The ImpactSpace Fellowship is celebrating its second year! Applications for next year’s cohorts are now open.

The fellowship, which lasts three to six months, is designed to help fellows explore the latest developments and trends in impact investing, with an eye to study or research specific topics. Material produced may also be published on our website.

We offer support to fellows to develop projects aligned with their professional goals. With a  flexible time commitment, they can also work during their fellowship. Our fellows have an entrepreneurial mindset and spirit that is evident in their work.

We are proud to introduce you to our alums, Kona Shen and Nikhil Gehani.

Meet Kona Shen, inaugural ImpactSpace Fellow, Spring 2015.

Kona Shen is the founder of GOALS Haiti, a non-profit organization that uses soccer to engage youth in education, service and health programs that improve their quality of life. She is currently earning a master’s degree in international policy at Stanford University with a concentration on international political economy. Her work is focused on poverty reduction through social innovation, economic development and entrepreneurship. 

As part of her ImpactSpace Fellowship, Kona wrote a series of blog posts that capture the evolving impact investment landscape. From social bonds and equity crowdfunding to deciphering the alphabet soup of the social enterprise world, Kona gives us her take on these trending topics. For more of Kona’s work,  follow on twitter @hongkonghaiti. 

• Can Social Impact Bonds Solve America’s Prison Problem? Social impact bonds, or “pay for success bonds,” have been named one of the “hottest tools” to reduce the prison population – are they the best bet to addressing America’s ballooning justice system? 

• Reader Update: Reactions to SIBs and the U.S. Justice System A summary of reader updates to social impact bonds and the U.S. justice system, including discussions of new ideas such as transformative justice, prison as a health dilemma and the role of education.

• Want to Invest in a Startup? Equity Crowdfunding 101 The SEC now allows non-accredited investors to participate in equity crowdfunding, a new way for startups to raise funds online. What you need to know about the risks, rewards and changing landscape of become a startup investor.

• London-Bound: Cheat Sheet for Social Innovation in the UK A one-page overview of social innovation in the United Kingdom, one of the world’s leading spenders and developers of social enterprise, social impact bonds, and other experimental impact programs.

• Saving the World, One Ugly Carrot at a Time 26% of American produce is thrown away due to “cosmetic imperfections,” resulting in 6 billion pounds of needless waste annually. The article explores different solutions to widespread food waste and highlights a new Bay Area startup called Imperfect that is tackling the problem.

• From CSR to SPBs – the ABCs of Social Enterprise An overview of the social enterprise landscape today, including explanations of social purpose businesses, benefit corporations, and the triple bottom line. 

Meet Nikhil Gehani, inaugural ImpactSpace Fellow, Spring 2015. 

Nikhil Gehani is currently the Marketing and Communications Manager at MIX, a nonprofit data analytics organization that promotes financial inclusion through data and insight. Before joining MIX, Nikhil worked in the impact investing and social enterprise fields while earning his MA in International Development from the George Washington University. He has over seven years of experience as a marketing and brand strategist across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Nikhil also holds a BA in Marketing from Michigan State University.

As an ImpactSpace fellow,  Nikhil  followed the investment behavior of millennials and covered ImpactAlpha’s The Real Deal, a series of webinars presenting practical approaches for financing early-stage ventures that work for investors and entrepreneurs.

• Impact Investing: The Millennial Challenge. Studies have found that Millennials want to create social impact through their investments. But will they follow through?  Exploring this question and what it means for the impact investing industry.
• Real Deal No. 1: Getting Impact Investments Done: Four Hour Due Diligence. The discussion, led by David Bank of Impact Alpha, was structured around ADAP’s investment into Vega Coffee, a social enterprise that is disrupting the coffee supply chain through a direct-to-consumer model.
• Real Deal No. 2: Getting Impact Investments Done: Coming to Terms. How investors and investees can develop a term sheet that encourages success instead of hindering the investment process.
• Real Deal No. 3 Getting Impact Investments Done: Post Investment. A look into post-investment relationship between the impact investor and the social enterprise.

Still thinking about it? Consider this:

• Become a participating member of the impact investment industry.
• It’s low risk – you do not have to take a jump and quit your job. Gain initial traction through research and network.
• Access to ImpactSpace’s media outlet—ImpactAlpha.

To learn more about the program, please visit the ImpactSpace Fellowship program page.

About ImpactSpace:

ImpactSpace is the open data platform powering the global impact marketplace. Together with our sister site, ImpactAlpha, we are providing stories and data to investors, entrepreneurs and other market participants driving business advantage with social and environmental impact. ImpactSpace makes information about the impact market readily available to everyone and maintainable by anyone. ImpactSpace helps you connect with companies, investors, deals, and people generating financial returns through the creation of environmental and social value.