The global impact community gathers again, for a 17th time in San Francisco, this October 28-30. In a year like 2024, it is more crucial than ever for our community to gather, to extend our gaze beyond our immediate spheres of influence and contribute to collective action, democratic dialogue, and policy leaps that can bring about impactful, scalable change.
This year’s theme at SOCAP, “Going Deeper: Catalyzing Systems Change,” encourages our community to critically examine our practices and challenge ourselves to delve deeper. Depth is our mandate for bringing about structural and irreversible change in the social, political, environmental, and economic systems from which the most pressing challenges emerge. As a community, SOCAP 24 is poised to strive for catalyzing systemic change.
This is why we are thrilled to begin the countdown to SOCAP Global 2024, and offer this briefing for those who will join us; and, for those who are considering it.
As the premier impact investing conference, SOCAP Global has gathered the impact sector with the purpose of building the impact field, breaking silos and continuing to cross-pollinate to accelerate capital flows towards solutions. Through this year’s theme, participants are invited to question if the capital we are deploying is truly fostering systemic change: Are we delving into underlying systemic issues, moving beyond surface-level solutions? Are we looking beyond our echo chambers to address the root causes of global challenges? Do our investment approaches consider long-term perspectives?
SOCAP24 will once again present a rich tapestry of experts and practitioners across the ecosystem in an effort to frame our conversation. Our mainstage plenaries will host conversations about systemic change with influential leaders such as Cecilia Conrad of Lever for Change, Dominic Hofsteter of Transcap Initiative for systemic investment, and Christiana Figueres, the climate leader and architect of COP and founder of Global Optimism. We will be joined by cutting-edge creators and entrepreneurs who are redefining their industries and driving social impact, such as Damien Huang of outdoor gear BCorp Cotopaxi, Jenn Harper of Cheekbone Beauty and Carol Anne Hilton of Indigenomics Institute.
Our annual gathering is often referred to as “the front-door to impact”, this October we will honor that recognition, exploring critical theme of systems change, across 8 content tracks:
Deploying Climate Capital. A line-up of experts and practitioners will explore innovative strategies to invest in a sustainable future. Expect dialogues that showcase new market-driven innovations, perspectives and stakeholders within the climate and capital ecosystem: With titles like “Putting Nature on the Balance Sheet: Transitioning Corporate Responsibility from the CSO to the CFO”, “Creative Tensions: Risks & Rewards of The Carbon Market” and “From Comfortable to Transformative Climate Financing”, this track promises interactive sessions that challenge the systems that have led to the climate crisis.
Regenerating Food Systems. Delve into transformative investments shaping the future of our food systems. Emphasizing the complexity of thinking across the value chain, sessions aim to unite actors along the food system, breaking down silos, such as our session on “Food as Medicine and Addressing Food Accessibility” as well as “Scaling an Amazon Forest-Based Food Systems.”
Learning & Capital, Investing in Education. Unveil the power of investments in education for systemic change. Our sessions will explore strategic investments for impact in the entire field, charting the path for innovations that redefine educational landscapes. We will hear from seasoned investors and brilliant education entrepreneurs. Workshops will explore strategies for driving transformative change in complex education systems, as well as strategic impact measurement in EdTech that goes beyond learning outcomes. Other sessions will take a hard look at ethical student financing through a global perspective.
DEI, Ownership, and Impact. Navigate the intersections of diversity, equity, and inclusion in impactful investments. We expect to dive into discussions that explore the nuanced dynamics of fostering diversity, ensuring equity, and promoting inclusion within impact investing and for systems change. The SOCAP community will have the opportunity to join the world premiere of Equity: a documentary about Napoleon Wallace and the Reconstruction of Black Wealth (see, Napoleon Wallace, Southern Reconstruction Fund: Restorative capital for Black wealth). Participants will also be able to join a panel with Alphonso Davis, the defense lawyer in the Fearless Fund case and will also have a chance to dive deeper into the promise of the Ownership economy for closing wealth gaps.
Catalytic Philanthropy. Harness the catalytic power of philanthropy for meaningful impact. SOCAP is the place where philanthropy and investments intersect for impact. Audiences will join thought leaders, practitioners, and experts to navigate the complexities and opportunities within this innovative realm of financing for impactful change. We are particularly excited about our session on “Funding the Runway: Addressing Cash Flow Challenges for Emerging Investment Fund Managers”, a workshop on “Shifting Investments and Measurement through a Systems Change Lens” and exploring “Africa as an Emerging Frontier for Tech Investments and Impact-Driven Philanthropy.”
Transforming Health Systems: Explore investments that revolutionize and enhance healthcare for all. This track will present a wide scope of systemic change possibilities: On the one hand, participants can expect conversations about intergenerational trauma in the impact investment sector as an underlying systemic challenge to lasting change. On the other hand, the community will be invited to participate in Triple I for Global Health, an ambitious initiative of the G7 mobilizing private capital through impact investment for global health.
Capital Flows for Impact. Dialogue around the State of Impact Investment and engage in discussions on the current landscape and future in impact investing. Sessions will dig deeper into ecosystemic challenges to capital flow, standards in impact measurement and question our own fulfillment of the impact investment promise to create change at scale. We will host a number of ecosystem-building leaders from South Asia in a session that will abstract lessons applicable across the globe.
AI = Accelerating Impact. Unleash the potential of ethical investing in artificial intelligence to drive positive change. This track will look beyond the headlines and zero-in on specific aspects of AI that can support, challenge or disrupt the field of impact investment, including a hands-on workshop on evaluating risk and due diligence for investors considering AI-enabled opportunities.
With three full days of content, conversations, and relationship-building, the gathering experience makes the most of our time together in San Francisco. SOCAP is known for holding a place for the full spectrum of impact, whether you’re looking for an introduction into the space or searching for a community of like-minded practitioners. The abundance of more technical workshops is balanced with opportunities for attendees to join more grounding sessions, such as a land ceremony led by indigenous elders to reconnect with the community and find inspiration.
For those looking for inspiration, we are bringing back our Brief and Bold sessions, two sets of succinct and powerful keynote-style talks dedicated to exploring different approaches and ways to catalyze systems change. These presentations will showcase the diversity and breadth of approaches to systems change, offering attendees a chance to hear from practitioners, intermediaries, and observers to enhance our collective understanding of approaching meaningful and lasting transformation.
We recognize that connection opportunities are a valuable component when attending in-person convenings. At SOCAP24, we are looking to go beyond “networking”: We are designing opportunities for people to connect more deeply, build trust, and, ultimately, develop radical collaborations for impact.
We look forward to hosting the impact community this October in San Francisco. For more conference content, follow #SOCAP24 on social media and stay plugged in to ImpactAlpha and The Brief for additional coverage.
Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter is Executive Director (Content and Strategy) at SOCAP Global
