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Specifically, we need to provide small growers with access to affordable land closer to metropolitan areas; train more people to run farms effectively as businesses; build an infrastructure that enables farmers to sell more food directly and makes it easy for larger institutions to buy regionally produced food; and develop distribution channels that make fresh food a convenient, affordable option for everyone. And while our own expertise is in the United States, similar needs apply worldwide.It helps that food is a hot investment area in Silicon Valley, especially on the distribution end, where scalable online distribution businesses are attracting substantial capital. 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To celebrate the launch, Ilse Treurnicht the CEO of MaRS Discovery District, helped open trading this morning.MaRS says SVX started from a simple idea: mobilize private capital for public good by driving investment in organizations and companies that will, in turn, better our world.The online platform will connect investors and funds with local ventures—including not-for-profits, co-operatives and for-profit corporations—that have a demonstrated social and/or environmental impact and the potential for financial return. The platform allows investors to identify screened investment opportunities, reducing the time and cost burden of due diligence, and provides ventures and funds with increased access to capital and financial expertise at low cost.\"SVX provides a single access point for impact ventures and impact investors looking to connect,\" says Adam Spence, Adam Spence, Associate Director of MaRS Centre for Impact Investing, who now heads up SVX on behalf of MaRS. \"Until now there has been no platform for investors to identify ventures with a positive impact. We're also opening the door to high-impact ventures that need funding to grow and scale.\"\"SVX places Canada at the forefront of the global impact investing market,\" added Ronald Alepian, Vice President and Group Head of Corporate Marketing and Communications at TMX, which cofounded the project. \"TMX Group looks forward to working with MaRS to build a unique model …","rssText":null,"sourceURL":"http://www.techvibes.com/blog/mars-discovery-launches-social-venture-connexion-2013-09-19","feedTitle":"Techvibes Global News","feedUrl":"http://www.techvibes.com/feed/blog/xml/global/","language":"en","rssBaseURL":"http://www.techvibes.com/blog/mars-discovery-launches-social-venture-connexion-2013-09-19","rssCustomClasses":"sysen","authorDisplayName":"Knowlton Thomas","referredByItems":[{"type":"status","authorDisplayName":"B Lab","authorUsername":"BCorporation","userid":"40911345","authorDescription":"B Lab is a 501(c)(3) serving the world's leading entrepreneurs of the B Corporation Community, a global collection of companies using the power of business as a force for good. 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For impact investors, financial returns are easy to determine, but impact is much harder to evaluate. In the past five years, impact investors have taken steps to standardize impact measurement terminology as well as impact investment evaluation and reporting. With standardization, they hope impact investments will be easier to compare and thus attract investors.Impact investors have created institutions and systems that evaluate impact just as Morningstar offers independent investment research for traditional investment and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) provide a common language for financial reporting. The first of these were in the context of microfinance with the Microfinance Information Exchange taxonomy and data collection and microfinance rating agencies such as MicroRate. In 2009, The Rockefeller Foundation sponsored the creation of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), to grow the impact investment industry, especially through the creation of standardized impact investment metrics (Impact Reporting and Investment Standards (IRIS)), an online global directory of impact investment vehicles (Impact Base), promoting industry leadership through a group of active large scale impact investors and elevating the profile of the indust …","rssText":null,"sourceURL":"http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/2013/evaluate-impact-investments/","feedTitle":"NerdWallet Investing - Financial Markets Tools & Research","feedUrl":"http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/feed/","language":"en","rssBaseURL":"http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/2013/evaluate-impact-investments/","rssCustomClasses":"sysen","authorDisplayName":"John Kuo","referredByItems":[{"type":"status","authorDisplayName":"B Lab","authorUsername":"BCorporation","userid":"40911345","authorDescription":"B Lab is a 501(c)(3) serving the world's leading entrepreneurs of the B Corporation Community, a global collection of companies using the power of business as a force for good. 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There are currently 760 B Corps in 27 countries and 60 industries around the world. 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By allocating investment dollars towards businesses that have social impact, the impact investing movement has the potential to create unprecedented shared value for business and society.<p>The last decade has witnessed significant growth in funds, associations, conferences and other efforts to address this potential. There has also been significant investment in building the ecosystem to support impact investing, and organizations including the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) and B Lab have pioneered this work with support from the Omidyar Network, the Rockefeller Foundation, and many others.<p>Many from the impact investing community gathered last week for the annual SOCAP conference in San Francisco, which had a record year for attendance. And yet, many savvy and sophisticated investors are sitting on the sidelines, often completely unaware of the new opportunities that are emerging to mobilize investment and philanthropic capital to businesses that want to deliver financial and social returns.<p><b>Opportunities for Scale</b><p>Impact investing is still seen as a niche market – yet to “cross the chasm” into the mainstream, as we say in the technology world. My husband (AOL co-founder Steve Case) and I have invested in a variety of approaches to more explicitly blend for-profit and for-purpose – both personally and through our work with the Case Foundation and Revolution. And we’ve long believed that our for-profit investments have impact by launching new companies, driving innovation, and creating jobs.<p>Intrigued by the possibility that we at the Case Foundation might be able to play a role in helping to move impact investing forward, we launched a listening tour late last year, with the help of Sonal Shah, former Director of Social Innovation at the White House, and Sean Greene, former chief of investments and innovation at the Small Business Administration. Sonal and Sean started a dialogue to better understand both the opportunities and challenges for bringing new voices and new money into the market. Based on those conversations and our own experience in the space, here’s what we’ve found:<p><b>We’re ready for less talk and more action</b>: Despite the excitement for its potential, impact inves …","sourceURL":"http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeancase/2013/09/13/lets-make-money-more/","readButtonCaption":"Read Article","sourceMagazineURL":"http://cdn.flipboard.com/flipmag?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.flipboard.com%2Fforbes.com%2Fa46ee89ba5dd4bbcb6b545fc7439e68ad61f6dc5%2F4cec6c66675c42d2bfe60f02874ac961920a004e%2Farticle.html&partner=forbes&tml§ion=flipboard%2Fcurator%252Fmagazine%252FGTDiLw6JTAqA0A8426c9sA%253Am%253A40911345&fallbackTml","language":"en","article":{"sectionID":"flipboard/curator%2Fmagazine%2FGTDiLw6JTAqA0A8426c9sA%3Am%3A40911345","partnerID":"forbes","url":"http://cdn.flipboard.com/forbes.com/a46ee89ba5dd4bbcb6b545fc7439e68ad61f6dc5/4cec6c66675c42d2bfe60f02874ac961920a004e/article.html"},"authorDisplayName":"Jean Case","authorImage":{"smallURL":"http://cdn.flipboard.com/twimg.com/ba0356f45f0daf1a199186ce4c55fcef3bc9c520/thumbnail.jpg"},"referredByItems":[{"type":"status","authorDisplayName":"B Lab","authorUsername":"BCorporation","userid":"40911345","authorDescription":"B Lab is a 501(c)(3) serving the world's leading entrepreneurs of the B Corporation Community, a global collection of companies using the power of business as a force for good. 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{"id":"flipboard-GTDiLw6JTAqA0A8426c9sA:m:40911345-1370886208","hashCode":4051858367,"sortValue":31122517880872,"type":"sectionCover","title":"B the Change","description":"People Using Business As a Force for Good","section":{"type":"link","service":"flipboard","remoteid":"flipboard/curator%2Fmagazine%2FGTDiLw6JTAqA0A8426c9sA%3Am%3A40911345","title":"B the Change","image":{"smallURL":"http://www.bcorporation.net/sites/default/files/blog/DEGovernorSigning.jpg"},"socialId":"flipboard-GTDiLw6JTAqA0A8426c9sA:m:40911345-0","feedType":"magazine","description":"People Using Business As a Force for Good","tileImage":{"xlargeURL":"http://www.bcorporation.net/sites/default/files/blog/DEGovernorSigning.jpg","largeURL":"http://www.bcorporation.net/sites/default/files/blog/DEGovernorSigning.jpg","mediumURL":"http://www.bcorporation.net/sites/default/files/blog/DEGovernorSigning.jpg","smallURL":"http://cdn.flipboard.com/bcorporation.net/6fc0134c67c9a8b9ba41d05c3bb22bcb8f535625/thumbnail.jpg","original_width":4000,"original_height":3000,"original_hints":"rgb-60-54-49,color,dark,hires,photo"},"author":{"authorDisplayName":"B Lab","authorUsername":"BCorporation","userid":"40911345","authorDescription":"B Lab is a 501(c)(3) serving the world's leading entrepreneurs of the B Corporation Community, a global collection of companies using the power of business as a force for good. There are currently 760 B Corps in 27 countries and 60 industries around the world. For more information, visit http://www.bcorporation.net","authorImage":{"smallURL":"http://cdn.flipboard.com/uploads/avatar/8273a3602881f5565f1d9cafad17b0322c68124d.png"}}},"mainItem":{"type":"post","title":"Today Marks a Tipping Point in the Evolution of Capitalism","excerptText":"Category: • General<br>Today is an historic day. Today marks a tipping point in the evolution of capitalism. It marks the coming home of a capitalism that returns business to its proper role in society to create shared and durable prosperity. With Delaware Governor Jack Markell signing benefit corporation legislation into law, business leaders have a new freedom to make decisions that are in the best interests of society as well as their bottom line, and we – as citizens, customers, workers, and investors -- have the tools to dentify and support them. Until recently, corporate law has not recognized the legitimacy of any corporate purpose other than maximizing profits. That old conception of the role of business in society is at best limiting, and at worst destructive. The benefit corporation legal structure is a new and useful tool for everyone. For policy makers and the public interest, it combats the plague of short termism. For business leaders, it helps attract the best talent and turn customers into evangelists. For customers, it offers greater transparency to protect against pretenders. For employees, it promises higher quality jobs where they can bring their whole selves to work every day. And for investors, it mitigates risk, reduces transaction costs, creates additional rights to hold management accountable, and accelerates the growth of a big market opportunity to meet the needs of people who want to invest to both make money and make a difference. Today, Delaware became the 19th state to enact benefit corporation legislation, but as home to 1 million businesses, including 50% of all publicly-traded companies and 64% of the Fortune 500, it is the most important state …","rssText":"<script>var flip_images = {\"http://cdn.flipboard.com/bcorporation.net/6fc0134c67c9a8b9ba41d05c3bb22bcb8f535625/thumbnail.jpg\":{\"width\":240,\"height\":180},\"http://www.bcorporation.net/sites/default/files/blog/DEGovernorSigning.jpg\":{\"width\":4000,\"height\":3000}};</script>\n<div id=\"flip_rss_body\"> <div class=\"json_content\">\n <section class=\"field field-name-field-categories field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix view-mode-full\">\n <h2 class=\"field-label\">\n Category: \n </h2>\n <ul class=\"field-items\">\n <li class=\"field-item even\">\n <a href=\"/blog/general\" typeof=\"skos:Concept\" property=\"rdfs:label skos:prefLabel\">General</a>\n </li>\n </ul>\n </section>\n <div class=\"field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden view-mode-full\">\n <div class=\"field-items\">\n <div class=\"field-item even\" property=\"content:encoded\">\n <p>\n Today is an historic day. \n </p>\n <p>\n <span>Today marks a tipping point in the evolution of capitalism. It marks the coming home of </span><span>a capitalism that returns business to its proper role in society to create shared and durable </span><span>prosperity. </span>\n </p>\n <p>\n <span>With Delaware Governor Jack Markell signing benefit corporation legislation into law, business </span><span>leaders have a new freedom to make decisions that are in the best interests of society as well as </span><span>their bottom line, and we – as citizens, customers, workers, and investors -- have the tools to </span><span>dentify and support them. </span>\n </p>\n <p>\n <span>Until recently, corporate law has not recognized the legitimacy of any corporate purpose other </span><span>than maximizing profits. That old conception of the role of business in society is at best limiting, </span><span>and at worst destructive. </span>\n </p>\n <p>\n <span>The benefit corporation legal structure is a new and useful tool for everyone. For policy makers </span><span>and the public interest, it combats the plague of short termism. For business leaders, it helps </span><span>attract the best talent and turn customers into evangelists. For customers, it offers greater </span><span>transparency to protect against pretenders. For employees, it promises higher quality jobs where </span><span>they can bring their whole selves to work every day. And for investors, it mitigates risk, reduces </span><span>transaction costs, creates additional rights to hold management accountable, and accelerates the </span><span>growth of a big market opportunity to meet the needs of people who want to invest to both make </span><span>money and make a difference. </span>\n </p>\n <p>\n <span>Today, Delaware became the 19th state to enact benefit corporation legislation, but as home to 1 </span><span>million businesses, including 50% of all publicly-traded companies and 64% of the Fortune 500, </span><span>it is the most important state for businesses that seek access to venture capital, private equity, and </span><span>public capital markets. The path is now clear to scale business as a force for good. </span><span>For-profit social entrepreneurship, impact investing and the sustainable business movement have </span><span>reached critical mass and are now at an inflection point. Accelerating consumer and investor </span><span>demand has resulted in a big market opportunity. A large and increasing number of people want </span><span>to support a better way to do business -- better for our workers, better for our communities, </span><span>better for our environment. Although there is no reliable data on “social enterprise” company </span><span>revenues, the American Sustainable Business Council is a partnership of 63 business associations </span><span>representing over 165,000 businesses. </span>\n </p>\n <p>\n <span>However, the current marketplace, continues to be fragmented and confusing. Entrepreneurs </span><span>that are “sustainable,” “green” or “socially responsible,” struggle to distinguish themselves </span><span>from other companies that make similar claims but don’t actually behave as they </span><span>advertise. Furthermore, current corporate law requires only profit maximization, not social </span><span>responsibility, let alone social impact, constraining the growth of these purpose-driven </span><span>companies. Entrepreneurs with a mission-driven business may be reluctant to accept outside </span><span>capital from investors who may not share their long term vision. </span>\n </p>\n <p>\n <span>The ability to register as a benefit corporation empowers these entrepreneurs, not only to take </span><span>their company to scale while maintaining mission, but to clearly identify themselves as purposedriven companies. By serving a higher purpose and by meeting higher standards of transparency </span><span>and accountability, these companies build their most important asset -- trust. This trust enables </span><span>them to attract talent, customers, and capital. </span>\n </p>\n <p>\n Investors, in turn, increasingly want to use their investments both to make money and to make a <span>difference. The socially responsible investing (SRI) movement has grown over the past 30 years </span><span>to represent nearly 10% of U.S. assets under management, or roughly $2.3 trillion. A November </span><span>2010 report by J.P. Morgan, entitled “Impact Investments: An emerging asset class,” estimates </span><span>the size of this market opportunity at between $400 billion and $1 trillion.</span>\n </p>\n <p>\n However these investors lack the tools to understand a complete picture of a company’s <span>performance across the full range of social and environmental measures. Benefit corporations are </span><span>required to report on their overall environmental and social performance. A growing community </span><span>of leading investors like Union Square Ventures and Generation Investment Management </span><span>recognize that this increased transparency reduces transaction costs and risk for investors, and </span><span>when third party standards are used to generate these reports, creates the comparability that will </span><span>help the impact investing marketplace reach its full potential. </span>\n </p>\n <p>\n <span>Like investors, consumers are increasingly frustrated by a lack of transparency. A significant </span><span>and growing population of consumers already aligns their purchases with their values, and many </span><span>more have become conscious of the issue. Approximately 68 million U.S. consumers have stated </span><span>a preference for making purchasing decisions based upon their sense of a company’s social and </span><span>environmental responsibility. Meanwhile, recent research has also indicated that where price </span><span>and quality are equal, 86% of consumers would switch from their current brand to a brand that is </span><span>socially responsible.</span>\n </p>\n <p>\n <span>Yet as consumer demand for socially responsible products and companies is increasing, </span><span>consumer trust in corporations is decreasing. Marketers use terms like “green,” “responsible,” </span><span>“sustainable” and even “local”, yet there are no standards to back up the claims. Although </span><span>there exist an increasing number of narrow product or practice specific standards (e.g. </span><span>“Organic”, “Fair Trade,” “Energy Star”, “LEED”, etc.), there are fewer standards outside of </span><span>the B Corporation certification that provide a comprehensive understanding of a company’s </span><span>performance as a whole. This makes it difficult for a consumer to tell the difference between </span><span>a “good company” and just good marketing. While nearly 800 leading businesses from more </span><span>than 60 industries and nearly 30 countries have earned B Corporation certification (from iconic </span><span>sustainable businesses like Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s. to next generation social enterprises </span><span>like Etsy in the U.S. and d. light in emerging markets), with benefit corporations, consumers and </span><span>investors have another tool to clearly identifying those companies walking the talk and access the </span><span>social and environmental performance data they need to make more informed choices.</span>\n </p>\n <p>\n The growing preference for supporting “good companies” is not limited to purchases and i<span>nvestments however. Perhaps most importantly for building world-class businesses, people </span><span>also prefer to work for companies with strong social and environmental performance. More than t</span><span>wo-thirds of employees (69%) consider the social and environmental track record of a company </span><span>in deciding where to work. This preference is especially strong among MBA graduates, who </span><span>overwhelmingly (88%) have said that they would be comfortable taking a pay cut to work for </span><span>a company that has ethical businesses practices versus one that does not. The ability to bring </span><span>their whole selves to work is especially important among Millennials, soon to comprise 50% of </span><span>the global workforce. Rather than work-life balance, Millennials demand work-life integration. </span><span>Benefit corporations fill this need, providing higher quality jobs at companies with a high </span><span>purpose that is built to last. </span>\n </p>\n <p>\n <span>There are lots of ways to participate in this global movement to redefine success in business and </span><span>every company and every person should find the path that’s right for them. You can bake the </span><span>values of your company into your legal DNA by registering as a benefit corporation. You can </span><span>help your company put its higher purpose into practice by comparing and improving its social </span><span>and environmental performance using a free educational tool like the B Impact Assessment. You </span><span>can be recognized as a leader by becoming a Certified B Corporation. You can support these </span><span>leaders by prioritizing B Corps in your investment portfolio or with your purchases. 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