About Nesta

Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society.

Impact Investing blog series

This blog series sets out our thinking on impact investment in the UK.

This blog series sets out our thinking on impact investment in the UK.

Key findings:

We want to see the impact investment market develop to so there is more focus on: 

  • Inclusive, accessible, affordable innovations that address major social needs.
  • Delivering positive social outcomes regardless of legal form.
  • The standard of evidence of a venture’s impact.
  • Profitable, sustainable and resilient business models capable of scaling their impact.

​The field of impact investment is growing in activity, interest and potential in the UK and internationally.

2012 has been a year of significance for development of the field, with the launch of big society capital, DFID's Impact Fund, a proliferation of research output, and most importantly a series of pioneering transactions from Oxfam's first SME investment in Mongolia, to the Vulnerable Children Social Impact Bond in Essex to Scope's £2 million bond issue. 

Nesta has been involved in this field for five years, and we continue to support its development because we want to see finance for social innovations so that they can grow and maximise their impact.

Investment is needed to fund the creation of new innovations, to support their development and testing and to scale up those innovations that work. This is as true of innovation that seeks to achieve social impact as it is of those motivated by creating financial value.

Authors
Joe Ludlow and Jo Casebourne

Authors

Joe Ludlow

Joe Ludlow

Joe Ludlow

Director, Impact Investment

Joe lead Nesta Impact Investments, a £17.6m investment fund for innovative social ventures in the fields of ageing, young people and sustainability.  Joe is a board member of Bethnal G…

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Jo Casebourne

Jo Casebourne

Jo Casebourne

Director, Public and Social Innovation

Jo led Nesta's Policy and Research work on public and social innovation, working closely with colleagues in the Innovation Lab and Investments.

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