Figure 6 Introduction Cards Source: Volans
“Hello. I’m a corporate venture capitalist.” I invest in businesses using funds that are allocated by my parent company.
I’m interested in both financial returns as well as the strategic relevance of the business to what my company does today, and will do in the future.
I apply traditional financial metrics as well as articulate the measurement of more ‘intangible’ impacts that result from my deals.
I have much more to offer entrepreneurs than just money, including the expertise of the people at my company and access to market distribution channels.
I make many different kinds of investments: sometimes at a direct level and sometimes as a fund of fund (depending on the structure of my fund).
There are a range of ways in which I can make my investments, using debt, equity or quasiequity products.
I’m interested in helping my investees scale quickly and appreciate that working with corporations can be a great way to do this.
A potential breakthrough initiative in my sector is a G8 Social Impact Investment Task Force, chaired by Founding Partner and former Chairman of Apax Partners, Sir Ronald Cohen.
“Hello. I’m an impact investor.” I’m interested in sectors where there is more than a financial reward. I make investments in enterprises that focus on, and measure, their social and environmental impact.
I can invest in for-profit as well as non-profit businesses (depending on the type of impact investment fund). I’m also able to explore deals that experiment with new legal structure models: CICs in the UK and B-Corps in the USA.
17