Month: February 2023

Spring Activator: Growing Impact with Values-Aligned Capital

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Post date February 28, 2023
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Money and impact can be the best of friends. Recognizing that generating a profit and doing good can actually live in harmony is an important step towards creating a better world where businesses are profitable, regenerative, and equitable.

Spring Activator launched in order to provide impact-driven founders with the guidance, tools, and community they need to build and grow their businesses. We spoke with Keith Ippel, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, and Caroline von Hirschberg, Co-CEO, about how this values-driven organization has evolved and grown to support entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystems around the world to make impact entrepreneurship mainstream.

Tell us about Spring Activator’s mission.

Spring Activator was founded in 2014 with a simple but bold mission: to accelerate and amplify the activities of purpose-driven leaders to create an equitable and resilient world that is regenerative by design.

We envision a world in which every business is an impact business, every investor is an impact investor, and where entrepreneurship and investment ecosystems drive regenerative innovation.

We act globally, leveraging our know-how to provide the tools, knowledge, network, and mentorship needed to change the world.

What inspired you/your founders to start Spring Activator?

Spring Activator was launched to give impact founders and companies access to the tools, training, resources, and capital that was previously only available to tech companies. In parallel, Spring wanted to give tech entrepreneurs and angel investors a way to share their voice in impact.

Spring Activator team members at Vancouver Investor Social

What were some of the challenges you/your founders encountered?

Early on it was apparent that convincing entrepreneurs, investors, and partners that companies could launch, grow, and create lasting positive impact and make money was actually possible.

We needed to work hard to convince people that impact entrepreneurs were out there, that they had great ideas to solve big problems, and that they could create momentum, success, and impact.

What do you consider your organization’s biggest success?

In almost 9 years, Spring Activator has worked in over 50 communities worldwide, supporting 2,100+ founders and 200+ investors, who have raised more than $30 million. We are helping entrepreneurs and investors create impact at scale.

What makes Spring Activator unique?

Our holistic and collaborative approach to creating change. Spring Activator partners with foundations, incubators, accelerators, governments, and donors to create, launch, and grow thriving innovation and entrepreneurial communities.

Authentic change within a system is complex, involving numerous stakeholders and interest groups. We see ourselves as a conduit between governmental institutions, who are primarily responsible for implementing top-down approaches to change, and the impact business and investment community, who are attempting to create positive change from the bottom-up through their products, services, processes, and capital.

Our mission of making impact entrepreneurship mainstream is in line with the B Corporation mandate of redefining successful businesses and inspiring organizations to not only be the best in, but for the world.

In September 2017, we became a Certified B Corporation. There are over 4,000 Certified B Corporations from more than 150 industries in 70+ countries. Spring Activator was also certified by the non-profit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. We’ve evaluated how our practices impact our employees, our community, the environment, and our customers.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

We are committed to helping entrepreneurs make a positive social and environmental impact through our programs, global community, and by unlocking access to values-aligned capital. We do this through creating positive social impact by helping to enable and support immigrant entrepreneurs as they grow their businesses in Canada, increasing access to capital for impact ventures and encouraging investors of all experience levels to approach venture capital (VC) through an impact lens, and ensuring that early stage impact entrepreneurs are supported and align their growth with impact.

Some of our initiatives include:

Spring’s Impact Startup Visa Accelerator Program, which supports cohorts of entrepreneurs from around the world to move to Canada, apply for Permanent Residence status, and build their venture in Canada through the Canadian Startup Visa immigration pathway.
Our Impact Investor Challenge. This program is a comprehensive, 11-week program with an investor track for individuals interested in impact investing and an entrepreneur track for early-stage, fundraising startups seeking investment. The program introduces investors and impact-curious individuals to impact entrepreneurs who are seeking funding for their impact-driven initiatives. To date, over $780,000 has been awarded in impact investments to Challenge winners and more than $15 million has been catalyzed to participants as a result of the program.
Our Discovery Foundation Business Activate Program, which is designed to offer early stage impact entrepreneurs the tools and resources they need to gain confidence in activating growth. Through this program, participants receive access to resources and expertise around funding, talent, digital marketing, and other key interest areas. The program includes monthly webinars, video tutorials, actionable worksheets, themed monthly sprints, and 1:1 support calls. Thanks to our sponsors, this program is offered at a low cost, or for free, thus increasing access for early stage entrepreneurs looking to build out their skills.

Additionally, as members of 1% for the Planet, we give one percent of our gross revenue and provide in-kind consultations to environmental not-for-profits. We also work towards meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily through SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.

How can capital be used as a force for positive change?

Capital can be used to invest in companies that are focused on delivering products, services, and/or technology that make the world a better place for people and the planet. Investing capital into companies dedicated to climate solutions, healthcare, education, the circular economy, sustainable food and agriculture, and sustainable retail and supply chain initiatives will help these companies accelerate their growth, success, and impact.

We can also use capital to support thematic approaches to positive changes, such as investing in businesses that are led by or serve underrepresented communities including women, BIPOC, rural and remote communities, and persons with disabilities. As a result of this, the Spring community represents 40% women and 75% BIPOC-led businesses, with 88% of the winners of our Impact Investor Challenges being women. By investing in these businesses, capital can move the dial on equitable access to funding and finance, leadership roles, jobs, and products and services.

In short, by using capital to invest in companies that actively make the world a better place, either in what they do or how they do it, capital becomes a massive force for positive change.

Tell us about Spring Activator‘s goals.

Spring Activator acts globally as a collaborative partner to guide and empower changemakers with high-impact knowledge, tools, and a network to help them thrive. Our services span training programs, capacity-building, mentorship, advisory services, and more. No matter where you are on your impact journey – from impact-curious to impact-committed – we invite you to become a part of the Spring Community.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

The Women-led Impact Investor Challenge, presented by the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good, is our most recent Impact Investor Challenge cohort.

This challenge focuses on stimulating impact investing in women-led impact businesses by facilitating connections between those looking for purpose-based investments with women founders working on solutions to local and global problems. The goal is to promote gender diversity in the impact investor and startup ecosystem. The competition includes a cohort of aspiring and serial impact investors and a group of 15 women founders seeking funding. After a series of pitches, the cohort of investors puts forward a $100,000+ investment to the winning women-led company.

In 2023, Spring Activator will be collaborating with Foresight Canada, Cycle Canada, and HSBC Foundation to run the inaugural Quebec Cleantech Investor Challenge.

We are also excited about the launch of the Spring Investing Collective – an organic extension of the Impact Investor Challenge. This collective will bring together impact investors and high-growth entrepreneurs seeking funding to facilitate deal flow, connections, and foster impact-driven innovation. This community-centric approach to capital is something we see as missing in the world of VC.

On the entrepreneur side, the Impact Startup Visa Program (ISV) remains one of our largest programs. ISV combines a traditional startup program with processes and support to help entrepreneurs solidify their business in Canada. The ISV Program operates under the banner of Canada’s Start-Up Visa – a Canadian immigration channel.

What do you most want people to know about Spring Activator?

Spring exists to change the world through innovation, and we love to roll up our sleeves and get to work with investors and entrepreneurs to make that happen.

How can people help or contribute to your organization’s mission?

Become an impact investor! Become a partner!

We run programs like the Impact Investor Challenge to grow the impact investor community and introduce investors and impact-curious individuals into impact investing by providing a learning experience that culminates in making an actual investment in a high-impact company. The program not only educates investors, but helps fund impact entrepreneurs so they can change the world through innovation.

This story was featured in the Make The World Better Magazine:

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Tags Amplify Good, Make the World Better, MTWB, Spring Activator, Vancouver

COIL | Our Food Future: Getting it Right on a Local Level

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Post date February 15, 2023
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Big things can happen when you start small and the path to achieving ambitious national or international net-zero targets requires getting things right on a local level first.

We spoke with Andrew Telfer, Lead, Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad and Development, about two circular economy initiatives: Our Food Future and COIL and how the combination of collaboration, a “think and do” attitude and strategic funding have helped them accelerate climate-smart efforts through building an inclusive circular food system and advance the economy toward net-zero.

Tell us about Guelph-Wellington Smart Cities’ mission.

Smart Cities (Guelph-Wellington) is a collaborative committed to driving circular economy development utilizing its local place-based urban-rural testbed. Our developed best practices, learned lessons, and discovered obstacles are shared with other cities and regions across the country to accelerate the shift to a circular economy (CE) across Canada.

We lead two CE-building initiatives: Our Food Future and Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad (COIL).

Our Food Future, unveiled in mid-2019, is creating and implementing a robust circular food system in the Guelph-Wellington area of Ontario. We have four focus areas: reduce food waste; increase food access; drive circular collaborations; and affect systems-level change. Our Food Future includes 45+ currently-active or past projects. Projects, innovations, and ideas are tested and piloted in our living CE lab.

COIL, announced in spring of 2021, is an innovation platform and network aimed at developing, proving, and scaling transformative solutions that will move Canada toward a prosperous, low-carbon circular economy. It contains a comprehensive suite of programs, tools, and resources developed to achieve our goals of embedding and accelerating circularity through businesses and organizations, as well as across supply chains and material streams. Our resources include an accelerator, an incubator, upcycled-product certification, innovation challenges, CE-learning curriculum, material flow analyses, as well as other circular economy advancing programs and tools.

What inspired you to start your organization?

Our Food Future, our flagship initiative, was inspired by Infrastructure Canada’s Smart Cities Challenge to build upon our region’s (City of Guelph and County of Wellington) strengths in agri-food and environmentalism. Our region is an internationally-recognized hub of food innovation, production, and processing; the City has goals to become a net-zero community and to use 100% renewable energy in all its facilities by 2050; and the County has the largest municipal tree-planting program in North America – with over two million trees planted.

Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad (COIL) was inspired by our efforts with respect to business and organization collaboration under Our Food Future. We quickly realized that there was a growing need to help enterprises understand circular economy principles and implement related thinking in their processes and planning. We announced COIL in April 2021 and launched our first set of CE-building programs by the end of that summer.

What were some of the challenges you encountered?

The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest challenge we have encountered. We started our first efforts under Our Food Future in mid-2019, and the pandemic’s full effect struck 6-8 months later. Many programs had to be moved online and delivered with new approaches, with planning meetings and collaboration events being held via video conferences – and they all had to be just as engaging as if held in person. We persisted and, to this day, our stakeholders remain committed to our shared vision.

What do you consider to be Guelph-Wellington Smart Cities’ biggest success?

Collaboration. The Smart Cities (Guelph-Wellington) team is fewer than 10 full-time people. We rely heavily on the enthusiastic efforts of our collaborators. We have both local and national subject-matter-expert networks, and locally and provincially, we work with our City and County colleagues, social enterprises, innovative businesses, resource producers, and related academics. Across Canada, we stay connected with other leading circular economy organizations to ensure our priorities and efforts are aligned. Collaboration is key as it ensures incremental value is truly delivered and that there is little to no duplication of work. Best practices and learnings can quickly and easily be shared along established stakeholder networks so that developed knowledge can inform the current priorities and actions of all involved.

What makes your organization unique?

Our attachment to both the City of Guelph and the County of Wellington makes us unique, provides us a distinct perspective, and allows us to experiment within an urban-rural municipal setting. Our organization is a collaborative between two local governments, many community agencies, and multiple business leaders. We have an executive director, however we follow a distributed leadership model with a focus on community-capacity building.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

Smart Cities (Guelph-Wellington) helps affect positive change in the world by sharing our circular economy expertise and experience. We know that circularity is an improved economic model versus a linear one – a circular economy is more efficient, uses resources more productively, and protects biodiversity. We also know that the shift to a circular economy is essential to achieve net-zero targets, as simply transitioning to renewables is not enough to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions going into our atmosphere. How we help make the world better is by acting on this knowledge. Our organization shares its work and impact with other communities and municipalities so that they understand both the urgency for and the opportunity of a circular economy.

We use our expertise and experience to educate businesses and organizations across supply chains and within material streams on how circular practices and systems-thinking can help reduce both their costs and their impact on the environment. We consider ourselves a “think and do” organization – we learn from testing ideas and piloting projects, and we share our gained knowledge with others in an effort to broaden and accelerate actions that will drive the circular economy across Canada and around the world.

Our work helps identify the strongest ideas and innovations that have the greatest positive impact on the development of the circular economy in Canada.

How can capital be used as a force for positive change?

We are a not-for-profit organization. Our circular economy initiatives are primarily funded by Infrastructure Canada (Our Food Future) and Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad). We receive in-kind support from the City of Guelph and the County of Wellington in the form of services such as legal, IT, finance, and HR – as well as office space. Some of our specific efforts and research projects have received support from private-sector funders such as Co-operators, Desjardins (GoodSpark Fund), Maple Leaf Foods, and Scotiabank (Net Zero Research Fund). On a larger scale, both public and private sectors provide capital to support organizations, such as ours, to boost circular economy development, as they have identified the economic, environmental, and social benefits of such efforts. Then, the capital can be deployed further to enterprises in the form of educational programming or innovation funding to test new ideas, products, or practices. Our work helps identify the strongest ideas and innovations that have the greatest positive impact on the development of the circular economy in Canada.

Thank you to the governments and businesses who have recognized the need for change and who have provided capital to positively affect it.

Tell us about Guelph-Wellington Smart Cities‘ goals.

Our goal is to accelerate the transition to a circular economy across Canada, rather than continue with the current linear take-make-waste economic model. Not only will a circular economy be more productive and efficient in its use of resources, but it is also essential for our country to achieve its net-zero targets under its climate plan.

Specific to Our Food Future, our goal is to build a technology-enabled and modern circular food economy in Guelph-Wellington, Ontario: a more resilient model where we reimagine an inclusive food-secure ecosystem where access to affordable, nutritious food is increased by 50%; where surplus and excess materials are perceived as resources and not “waste;” where at least 50 new circular businesses and/or collaborations are created; and where circular economic revenues are increased by 50%.

With COIL, our goal is to accelerate climate-smart circularity through businesses, organizations, supply chains, and material streams. We began our efforts in the food and construction, renovation and demolition sectors, however our goal is to advance circular- and systems-thinking across all segments of the economy.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

We’re very proud to share that COIL has recently been granted $100,000 from Scotiabank’s Net Zero Research Fund to develop a circular economy assessment methodology to identify, evaluate, and validate the best innovations and practices that will accelerate circularity. We are piloting our project in the agriculture sector as there is no current method available for firms, NGOs, investors, and policymakers to recognize, assess, and incent the development of innovative practices. Our research work, focused on regenerative farming, will be field-tested in our local living lab here in Guelph-Wellington. Our newly developed methodology will then be replicated in other sectors to ensure that related efforts and funding will support only the strongest climate-smart ideas, innovations, and practices to advance a new circular economy.

What do you most want people to know about your organization?

Smart Cities (Guelph-Wellington) is here to help. Everything we do is in service to drive the transition to a circular economy across Canada. With Our Food Future, we share our developed best practices, lessons learned, and identified obstacles with all interested cities and regions so that they can work more quickly in their development of a local circular food system, and we have communicated our work and its impact on both national and international stages. With COIL, we provide funding, education, and a network to help companies and organizations either start on or move along the path toward circularity.

How can people help or contribute to your organization’s mission?

It starts with rethinking waste. We must stop perceiving products at the end of their life-cycle as garbage, but rather as materials that can be used as resources for new and essential items. Our improved perception doesn’t just apply to consumer products – this new lens also concerns buildings, cars, industrial goods, etc. The less we have to go back to the Earth for its resources, and the more we reuse and recycle materials diverted from landfills, the better off we will all be.

This story was featured in the Make The World Better Magazine:

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Tags Amplify Good, COIL, Food, Make the World Better, MTWB, Vancouver

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Vancity: Challenging Norms and Building Lasting Impact

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Post date February 15, 2023
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Andrea Harris, VP of Impact Strategy at Vancity

Thinking differently about economic participation and prosperity means being willing to challenge deeply embedded norms. While many Canadian financial services firms have only recently tried to integrate more purpose into their practice, Vancity is well down the track of building lasting positive change for people and the planet as a normal course of business.

We spoke with Andrea Harris, VP of Impact Strategy, about how this Vancouver-based financial co-operative is leading with their values without sacrificing profit.

Tell us about Vancity’s mission.

As a values-based financial co-operative, Vancity is committed to transforming how banking is done so we can help our members and their communities thrive financially, socially, and environmentally. This means that we use finance as a force for good to create lasting positive impact for people and the planet.

What inspired your founders to start your organization?

Canadian credit unions were established in the early 20th century, emerging at a time when traditional banks made it difficult for the average citizen to borrow or invest. Most credit unions formed around a common bond, such as a workplace, trade, church, or ethnic affiliation – which made sense since the original idea behind credit unions was to lend money on the basis of character, rather than wealth or property.

Although these common-bond credit unions increased access to credit among the working class, they still left out some groups in society. Frustrated by this, the founders of Vancity began promoting the idea of an open-bond credit union, one that was available to any resident, regardless of background. It was an unorthodox idea, but it had many supporters. And in 1946, this idea turned into reality with the creation of Vancouver City Savings Credit Union (Vancity), now the largest credit union in Canada.

What do you consider to be Vancity’s biggest success?

Since our founding, we’ve worked to widen economic participation and help our members and the communities they live in solve real-life problems and close barriers to economic participation.

Our close connections with the community and our ability to act quickly in times of crisis have allowed Vancity to provide support in ways usually limited to non-profits.

When COVID-19 broke out, we knew how we needed to respond. We supported our communities by pushing our governments to introduce broader support for everyone who was financially impacted by the pandemic. We also helped our members divert money to immediate life needs by reducing credit card interest rates to zero, deferring loan and credit card payments, and temporarily waiving fees for online and telephone transactions.

The Ryder: a 40-unit affordable rental community in Hope, BC that now houses seniors, people working entry- to mid-level jobs, people with disabilities, and small families.

What makes Vancity unique?

We often have to remind people that Vancity is not a philanthropic charity. We are a for-profit co-operative. But thinking about the impact of our actions on people and the planet is ingrained both in how we make our profits as well as what we do with them.

We share 30% of our net profits with members and community groups every year. By the end of 2022, we will have distributed $31.9 million between our members and into partnerships to address broad and systemic needs in communities.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

At Vancity, we’ve translated our values into ethical principles that govern all our business decisions, and we put policies in place that guide different teams in applying these principles to their decisions. We have such policies across our business lending, community investment, and procurement.

When we’re looking at a business loan application, for example, we apply a holistic assessment process. We do what every financial institution does: we look at the financial risks and returns. But at the same time, we also look at the impact that putting our members’ capital into a project will have with respect to people and the planet. We ask ourselves whether this aligns with our values, and we apply a specific set of guidelines to our assessment.

In your opinion, how can capital be a force for good?

Financial institutions and organizations with huge capital have the power to affect systemic change, and there are many ways of doing that. For example, Vancity uses shareholder engagement to push other companies to act on climate, inequality, racism, and discrimination.

With trillions of dollars under their control globally, financial institutions have a critical role to play in addressing the climate emergency and transitioning to a clean economy. This includes changing what they fund – moving away from emissions-heavy industries to cleaner jobs and industries – and factoring climate risks and social benefits into their financial planning and reporting, their assessment of loan requests, and their investment decisions.

Soroptimist Apartment House: 135 units of affordable housing in Vancouver.

Tell us about Vancity’s goals.

We have a vision of a transformed economy that protects the earth and guarantees equity for all. Our strategy to build a clean and fair world involves learning to become a proactively anti-racist organization, while continuing to oppose discrimination, promote Reconciliation, and widen access to financial opportunity and prosperity.

One of the ways we try to achieve that is by creating a roadmap for delivering on our climate commitment of reaching net-zero by 2040 – meaning that by 2040, the greenhouse gas emissions from Vancity’s lending portfolio (mostly commercial and residential properties) will be eliminated or significantly reduced.

For us, commitments to net-zero are worth zero without a focus on people. We’re trying to support our members and their communities in becoming resilient, like in the face of more extreme weather events, for example.

To ensure Reconciliation is embedded into every aspect of Vancity, we added Reconciliation as a core value back in 2016 and created an Indigenous Banking Strategy. This is not a one-and-done program, but a process that continues to be improved as we support our Indigenous partners – from how we distribute grants, to how we serve members, and how we work to advance Reconciliation.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

For many years, Vancity has worked with organizations that help people living along the housing continuum: from emergency shelters through to transitional and subsidized housing, cooperatives, below-market rentals, and property ownership.

Since 2011, the Vancity Affordable Housing Accelerator Fund has supported the development of 4,450 affordable rental homes by providing 75 loans for 59 unique housing projects developed by 31 non-profit housing organizations. In 2021, 3,150 units of affordable housing were constructed or renovated with financing from Vancity.

We are also working with non-profit housing partners to make homes more comfortable and sustainable. Our Non-Profit Housing Retrofit Program is available to hundreds of non-profit housing providers across BC, and aims to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and boost the overall sustainability of BC’s affordable housing stock.

What do you most want people to know about Vancity?

We are a member-owned financial cooperative that puts the needs of its members first. We are not accountable to large shareholders and we don’t maximize profits at all costs. Since 1994, Vancity has distributed more than $422.3 million to members and communities. We want to have a positive impact on people and the planet, while continuing to be profitable.

Mount Douglas Manor: 35 studios, and 48 one-bedroom units specifically built to house lower-income independent seniors in Saanich.

How can people help or contribute to Vancity’s mission?

It’s important for people to know where their money goes and make responsible choices when it comes to their investments. Vancity offers only 100% socially responsible investments, but there are also many other options available that allow you to invest in line with your values.

Outside of your investment choices, another way to contribute to Vancity’s mission is to support local businesses wherever possible. And if you are a business owner, remember that how you choose to run your business matters.

For Vancity, every decision in our organization needs to have an impact lens alongside the profit lens. Other businesses and organizations can do this as well by setting impact-based business targets alongside their profit targets.

This story was featured in the Make The World Better Magazine:

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Tags Amplify Good, Make the World Better, MTWB, Vancity, Vancouver

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Una Terra: Fighting Climate Change with Impact Investing

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Post date February 15, 2023
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In the world of venture capital, financial returns reign supreme. While that remains true, there is a better path forward where passion, purpose, and profits converge into a model that ultimately produces a win for the planet as well as for investors.

Una Terra Venture Capital Fund was founded in order to champion the commercial solutions needed to create a sustainable world. We spoke with Chiara Covone, COO and Founding Partner, about how this European-headquartered venture capital fund is improving the world, one investment at a time.

Tell us about Una Terra Venture Capital Fund’s mission.

Una Terra Venture Capital Fund is on a mission to empower and endorse positive and sustainable change through backing the most promising sustainable technologies. As a venture capital (VC) fund, our vision is to combine focused strategy with passionate people and smart capital, with the aim of eliminating greenwashing and creating real change.

With climate change mitigation and biodiversity recovery in a race against time, Una Terra believes the next 10 years are critical for humanity. Radical acceleration in the adoption and scaling of sustainable technologies is required to achieve global targets.

What inspired you and your co-founders to start Una Terra?

Eager to make a difference, the founders started investing in companies that could accelerate solutions to climate change, but they were frustrated by the structure of the funding and decided there must be a better solution. As such, the germ of an idea – a fund focused on driving and supporting sustainable green tech and innovation – began to form in their minds. Luca Zerbini, Costas Papikonomou and I got together and decided to establish a fund that championed sustainability.

Founders (left to right): Chiara Covone, Chief Operating Officer; Luca A. Zerbini, Chief Executive Officer; Costas Papikonomou, Chief Investment Officer

What were some of the challenges you/your founders encountered?

Setting up a fund in Luxembourg was a lengthy process. Luxembourg is rated AAA for good reason – the due diligence behind the setup of the fund is incredible, something that many fund managers may be put off by because of the complexity of the process. Creating the right founding team was also a very interesting journey and we landed on a team that is very strong, and that shares the same vision and passion towards building a successful ESG fund where you don’t need to choose between profit and planet.

What do you consider to be your organization’s biggest success?

When it comes to the Una Terra Venture Capital Fund, we combine focused strategy with passionate people and smart capital.

Using our extensive experience, we work closely with startups, giving them hands-on support to actively help them scale up. The result? No green wishing, just green impact. This is our biggest success.

What makes Una Terra Venture Capital Fund unique?

Our edge is that we are commercially-viable innovators at heart.

In too many well-intended ESG startups and scaleups, we see good money going after bad. At Una Terra we hunt for ideas grounded in the commercial rigor required to be successful. Our founding team each brings over 20 years of experience in scaling products and services in the most competitive markets on earth.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

We only have one habitable planet, and climate change and biodiversity loss are threatening this beautiful world we live in. We are racing against time!

Una Terra (Italian for One Earth) is committed to scaling and accelerating the adoption of ideas the world needs more of – today! Our commitment is to reduce CO2 emissions by 2 GT per year from the environment and 5% of plastic waste in the oceans by 2030. We can achieve this through our portfolio companies, by helping them with a full-fledged team to accelerate growth and impact.

How can capital be used as a force for positive change?

There are only eight large funds in Europe that are dedicated to the ESG agenda. This is a ridiculously small number. Despite the explosion in sustainability-themed investments, only a small percentage goes to highly disruptive businesses that are sector-shaping and fast-scaling through innovation. In fact, over US$30 trillion is flowing into large cap companies with questionable ESG credentials (according to the Global Sustainable Investment Review), while very little (around $0.2 trillion) is going to innovative growth companies and potential impact unicorns, whose business models are inherently impact-driven. Una Terra Venture Capital Fund’s ambition is to help shift investment to where it is most impactful and meaningful.

Our commitment is to reduce CO2 emissions by 2 GT per year from the environment and 5% of plastic waste in the oceans by 2030. We can achieve this through our portfolio companies, by helping them with a full-fledged team to accelerate growth and impact.

Tell us about Una Terra Venture Capital Fund’s goals.

Una Terra aims to raise €300 million (C$430 million) to back and fuel European ESG startups and scaleups as the world looks to environmentally friendly innovations to create real change. We are focused on accelerating the adoption of today’s proven technologies and creating ecosystems for companies to flourish and have a positive impact on the world.

Ultimately, Una Terra’s goal is to mitigate climate change and support biodiversity restoration through the latest available technologies.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

We are extremely proud and excited about the Una Terra Venture Capital Fund. Not only does it bring together a diverse founding partner team of very accomplished professionals and friends, but also allows us to bring to fruition our proven commercial, financial, and operational capabilities to accelerate the profitable growth of ESG scaleups and transform entire industries that have an impact on climate change mitigation and biodiversity restoration.

For a couple of years, we prepared for this – listening to the advice of limited partners (LPs) and investors, we created the best possible Luxembourg-based fund, investing in various startups, assembling an incredible team, creating strong connections with impressive founders across Europe and beyond.

We are convinced that Una Terra will be the platform to invest in sustainable innovation, and truly have an impact for our only planet and our children.

What do you most want people to know about Una Terra Venture Capital Fund?

We scout for demand-side transformation, that is products and services with proven market pull, that are generating revenue and are scalable.

Our stringent selection, based on measurable impact and commerce-focused due diligence, allows us to identify impact scaleups. All companies selected for investment have commercially viable products or services that businesses and consumers can immediately put to good use.

Our fund is Article 9 compliant and B Corp pending. We are proud to be recognized as the “Innovative Fund For Our Future” by the World Economic Forum, out of a long list of other global funds.

How can people help or contribute to your organization’s mission?

Follow us on LinkedIn and get in touch! We strongly believe in joining forces to help make the transition to more sustainable technologies smooth and the best choice for everyone.

This story was featured in the Make The World Better Magazine:

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Harvest Impact: Nourishing a Circular Food Network

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Post date February 15, 2023
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Food is not only central to many of our lives, but when paired with innovative and equitable approaches to finance, it can drive social, environmental and economic change.

Harvest Impact, a social finance offering of 10C Shared Space, was launched to nourish circular economy initiatives and build a truly equitable, community-driven circular food network. We spoke with Julia Grady, Executive Director, about how this Canadian fund is investing with impact, providing support to entrepreneurs and demonstrating what’s possible when smart communities invest in themselves.

Tell us about 10C Shared Space and Harvest Impact’s mission.

10C Shared Space (10C) is a non-profit social change hub for those engaged in collaborative work to improve the wellbeing and vitality of our urban-rural community, which extends from Guelph and Wellington County across Southern Ontario.

The 10C team helps create platforms (physical, virtual, networks and financial) that support those working to create change, providing conditions for community members, practitioners, and researchers to explore ideas; create, test, and sustain new initiatives; and make discoveries. With this work, we aim to shift attitudes and behaviours and strengthen community resilience.

Harvest Impact is one of 10C’s social finance offerings designed to support the growth and development of a strong and equitable circular food economy by investing in sustainability-driven entrepreneurs. To achieve a successful circular food network, Harvest Impact aims to spark circular food economy initiatives, offer mentorship, network connecting, impact measurement, project funding and financing.

The Harvest Impact Fund provides agricultural, food and environmental startups with small business lending from $2,500 to $50,000, while offering direct, impactful investment opportunities to local investors, allowing them to secure a more equitable and sustainable food system in their own backyard.

When combined, Harvest Impact and 10C offer emerging circular food economy enterprises ways to incubate, test, develop, and finance new businesses and products in the food, farm, and environment sectors.

What inspired you and your co-founders to start your organization?

10C was founded in 2008 with a goal to “create space for change.” Back then, we saw that it was challenging for groups, individuals, and organizations to come together to collaborate. The founders also saw that core infrastructure such as spaces, places, content, networks and access to funding and financing could be best shared across multiple organizations.

10C’s core themes of authenticity, risk-taking, innovation, collaboration, reciprocity, and connection naturally extend to Harvest Impact, which is designed to provide new community-based social financing opportunities.

Harvest Impact was originally seeded by Our Food Future in 2018–19 as a result of Guelph-Wellington’s successful Smart Cities Challenge, and is funded by the Government of Canada. As a flagship project of this wider initiative, Harvest Impact was launched in 2019, with a goal to develop financial processes to invest in local enterprises, and demonstrate the opportunities, innovation, and more sustainable food futures that are possible when smart communities invest in themselves.

The concept for this delicious bread is rooted in the principles of the Circular Food Economy. This healthy and nutritious local food product reduces waste and reimagines how ingredients can be used, particularly with the use of spent grain, a key ingredient from Fixed Gear Brewing Company in Guelph.

What were some of the challenges the founders encountered?

Our core challenge can best be summed up as “building the airplane while in the air.” Creating Harvest Impact has been time and labour intensive, with simultaneous learning and ecosystem building.

To date, we have created robust infrastructure to provide outreach as well as project and investor intake. This includes building processes within the Harvest Impact team to support and review project applications, conduct financial due diligence, and manage investees throughout a financing cycle. We are essentially creating a community lending institution, and while doing so, are mindful of not simply replicating processes that create barriers to participation.

What do you consider to be 10C Shared Space and Harvest Impact’s biggest success?

Harvest Impact builds upon 10C’s experience of providing investment opportunities that deliver a social impact with a financial return.

A community bond financing model enabled 10C, as a grassroots non-profit, to purchase and redevelop a landmark property. Through its real estate-backed community bond campaign, 10C has raised and maintained $2.3 million in social financing. In addition to a variety of social and environmental benefits, the 10C Community Bond Series delivers predictable and consistent financial returns of 2.5–4.5% to its 140+ investors.

What makes your organization unique?

As a living lab for social change, 10C provides the conditions for community members, practitioners and researchers, working in collaboration, to explore ideas, create, test and sustain new initiatives, while making discoveries. This work will shift attitudes and behaviours and strengthen community resilience.

Inter-related programming within 10C, such as Nourish, a shared commercial kitchen and incubation facility, as well as our role as the long-term operator of the Guelph Farmers’ Market, which serves 100+ local food and arts vendors year-round, illustrate the opportunities for us to weave together food, entrepreneurship, and access to financing.

Within this ecosystem, Harvest Impact places special emphasis on supporting entrepreneurs (including non-profits) that experience barriers or may not be considered creditworthy by mainstream financial institutions.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

As a social finance fund, Harvest Impact works directly with entrepreneurs, learning about their projects and working to find the right solutions for their financing needs.

The Harvest Impact team can extend support throughout the lifecycle of the business, which includes anything from mentorship to helping businesses identify the best ways to bring an idea to fruition, testing and evaluating prototypes, making the right connections with well-suited collaborative partners, supporting external promotion and network connections, and more.

Within 10C, we also provide value by helping companies measure their social impact in accordance with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Building impact measurement capacity offers credibility for our investees and provides value to prospective investors, who are looking for impactful social and environmental financial opportunities.

Harvest Impact offers a compelling example of capital being used to decrease barriers and provide place-based community-supported solutions to early-stage financing. To date, in our first year of lending, Harvest Impact has made 12 loans valued at $115,000, with plans to increase this by 3x in the next year.

How can capital be used as a force for positive change?

Access to capital is key for small businesses, social enterprises, and non-profits. We frequently hear good entrepreneurs reflect on the challenges and discomforts of applying for financing in the mainstream financial system to grow their enterprises.

Harvest Impact offers a compelling example of capital being used to decrease barriers and provide place-based community-supported solutions to early-stage financing. To date, in our first year of lending, Harvest Impact has made 12 loans valued at $115,000, with plans to increase this by 3x in the next year.

As the Infrastructure Lead to the nationally-oriented Circular Opportunities Innovation Launchpad (COIL), Harvest Impact has also directed over $1.2 million in grant funds to organizations, offering a blend of funding and financing. The Harvest Impact team has also led and contributed to over $7 million in successful external funding applications with ecosystems, local non-profits, charities, and unincorporated Indigenous collaborators. This work is knitting stronger networks and creating social and environmental change.

Harvest Impact is delighted to support holistic nutritionist Beck’s Broth to scale a healthy cacao and pasture fed beef bone broth product in returnable glass jars. From start to finish, this product embraces the principles of a circular food economy.

Tell us about 10C Shared Space and Harvest Impact ‘s goals.

A robust circular food economy can’t exist without the ideas of innovative investees, and we connect daily with change-making individuals, entrepreneurs, and businesses. Our collective team has engaged more than 150 food businesses in Guelph-Wellington and southern Ontario that are working on circular food economy solutions – and we believe that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Harvest Impact will create a steady stream of circular food businesses through consistent outreach, education, and engagement, linking applicants to both granting and lending streams.

We are excited about opportunities to collaborate with established and emerging social finance intermediaries in Ontario and beyond, to explore syndication on larger loans, opportunities for convertible debt, and the potential for granting as part of its core offerings.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

Currently, Harvest Impact is undertaking a capital demand survey to identify tangible local demand for various types of capital and other supports.

While engaging our client base, we will create new social impact investment products that are available to accredited and non-accredited investors alike, who want their investments to support a sustainable and resilient local food system.

Harvest Impact has current capacity to finance new projects and will increase its community lending across the next year, with intake and enterprise engagement already underway.

In 2023, 10C will launch Harvest Impact Community Bonds with a target of raising $2.5 million to be used as loan capital for Harvest Impact investee companies. These funds will provide equitable access to capital for a growing network of food, farm, and environment sector enterprises (including non-profits and social enterprises) who are building Southern Ontario’s circular food economy.

What do you most want people to know about your organization?

Harvest Impact Fund provides agricultural, food, and environmental innovators with social lending, while offering direct, impactful investment opportunities to local investors.

By offering sustainability-driven food entrepreneurs financing, funding, learning, mentorship, impact measurement, and network support, we aim to help circular food companies emerge and flourish.

How can people help or contribute to your Harvest Impact’s mission?

If you’re an individual, entrepreneur, or business with a circular food economy idea, we’d love to hear from you!

If you’re an individual, business, or foundation looking to place social purpose capital to enhance community, Harvest Impact could be the opportunity you’ve been looking for!

Learn more about Harvest Impact at www.harvestimpact.ca

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Foresight Canada: Accelerating Canada Toward Net-Zero

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Post date February 15, 2023
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Climate change is a global issue that requires major collaboration. Finding strong teammates to help cleantech companies scale and enact the solutions that will accelerate our way to a cleaner world is no small task.

Foresight Canada is committed to sparking change by championing the commercialization and adoption of Canadian cleantech innovation. We spoke with Jeanette Jackson, CEO, about this organization’s bold goals and extensive efforts to accelerate climate innovation and propel Canada to the forefront of the global cleantech stage.

Jeanette Jackson, CEO of Foresight Canada.

Tell us about Foresight Canada’s mission.

Foresight is Canada’s cleantech accelerator. Our audacious goal is to see Canada become the first G7 nation to achieve net-zero.

Our programs and initiatives are focused on three strategic priorities: Acceleration, Adoption, and Ecosystem Development.

Foresight’s flagship Acceleration programs help entrepreneurs commercialize their clean technologies, and prepare for adoption and export. Through mentorship, education programs, investor introductions, and networking events, we help cleantech ventures get to market faster. Our programs have helped more than 870 companies validate, commercialize, and scale their cleantech solutions. Those companies have gone on to create more than 7,040 green jobs for Canadians, equaling more than $2 billion in economic impact for Canada.

We also run Innovation Challenges that connect industry or governments facing sustainability hurdles with market-ready cleantech solution providers. So far, we have successfully run 52 Innovation Challenges which have resulted in the removal of nearly 69 Mt of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the atmosphere.

Through all of our activities, we are focused on growing a comprehensive Canadian cleantech ecosystem. Tackling climate change requires teamwork and collaboration across sectors, and Foresight is committed to bringing together a national network of changemakers that will accelerate Canada’s path to net-zero.

What inspired you/your co-founders to start your organization?

Foresight Canada was founded in 2013 by a group of passionate cleantech professionals who recognized the increasing challenges climate change would pose to Canada and the rest of the world.

I initially joined as an Executive in Residence in 2015, directly working with ventures to support their growth. Since then, I have been consistently inspired by the many innovators and entrepreneurs who have utilized Foresight’s programs and initiatives to develop solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change. Now, I and the team at Foresight are driven by the vision that Canada will be a global leader in deploying climate solutions, inspiring other nations to follow our path to net-zero.

What were some of the challenges your founders encountered?

As a non-profit, the biggest challenge we face is the volume of demand for our programs and services, while trying to work within the means of our budget. The team at Foresight works on many projects “off the side of their desks,” all of which we consider to be critical to Canada’s net-zero transition. We are a passionate group, entrepreneurially-minded, and strive to go the extra mile to drive Canada towards a greener future.

Within Canadian cleantech, there is both a need for capital support and for programming that drives domestic demand. At Foresight, we’re working to address these challenges through investor-related programming, such as Investor Readiness workshops, investor matchmaking, and curated pitch events. But to reach our audacious goal, more capital and support needs to be injected into Canada’s cleantech ecosystem. This could come in the form of additional project funding, other non-equity based capital structures, or streamlined procedures to propel the cleantech sector forward.

From our experience working directly with growing cleantech ventures, this type of support could go a long way in mitigating the challenges we, and the greater Canadian cleantech ecosystem, continue to face.

What do you consider to be Foresight Canada’s biggest success?

In June 2022, Foresight-supported cleantech ventures collectively reached unicorn status, raising over $1 billion in capital. Not only is this a major achievement for Foresight, but it also shows the strength of Canada’s cleantech sector and the opportunity for Canadian leadership on a global cleantech stage. Shortly after we reached this milestone, we saw BC-based cleantech venture, Nexii, become the fastest Canadian venture to reach unicorn status on their own. It’s clear the sector is accelerating rapidly, and we expect it to grow exponentially over the next several years.

Foresight is directly supporting this growth through curated investor matchmaking events, regular investment preparedness workshops, investor showcase events like our Foresight 50 initiative, and pitch opportunities like our Demo Day events.

Securing investments, especially at the early stage, is a major barrier facing many Canadian cleantech entrepreneurs, and a challenge we need to overcome if we are to position Canada as a long term leader in supplying solutions to the global transition. To see our alumni companies’ economic impact pushed into the billions is indicative that we are on track to do just that.

What makes your organization unique?

At Foresight, we recognize that innovation can’t exist in a vacuum. That’s why we’re focused on bringing together innovators, investors, industry, governments, and academia (our Helix 5 partners) to build the most efficient and effective path to net-zero.

We combine learning programs, world-class matchmaking events, investor introductions, insightful ecosystem reports, and industry challenges with ongoing alumni support to help Canadian ventures through every stage of their journey, from ideation through commercialization.

We have made unprecedented progress in supporting and growing the Canadian cleantech ecosystem. The track record of our alumni companies is proof of our ability to validate, commercialize, and scale market-ready solutions and innovations.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

Through our acceleration programs, innovation challenges, and ecosystem building, Foresight is playing a crucial role in carving the country’s path to net-zero.

Since 2016, our programs have supported ventures to reduce a projected 68.9+ Mt of GHG emissions – the equivalent annual emissions of 2,000 jumbo jets.

We are very proud to have played a role in the removal of those emissions and to support cleantech ventures that are bringing world-changing innovation to the global stage, but we know we have a long way to go to achieve a net-zero economy. We are confident that the ventures we support, through our Innovation Challenges and Acceleration programming, will continue to deploy their climate solutions around the world to leave a better future for generations to come.

We are strategizers, ecosystem mappers, and partnership builders enabling Canada to win the net-zero race.

How can capital be used as a force for positive change?

Last year, Foresight completed a national survey of cleantech ventures, who identified raising capital as one of the biggest areas of support needed to grow and scale their innovation. In response, Foresight launched our Investor Readiness workshops to educate our ventures on how to prepare and pitch their solutions to investors. We also ramped up our efforts to plan and host matchmaking events, like our Foresight 50 initiative, that facilitate connections and often result in partnerships, pilot opportunities, and the deployment of capital. Last year’s Foresight 50 companies went on to collectively raise $593 million in capital support to help propel their cleantech solutions forward.

Cleantech investments such as this accelerate the commercialization and scaling of critical technologies. Once these technologies are deployed, they can demonstrate value to new investors and clients, creating a cycle of increasing support for the cleantech ecosystem.

Through increased capital investments into Canadian cleantech innovations, we can reduce emissions around the world with made-in-Canada solutions, potentially mitigating the worst effects of climate change.

Tell us about Foresight Canada’s goals.

When the Group of Seven (G7) announced their collective commitment to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, Canada might have been perceived as an emissions reduction underdog. But don’t underestimate our determination. This bold goal is driving our country’s climate change policies and targets, and it’s inspiring our work at Foresight Canada.

The climate challenge crisis has come into acute focus over recent years. As outlined in our new annual report, our team has stepped up our commitment to accelerate the commercialization and adoption of Canadian cleantech innovation. We significantly increased our reach and impact on all metrics – helping more cleantech ventures raise more capital, generating more revenue, piloting with more customers, and creating more green jobs.

Drawing on this momentum, we will continue to relentlessly drive cleantech adoption through collaboration with our Helix 5 stakeholders. It will take a massive effort and a whole lot of teamwork, but we cannot afford to step back from the challenge of preserving a livable future for generations to come.

The 2022 BC Cleantech Awards hosted by Foresight Canada. In March 2023, Foresight will be hosting BC and Alberta Cleantech Awards events recognizing cleantech innovators in these provinces that are accelerating Canada’s net-zero transition.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

In spring 2023, we are hosting our 3rd annual BC Cleantech Awards, recognizing the Canadian innovators, educators, associations, and companies that have the biggest impact on our growing net-zero economy in these provinces. This year, we are excited to be expanding the recognition event series to Alberta, hosting our inaugural Alberta Cleantech Awards in late Spring 2023. Celebrating and gathering regionally allows us to connect our Helix 5 stakeholders to increased exposure and collaboration within the Canadian cleantech ecosystem.

At a time when climate concerns are reaching all-time highs around the globe, it’s never been more important to recognize and celebrate the Canadian cleantech ventures that are moving the needle towards net-zero. Calls for nominations will open in early 2023.

What do you most want people to know about Foresight Canada?

Climate change is an urgent problem that can’t be solved by a single solution. Overcoming this challenge will require unprecedented international collaboration between innovators, industry, investors, government, and academia. Recognizing this early on, Foresight endeavoured to become so much more than an accelerator. We are strategizers, ecosystem mappers, and partnership builders enabling Canada to win the net-zero race. And, we will be the catalyst for the critical collaboration needed to drive Canada to net-zero.

How can people help or contribute to your organization’s mission?

As ecosystem connectors, we’re always looking for new collaborators and community members to move Canada on the path to net-zero. Join our dedicated Community of Innovators Slack channel, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter, and visit foresightcac.com for more information.

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Coast Capital Savings: Helping Communities Thrive

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Post date February 15, 2023
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We all aspire to lead better lives, yet financial insecurity feels like a bigger threat than ever to achieving that goal. Coast Capital Savings, a BC-based financial co-operative with social purpose at the heart of everything they do, aims to deliver financial services to its members so that they can live the real life they want.

We spoke with Erin McKinley, Senior Manager, Public Relations, about how Coast Capital connects communities with the capital and partnerships they need to thrive and seeks to lead by example when it comes to aligning purpose with business practice.

Tell us about Coast Capital Savings’ mission.

Coast Capital is a financial cooperative with a mission to improve the financial potential of every person, partner, and community we impact. A proud Certified B Corporation, we’re guided by our social purpose of building better futures together. We look at everything we do through the lens of how we can help our 600,000 members, our employees, and communities.

We believe every Canadian deserves a financial partner who cares how things turn out. With our 80-year legacy of unlocking financial opportunities, we provide trusted and personalized advice, along with a broad suite of banking products and financial services that enable our members to save, spend, and invest with confidence at every stage in life.

What inspired your founders to start your organization?

Coast Capital has long been committed to championing people. Our roots stretch back to the mid-20^th century, with the founding of one of BC’s earliest financial cooperatives. Our legacy organizations were created in the wake of the Great Depression, at a time when banks weren’t accessible and securing a loan was difficult.

Today, we continue to see that not every person has the same opportunity to thrive. Canadians are working harder than ever to get ahead, yet they’re facing record debt levels, income instability, and struggling to access what they need to thrive. Leveraging our roots, core values, and expertise, and driven by our social purpose, we’re determined to be a catalyst for the kind of meaningful change that uplifts our members, employees, and communities.

What were some of the challenges your founders encountered?

Concerned about the uncertain financial future following the Great Depression, when money was hard to come by, groups of credit union pioneers on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island, neighbouring Gulf Islands, and the Greater Vancouver cities of Richmond and Surrey formed small financial co-ops focused on helping their neighbours and colleagues obtain the financial assistance they required to better their lives.

These legacy credit unions, which would later contribute their DNA to Coast Capital, were eclectic groups of everyday citizens – farmers, fishers, meat packers, military and factory workers, telephone and civic employees, parish congregations, and white-collar professionals – all working to get ahead.

Determined to make positive change, these groups found innovative ways to pool their resources and provided their members with much-needed financial help.

What do you consider to be Coast Capital Savings’ biggest success?

At Coast Capital, the success of our members, employees, and communities is our success. As Canada’s largest federal financial cooperative, we have a legacy of unlocking financial opportunities, providing trusted and personalized advice and a broad suite of innovative banking products and financial services that enable our members to save, spend, and invest with confidence.

By embracing a social purpose business model, we’re setting the standard for making positive social contributions. We integrate our purpose of building better futures for Canadians into our day-to-day operations and across every dimension of our business.

We are also consistently working to meet broad ESG-related goals, which align with and are guided by our social purpose. Continuing to meet these goals has contributed to our status as a Certified B Corporation – a global movement advocating for a more inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economic system – since 2018.

As a part of these goals, we invest 10% of our bottom line into our communities each year – totaling almost $90 million over the past two decades.

We’re also deeply committed to the success of our employees and making our financial cooperative a great place to work. Coast Capital is a platinum member of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures, and a BC Top Employer.

What makes Coast Capital Savings unique?

As a federal financial cooperative, all Coast Capital members are owners. The success of our members is our top priority.

We believe that creating a better life for yourself shouldn’t be a dream. A better home, your own business, a little cash left over each month – these are all things that should be within reach. At Coast Capital, we’re helping our members with their real goals and challenges so they can live the real life they want. If it matters to you, it matters to us, because we care how things turn out.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

Our society faces big challenges that require big solutions and we know that achieving real and lasting change cannot be done alone. Through partnering for social purpose impact, we believe that we are achieving real, lasting change together.

At Coast Capital, partnering for social purpose impact includes:

Partnering with other leaders in the global movement to build inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economies.
Annually reinvesting 10% of our budgeted bottom line back into the communities where we work, live, and serve in support of building better futures for all Canadians. These investments are focused on partnerships with community service providers to develop programs and services that address barriers to equitable access to education, employment, and financial advice.
Our commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, as set out in our five-year strategy that outlines our sustained, proactive, and urgent steps to advance financial inclusion and social justice.
Our Net-Zero Banking Alliance commitment. As a member of this global, industry-led initiative, we are accelerating efforts to address climate change and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

How can capital be used as a force for positive change?

Social purpose businesses leverage all facets of their business as a force for change, including mobilizing capital across the business in ways that help advance their purpose and the impact they want to create. Everything from selecting partners and suppliers that are values-aligned to investing in technology and innovation helps to drive positive outputs for all stakeholders.

We strongly believe that capital can, and should, be used to propel partnerships that drive real, tangible change in our communities. Social purpose is a collaborative practice that requires organizations to come together, work together, and share openly. No organization can solve society’s biggest issues independently and partnership is key to moving the needle on solutions.

Tell us about Coast Capital Savings’ goals.

We are currently working to execute our five-year strategic Social Purpose Impact Plan. The plan outlines how each part of our business will work to achieve our vision and drive our shared social purpose.

In order to advance our work, we are focused on three pillars:

Build and champion more equitable and inclusive employment.
Support Canadians with more equitable access to education and training.
Deliver financial tools, education, and advice for all.

You can read more about the work we are doing by visiting our website.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

We are particularly excited about and proud of our partnership with BC-based community resource society, DIVERSEcity, who helps newcomers and diverse communities as they settle in Canada.

Coast Capital and DIVERSEcity have partnered to bring to life a program that supports skilled newcomer women as they navigate the credentialing and recertification process which is key to their settlement journey and to driving their earning potential. It is a powerful example of the impact that comes with partnerships.

What do you most want people to know about your organization?

Research indicates that growing income inequality in Canada negatively affects individuals, families, society, and the economy. By embracing a social purpose business model, we’re focusing on building meaningful solutions and using our products, people, partnerships, supply chains, capital, and influence to accelerate positive impacts for our members, employees, and communities

How can people help or contribute to Coast Capital Savings‘ mission?

One way that each of us can contribute to building a better future is to give back to our communities – whether that be helping a neighbour, volunteering with a local community organization, or donating to a cause you care about.

You can also lean into your values through the businesses you support by “voting with your dollar,” – spending your money on products and brands whose practices align with your values, which extends to where you save, invest, and grow your money. Credit Unions, like Coast Capital, are owned by their members and are, in many ways, the original social purpose businesses, founded on values and established to meet the needs of their members and communities.

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Black Opportunity Fund: Supporting Black-led Businesses

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Post date February 15, 2023
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Coming together as a community is an important and necessary step to ending systemic racism. The Black Opportunity Fund takes collective action a step further by improving the lives of Black communities through game-changing grants, partnerships, and financial support of Black-led businesses.

We spoke with one of Black Opportunity Fund’s founders and member of the Board of Directors, Dennis Mitchell, and Executive Director, Craig Wellington, about how this Canadian charitable organization is leveraging capital to dismantle racism and disrupt ineffective funding practices.

Tell us about Black Opportunity Fund’s mission.

DM: The Black Opportunity Fund is a community-led registered Canadian charitable organization, whose mandate is to help dismantle the impacts of anti-Black racism by establishing a sustainable pool of capital to fund Black-led businesses and Black-led not-for-profits and charities, in order to improve the social and economic well-being of Canada’s Black communities.

What inspired you/your founders to start your organization?

DM: The project first began as a conversation among Black professionals about how best to serve the community, but in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, organizing efforts accelerated.

The Black Opportunity Fund is supported by a growing number of influential members within the Black Canadian business community from industries including technology, banking, capital markets, life sciences, marketing, and human resources. The Black Opportunity Fund continues to form alliances across the country with like-minded professionals and philanthropists.

What were some of the challenges you/your founders encountered?

DM: The usual challenges that come with an initiative such as this – awareness and skepticism at first, quickly followed by an almost suffocating enthusiasm that threatened to dilute and divert our strategic focus.

The biggest challenge for us has been marshalling volunteers and potential partners into Black Opportunity Fund initiatives that strategically and sustainably address the needs and concerns of the Black community.

What do you consider to be Black Opportunity Fund’s biggest success?

DM: We don’t have one biggest success – the Black Opportunity Fund is not that type of organization. Our goal is to eliminate the impact of anti-Black racism, which is the denial of opportunity to Black Canadians.

Recent successes include partnerships with SickKids, Facebook, TD, BMO, CIBC, NBF, DoorDash, UBC, and others to bring needed funding to the Black community. We have had a positive impact on Black entrepreneurs and in the areas of Black healthcare, education, and with Black students. This is what we are here for.

CW: I believe that being able to deliver grants to Black-led businesses and Black community organizations so early in our organization’s history and to hear from the recipients about the impacts they are able to have in advancing their organizations and improving socio-economic outcomes in their communities, was truly inspiring and filled all of the Black Opportunity Fund family with immense pride.

What makes your organization unique?

CW: Black Opportunity Fund’s guiding principle, “for the community, by the community,” is rooted in the understanding that investments made into our communities, especially at scale, have not historically been Black-led and are rarely implemented with adequate consideration to the unique challenges of Black communities. BOF represents a new and world-leading paradigm in the fight to end anti-Black systemic racism in Canada.

With a vast ecosystem of partners, extensive connections to Black communities, and unparalleled organizational expertise in growing and leveraging capital, Black Opportunity Fund is uniquely positioned to support Black-led charities and nonprofits that serve Canada’s diverse Black communities and scale Black businesses.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

CW: Black Opportunity Fund believes that Canada’s Black communities are a powerful investment, who provide a priceless return: we see our children and our children’s children thriving in a Canada that recognizes them for their incredible potential and awards them with the opportunities they deserve. And, by ensuring equitable access to opportunity for Black Canadians, we help to increase socio-economic outcomes for Canada as a whole.

How can capital be used as a force for positive change?

CW: There has been long standing underinvestment in Black communities. We address this by delivering sustainable and needs-informed capital streams, managed by Black people for the benefit of Black organizations, which disrupt ineffective and disempowering contemporary funding practices.

Tell us about Black Opportunity Fund’s goals.

CW: To develop a truly community driven, Black-centred approach to dismantling systemic barriers to accessing capital faced by Black Canadians, so that Black communities across Canada are prosperous, healthy, and thriving.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

CW: The Black Opportunity Fund just launched the Black Business Loan Program for Black entrepreneurs who have been unable to secure funding to-date through Canadian financial institutions. Black entrepreneurs may be eligible to apply for loans in the range of $10,000 to $50,000.

This new initiative is part of a $10 million, five-year commitment from TD Bank Group announced in September 2021, which is the largest contribution ever in Canada to a Black-focused, Black-led, and Black-serving organization.

Black Opportunity Fund also recently partnered with SickKids Hospital and Walmart Canada to improve health outcomes for Black Canadian children affected by sickle cell disease. Through this partnership, the Black Opportunity Fund established a Sickle Cell Disease Patient Amenities Fund at SickKids, to help Sickle Cell Disease patients and their families with costs not covered by the government. The grant also supports easier and safer access to at-home medication via a SickKids-developed technology called a “capsule shredder,” which will be distributed free of charge to children being treated for Sickle Cell Disease through all 13 children’s hospitals across Canada over the next five years.

What do you most want people to know about your organization?

Black Opportunity Fund is community led, community focused, and committed to helping dismantle the impacts of anti-Black systemic racism.

How can people help or contribute to Black Opportunity Fund’s mission?

Visit the Black Opportunity Fund website and go to “donate.” Organizations seeking to develop partnerships with BOF can reach out to the Black Opportunity Fund through our contact information.

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Impact Inspiration & Initiatives Sustainability Tips

Sparx’s Sustainable Valentine’s Day Gift-Giving Guide: 25 Eco-Friendly and Zero-Waste Gift Ideas for 2023

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Post date February 2, 2023
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Whether it’s romantic love for your partner, love for family and friends, or your devotion to a cause, love makes the world better. It motivates us to do better, to work harder, to grow in understanding, to act with compassion, and to share ourselves and what we have with others.

In celebration of love and its ability to amplify good, Sparx has created another sustainable gift-giving guide, this time for Valentine’s Day gifts that will help express your love while supporting the environment and other wonderful causes. Because nothing says heartfelt like a gift with real impact.

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1. Treat Them to Something Sweet

Sustainable alternatives to decadent delights.

Drizzle Cacao Luxe Raw Honey: This all-natural, sustainably sourced, bee-friendly, allergen-free, Canadian-made honey has a chocolatey twist and a delicious chocolate-covered strawberry recipe. Plus, it’s made by a women-owned, certified B Corporation.

Pukka Love Tea: This soothing and fragrant tea will touch the heart of your beloved in more ways than one. Pukka is part of 1% for the Planet, Fair for Life certified, Soil Association organic certified, and B Corp certified.

Raaka Chocolate Valentine’s Day Collection: Choose from a variety of ethical and unique non-GMO, vegan, certified organic, and kosher treats to share with your beloved. Raaka crafts its single-source chocolate in small batches and practices transparent trade – its supply chain process is even integrated into its packaging.

Ritual Chocolate Après Chocolate Bar: This 70% dark chocolate bar is infused with sparkling white wine and topped with raspberries. Best of all, the chocolate is vegan and ethically sourced, the packaging is fully recyclable, and the company is working toward net-zero and fully solar-powered goals. Also purchasable from impact-driven Canadian vendor The Better Good.

Southbrook Wine Valentine’s Day Bundle: Canadian-made, this romantic bundle of organic wines and condiments is made by Southbrook Organic Vineyards, a company with numerous certifications, including Demeter, Ecocert Canada, LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario, and VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) for grape wines.

T.Kettle Loose Leaf Teas: Make your loved one a (heart)warming cup of certified kosher, vegan, organic, and 100% Fair Trade Strawberry Fondue Tea from T.Kettle, a values-driven company.

2. Pamper Them

Gifts that feel good and do good.

Encircled Renew Sleep Mask: Help your loved one relax with this eco-friendly Tencel™ Lyocell and recycled polyester fleece sleep mask, made by a Toronto-based, certified B Corporation.

Harlow Salty Soak Bath Salts: These vegan bath salts are made from Saskatchewan Red Salt, smell intoxicatingly of flowers, and come in a compostable pouch. Plus, Vancouver-based company Harlow sources from social enterprises like Hives for Humanity.

Old Soul Company Sweetheart Collection: Pamper your soulmate with this ethical and sustainable, all-natural collection, which includes its Be Mine soap, Be Mine heart-shaped bath bomb, Be Mine massage & body oil, tea light candles, and lip balm.

Sequoia Soap Sets: Made by 100% Indigenous women-owned and -operated brand Sequoia, the Sweet Blends and Night Sky Four Soap Gift Sets are beautiful, sustainable, and ethically sourced.

Yukon Soap Wild Side Shave Soap: This sustainable, handcrafted shave soap is made by Indigenous-owned and -operated brand Yukon Soap, which is on a mission to make the world better by supporting economic diversification and empowering, nurturing, and elevating Northern Indigenous cultures, communities, and people.

3. Bring Them “Flowers”

Lasting gifts that serve as wonderful alternatives to classic perfumes and bouquets.

All Things Being Eco Organic Rose Geranium Bulk Essential Oil: This fragrant oil is Natural Organic Program (NOP) certified and sold by a purpose-driven BC-Based company that’s on a mission to make the world better through offering organic, ethically-produced, and locally-sourced products.

Goodee The Floral Kits: With this sustainable kit from B Corp certified Goodee, your valentine has everything they need to grow and shape their own bouquets. Plus, this kit supports multiple causes, including marginalized communities, gender advocacy, and community engagement.

Flowerink Plantable Tandem Love Greeting Card: You and your valentine can watch your love blossom with this plantable seed paper card, made from 100% recycled content. Plus, these cards are Canadian-made by a company that donates to health and environmental organizations.

Le Comptoir Aroma Love Pebble Essential Oil Diffuser Stones: These 100% natural heart and rose-shaped diffuser stones are made by a Canadian family-run business that uses recyclable and recycled materials, along with other eco-friendly practices.

Mala the Brand Candles: Check the classic romance boxes with bouquet or rosebud candles that are sustainably packaged and hand-poured in small batches by a Vancouver-based brand. Plus, a tree is planted for every candle purchased.

Recycled Ideas Pink Seed Paper Flowers Valentines Day Gift Box Set: These flowers are made from plantable seed paper and packaged in a box that can be used as a personal greenhouse. You can also find them on etsy.

Wild Coast Perfumes Floral Collection: Made with pure, all-natural, sustainably-harvested ingredients from Vancouver island, these perfumes smell beautifully of flowers and come in recyclable bottles with no plastic overwraps. Plus, $1 per every 50ml bottle sold in the perfumery goes to the Ancient Forest Alliance.

4. Get Them Ready for Date Night

Beautiful gifts that protect the beauty of the environment.

Cheekbone Beauty Sustain Lip Kit (Red): This gorgeous, low-waste, consciously-sourced lip kit is made by Cheekbone Beauty, a values-driven, Indigenous-owned and -operated, Certified B Corporation that’s part of 1% for the Planet and donates to multiple causes. Check out this guide for recycling its lipstick.

Elate Refillable Cosmetic Cases: These fully customizable cosmetic cases are recyclable, made from bamboo, and sustainably packaged. Plus, Elate donates 2% of its profits to causes that share its values every year: 1% to social and 1% to environmental initiatives.

Luna & Rose Recycled Silver Heart Necklace: Ethically crafted, this heart-shaped necklace is made from recycled sterling silver by a company that is part of 1% for the Planet.

Treats Designs Tagua Valentine Heart Pendant: Made from sustainable tagua, with natural dyes and a tumble-until-they-shine method, these pendants are created by a BC-based artist. They are also available for purchase through sustainable, Vancouver-based Hemp & Company.

5. Spend Quality Time with Them

Want a truly zero waste alternative? Consider giving your valentine the gift of experience — because nothing takes the single out of single-use more than creating lasting memories.

There are plenty of sustainable ways to engage in quality time with your beloved. For example, you could go for a picnic using sustainable items, such as beeswax food wraps, zero waste bamboo cutlery, and reusable storage bags, and have a beautiful, waste-free moment that has a truly positive impact.

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Would You Be Our Valentine?

Are you engaging in purpose-driven efforts to make the world better? We (not-so-secretly) admire that. Contact us for a free marketing consultation. We would love to gift wrap your message and help deliver it to your audience.

Tags Amplify Good, Community, Eco Friendly, Low Waste, Make the World Better, MTWB, Sustainability, Valentines Day, Vancouver, Zero Waste