collaborative Workspace for Social Entrepreneurs [Video 360]

Cruise to the San Francisco Chronicle building in SF and you may discover something unexpected on the first floor. A Hub. Or, The Hub (SoMa) to be more specific.In exploring social innovation, a former colleague who is now deeply engaged in the field suggested checking out Hub SoMA. And no sooner did we sign in and enter the lobby–featuring trendy seating and a number of individuals hard at work on a late Thursday afternoon– did I begin to realize that this is no ordinary co-working space.

Take a look at the quick video showing a 360 degree view of the Hub SoMA to get the look & feel…and then read on to find out a few features that make the Hub unique and how it could be a useful tool for any entrepreneur exploring the social innovation space.


Funk and Soul


Alissa Walker wrote a great post on the Hub for Fast Company (“The Hub Bay Area: Where Change Agents Share Space and Ideas”) in which she overviews the Hub, its offerings, and sheds a little light on its history and design—including that it was designed with advice from the well-known design firm IDEO and under the direction of a local lead architect.

Visiting the Hub SoMA, I definitely picked up on vibes of funk and soul. Work tables on wheels, unique conference spaces, privacy booths for telephone calls (or very small meetings) and conference rooms complete with writable glass walls are all features that give it a funky, groovy feel. And the soul is the sheer diversity of individuals, organizations, causes, and ideas that flow through the airy space in any given moment.


Movement


Sans cubicles there is a lot of movement at the Hub. Literally. Walk around and you will see a CEO of one organization walking over to chat with a founder of a budding social venture. Or you may spot an blogger taking a break for tea and chatting with a developer stirring a latte. Wait until evening and you may see all of the desks and chairs shifted over to host a Hub workshop or networking event.  There is movement at the Hub—and that can be a welcome counterbalance to inertia that organizations and individuals may face when trying to think through a big idea.


en-Listing


Membership at the Hub requires committing to a monthly fee that enables you to use the space for a specific allotment of hours per month. The lowest increment is five hours per month for $25. Is it really worth it? One of the big adds in being a Hub member is being a member of the mailing list—and that may itself make the monthly fee worthwhile. Through the internal listserv you can post about your organization and receive updates on employment opportunities, upcoming events, volunteer activities, and social/health happenings.

Being a Hub member at SOMA also gives you access to Berkeley’s Hub (and vice versa).


Sexy Salad Wednesdays


A peek at Hub SoMA’s calendar  reveals a number of events—intended to inform, introduce, and entertain. Perhaps one of the most memorable events our host (and tour guide) for the afternoon mentioned was Sexy Salad Wednesdays. A time to bring the ingredients you have and share with others to create some healthy, delicious, and downright tempting fruit and veggie re-mixes.

The emphasis on social activity is a key feature of Hub membership. Just like communities aren’t based soley on work, the Hub organizers realize that social change is effectively fostered when it’s, well, social.

From a newly-minted Hub SOMA member, you are invited to take a tour, a peek, and perhaps partake in a sexy salad and consider joining a community of social innovators.


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