Sumerian Foundation

✨🆕✨ We’re delighted to present our Inclusive Social Investing report featuring our latest impact data and learnings from our focus on “inclusive investing” in UK social enterprises led by women and/or Black, Asian and ethnically diverse founders. We've identified that these founders are experiencing a "trust deficit" in social investment and we recommend that investors change their approaches by: 1. Taking the time to build relationships 2. Providing pre-investment support 3. Focusing on the resilience of founders rather than just the growth of the social enterprise Our early evidence shows this strategy leads to stronger, impact-focused investment partnerships and better repayment performance. While this “trust opportunity” needs to be further monitored and understood, there may be advantages to inclusive investment that have not been previously recognised or appreciated! We hope our report inspires you to explore opportunities for inclusive market development. Please share it with your network and use it to ignite helpful conversations. Read “Inclusive Social Investing: unlocking opportunities" here and below ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eetrNZ7W With thanks to: Our investment partners: 2-3 Degrees, bthechange CIC, BERRI, Enna, Equal Education, Fair Finance, Farm Urban, Fat Macy's, The Hummingbird Project NI, Innovating Minds, Kineara, Moneyline, Niyo Group, Open Door Charity, Paws & Pause, Pinc College, South Lake Medical Centre, The New Leaf Initiative C.I.C., TellJO, Thrive Mental Wellbeing, Your Own Place CIC. Our funders: Access - The Foundation for Social Investment, Comic Relief, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The Golden Bottle Trust (C. Hoare & Co.), J O Hambro Capital Management, HM Government, MariaMarina Foundation and high net worth individuals. #InclusiveInvesting #ImpactFirstInvesting #SocialInvesting #SocialInvestors #SocialInvestment #SocialEnterprises #SocialEntrepreneurs #Diversity #RacialEquality #GenderEquality #EqualityImpactInvesting

📢 Attention women in social enterprise! Starting tomorrow (4 December), our investment partner, Dr Miriam Silver is curating a series of FREE webinars. The first session will focus on honing your sales process – don't miss out on this valuable opportunity! Check out the fabulous Sisterhood of Social Entrepreneurs ⤵️ #SocialEnterprise #WomenInSocialEnterprise

This is a great roundup of the latest #ImpactInvesting news from Harry Davies. Thanks for including Isabelle Irani's recent "Inclusive Investing" article for Pioneers Post in this edition!

Sumerian’s Chris West and Eleri Jones are in Bilbao for #ImpactWeek 2024, where Chris is also attending as a Board Member of the event organiser, Impact Europe. They’re embracing the chance to connect with the global impact investing community, exchanging ideas to enhance our support for high-impact charities and social enterprises tackling social inequality. If you’re at Impact Week, do connect with Chris and Eleri—especially if you’re interested in our focus on “inclusive investing” in UK social enterprises led by women and/or Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse founders. More info: https://lnkd.in/eVqQWnmJ #ImpactWeek2024 #InclusiveInvesting #ImpactFirstInvesting #VenturePhilanthropy #ImpactInvesting

The commitment to impact at our Networking Day was truly inspiring—energy like this is what fuels solutions to our toughest social challenges! #ImpactFirstInvesting

✨ Last week we witnessed the remarkable power of community at our annual Networking Day, bringing together portfolio partners, prospective collaborators, funders, and invited guests, on a day that aptly coincided with #SocialEnterpriseDay! At Sumerian, our impact-first investing approach is about more than providing capital—it’s also about building lasting relationships. Yesterday, provided the perfect opportunity to put this principle into action as we shared insights, explored synergies, and celebrated the impact of our work. Thanks so much to everyone who joined us and in particular to our portfolio partners, ✨ Nathalie Moukarzel (Fat Macy's), ✨ Dr Miriam Silver (BERRI), and ✨ Paul Myers (Farm Urban) who led an excellent discussion on leadership strategies for thriving and successful teams. Also to ✨ James Roe (A&O Shearman) and ✨ Kate Wilson (Kate Wilson Marketing), who shared their expertise. Special thanks to our hosts at the mission-driven restaurant Sohaila in Shoreditch (part of the Fat Macy’s group) for looking after us so beautifully. The founders in our portfolio are addressing some of the toughest social challenges in the UK, from tackling inequality to driving innovative solutions for systemic change. Yesterday was a powerful reminder of the strength found in collective support.  We look forward to sustaining these connections and continuing to build a resilient community of social enterprise leaders. #ImpactFirstInvesting #SocialEnterprise #SocialInvestment #VenturePhilanthropy

🎉 Huge congratulations to our portfolio partner Shiona Crichton and the entire Moneyline team on their double win at the Lending Awards—Alternative Consumer Lender of the Year and Gamechanger! 🏆🏆 This recognition is a testament to your dedication to improving financial inclusion for underserved communities. We're proud to support your mission of breaking down barriers to credit access for low-income households. 🌟

The day is finally here—our Annual Networking Day has arrived! 🎉 We’re thrilled to welcome our portfolio partners, potential new collaborators, funders, and invited guests for a day of connection, inspiration, and opportunity. Let’s make it impactful! 🌟 #ImpactFirstInvesting #VenturePhilanthropy

"Inclusive investment is not just a moral imperative but a strategic advantage... an opportunity to rethink traditional funding approaches and support systems" Early evidence collected by Sumerian Foundation from their UK investment portfolio suggests that social enterprises led by black, Asian and ethnically diverse founders – especially those who are women – have a better track record in starting to make repayments. It also challenges misconceptions about the viability and reliability of enterprises led by underrepresented founders, says Sumerian Partners founder Isabelle Irani. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eGgPG7yT #impactinvestment #socent

🌱 At Sumerian, our impact-first investing approach is about more than providing capital—it’s also about building lasting relationships. That’s why we’re so excited for this year’s Sumerian Foundation Networking Day on Thursday, 21st November. This annual event brings together portfolio partners, potential new partners, funders and invited guests to exchange insights, share experiences, and strengthen the connections that drive meaningful social impact. This year, we’ll share: ✨ Leadership strategies for thriving and successful teams, led by our investment partners at Fat Macy's, BERRI, and Farm Urban ✨ A governance workshop with the brilliant strategist and Board Advisor, Kate Wilson ✨ Expert guidance on social enterprise legal structures with James Roe from A&O Shearman Together, we’ll support one another to tackle challenges, grow sustainably, and achieve our impact potential. If you’re attending and have questions, feel free to reach out—we can’t wait to see you! #ImpactFirstInvesting #SocialEnterprises #SocialInvestment #SocialImpact #VenturePhilanthropy