Venturesome attends launch of new research into investor perspectives

Earlier today we attended the launch of a new piece of research, “Investor Perspectives on Social Enterprise Financing” by ClearlySo, commissioned by City of London Corporation, City Bridge Trust and Big Lottery Fund. 

The research seeks to understand how institutional investors perceive engagement in the social investment market, and to identify the key challenges that need to be addressed in order to develop more attractive investment vehicles and products in the future. 

Key findings highlight that many institutional investors are indeed interested in investing in social enterprises, however commonly quoted barriers to increasing take up include the lack of liquidity, compromised financial returns, uncertainty around social impact measurement, relatively small scale of investment opportunities, and a perceived shortfall in investable propositions. 

Among the recommendations to accelerate institutional investor engagement are the increased underwriting of investments; development of new mechanisms that reflect investor priorities; and the creation of pooled products to support scale and diversification. 

To find out more, read the full report here.