8 Incubators / Accelerators and 8 Early-Stage Impact Investors to Consider for your Social Enterprise Start-up
For those considering starting a social enterprise or for those founders seeking to grow their existing social enterprise, you may consider applying to a social impact incubator or accelerator, depending upon the relative lifecycle of your social venture. These organisations vary widely in their approach to funding (grant versus equity on differing terms), some incubator programmes may not offer funding, but all usually include great benefits including coaching and mentoring, technical assistance, and relevant networking to name a few.
What’s the difference?
According to Social Change Central the following table captures the key differences between incubators and accelerators.
In addition, it is worth considering if/how impact investment may help fund your venture’ growth. Again, different impact investors have different mandates which may include geographical remit, purpose and impact focus, founder demographics (Eg. a gender lens, or under-represented founders), etc. so worth exploring the options to narrow down your search for the right potential fit.
We have compiled a list of eight incubators / accelerators and eight impact investors in social enterprises as examples only. We are not making specific recommendations as your social enterprise’s unique characteristics will determine if any are the right fit, but you can use these lists as food for thought and as a base to conduct your own searches for the facilitators that can help you start and grow your social enterprise. Good Luck!
8 incubators/accelerators focused on social enterprise start-ups:
- Echoing Green: is an accelerator program that provides seed funding, mentorship, and other resources to social entrepreneurs in different sectors, including education, environment, and health. Their focus is on supporting entrepreneurs with innovative ideas that have the potential to create large-scale social impact.
Website: https://www.echoinggreen.org/ - UnLtd: is a UK-based organization that supports social entrepreneurs in different sectors, including health, education, and the environment. They provide a range of services, including funding, mentorship, and networking opportunities, to help entrepreneurs grow their ventures.
Website: https://www.unltd.org.uk/ - Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship: focuses on social enterprises working on women’s economic empowerment and/or climate resilience. With proven curricula and accompanied by our outstanding executive mentors and leadership coaches, together we’ll uncover and address gaps and opportunities in your business, and develop an action plan so you can achieve your vision for organizational growth.
Website: https://www.millersocent.org/programs/our-accelerators/ - Yunus Social Business: Helps grow your social business. Their local teams help social businesses to achieve their vision. Financially sustainable social-business entrepreneurs with the potential to scale their impact can receive patient loans and tailored growth support.
Website: https://www.yunussb.com/funds/for-entrepreneurs - Halcyon Incubator: is a program that provides social entrepreneurs with funding, mentorship, and other resources to help them launch and scale their ventures. Their focus is on supporting entrepreneurs in the areas of health, education, and the environment.
Website: https://halcyonhouse.org/incubator - Village Capital: is an accelerator program that supports social entrepreneurs in different sectors, including education, health, and financial inclusion. They provide seed funding, mentorship, and other resources to help entrepreneurs launch and scale their ventures.
Website: https://vilcap.com/programs - European Innovation Council: The EIC Accelerator supports individual small and medium enterprises (SMEs), in particular startups and spinout companies to develop and scaleup game-changing innovations. In some cases small mid-caps (up to 500 employees) are supported.
Website: https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-funding-opportunities/eic-accelerator-0_en - Social Impact Hub: specialises in supporting social enterprises and purpose-driven businesses to design, demonstrate and scale their impact. As a leading provider for Impact Investment Ready ‘Readiness Growth Grants’, Social Impact Hub also has deep expertise working with enterprises to prepare for and raise impact investment.
Website: https://www.socialimpacthub.org/scaling-impact-accelerator
Also consider fellowship programmes such as:
- Acumen Academy Fellowship: is a program focused on developing social entrepreneurs globally. The program is available across a broad geography including: India, East Africa, West Africa, Pakistan, UK, Spain, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Colombia. The program aims to equip entrepreneurs with the necessary skills, knowledge, and network to drive sustainable social change.
Website: https://acumenacademy.org/fellowship/ - Ashoka Venture & Fellowship: is a global organization that supports social entrepreneurs in different sectors around the world. Their focus is on supporting innovators with new ideas to address social problems. Ashoka provides access to funding, resources, and mentorship to help entrepreneurs achieve their goals.
Website: https://www.ashoka.org/en-us/program/ashoka-venture-and-fellowship - Skoll World Forum Fellowship: is a peer-centred network program that supports cross-region connectivity, learning, and visibility for proximate social innovators.
Website: https://skoll.org/community/skoll-world-forum-fellowship/
8 early stage impact investors in social enterprise:
- Acumen: is a non-profit impact investment fund that invests in social enterprises across sectors, including healthcare, energy, agriculture, and education, with a focus on low-income communities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Their mission is to tackle poverty and promote social change.
Website: https://acumen.org/ - Big Society Capital: is a UK-based social impact investor that works to promote social impact in the UK. They invest in social enterprises and charities working in areas such as affordable housing, social care, and financial inclusion. Their mission is to help build a sustainable and resilient social sector.
Website: https://bigsocietycapital.com/ - ImpactAssets: is a US-based impact investment firm that invests in a wide range of sectors, including sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and affordable housing. They focus on investments that promote social and environmental impact, and work to support investors in creating a diversified impact investment portfolio.
Website: https://www.impactassets.org/ - LGT Venture Philanthropy: is a global impact investment firm that invests in social enterprises across a range of sectors, including healthcare, education, and renewable energy. They work to support the growth and development of social enterprises in emerging markets, and have a strong focus on impact measurement and evaluation.
Website: https://www.lgtvp.com/ - NESsT: is a global impact investment fund that invests in social enterprises working in areas such as education, healthcare, and environmental sustainability. They work to support social entrepreneurs in developing and scaling their enterprises, with a particular focus on Latin America and Eastern Europe.
Website: https://www.nesst.org/ - RSF Social Finance: is a US-based non-profit impact investment fund that focuses on supporting social enterprises and non-profit organizations working in areas such as food and agriculture, education, and arts and culture. They work to support organizations that are building a more just and sustainable world.
Website: https://rsfsocialfinance.org/ - SustainVC: is a US-based venture capital firm that invests in social enterprises working in areas such as clean energy, sustainable food systems, and healthcare. They work to support the growth and development of mission-driven businesses that are working to create positive social and environmental impact.
Website: https://www.sustainvc.com/ - Social Ventures Australia: SVA provides loans and equity investment to organisations with positive social impact. SVA supports social enterprises, Indigenous businesses and social benefit suppliers to grow and win and deliver social procurement contracts.
Website: https://www.socialventures.com.au/impact-investing/
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