Impact Finance Fundamentals

| Learning | Barcelona & Online
Impact Finance Fundamentals
Overview

Join Esade Business School, EVPA and luminary guest speakers in Barcelona for a course covering all the essentials of impact finance!  

We’ve redesigned this popular course to make sure everyone across the continuum of capital discovers something new about their role in driving impact at scale. And, since the final two days of the course are in-person in Barcelona, ‘fundamentals’ just got 100% more fun!

In Partnership with Esade Business School 
From 1 September Online 
Thursday 21 – Friday 22 September in Barcelona

 

What you’ll get 

Impact Finance Fundamentals offers everything you need to know to integrate seamlessly in the impact space – and a certificate to prove it. 

The course explores how impact capital providers, from impact investors to engaged grant-makers, embed impact throughout their investment process. By the end of the course, you’ll have a working knowledge of impact finance, tangible examples and insights from expert practitioners and new contacts to support your journey.  

Designed for newcomers to the impact space, the course helps participants: 

  • understand what it takes to pursue additionality and what it can mean in your context; 
  • network with practitioners providing impact capital across Europe and beyond; 
  • get the knowhow to develop an impact-centric funding strategy
  • understand the entire investment process, including 
    • techniques used for impact due diligence, closing and structuring of deals, 
    • governance aspects of impact finance, 
    • how to manage an impactful exit and portfolio management 
  • build your own theory of change as an impact capital provider. 

We cover all this in 25 hours of coursework; upon completion, you’ll receive a certificate issued by Esade Business School and EVPA

 
Who’s invited 

Impact Finance Fundamentals is designed for practitioners with little or no experience in impact finance – but a strong desire to accelerate positive change for people and planet.  

This includes professionals from all types of capital providers and support organisations, including impact funds, foundations, financial institutions, incubators, accelerators and corporate social investors with an interest in developing an impact-centric funding approach.  

If you’re impact, you’re in. (And if you’re looking for more tailored or advanced learning opportunities, please check out our other upcoming courses.)  

 

So Much Smarter in Person  

Aren’t we all? After two years of pandemic-era online learning, we’re moving back to a hybrid in-person experience. That means more opportunities to connect with your classmates, network – and maybe meet the partners that can take your impact to the next level.  

From 1 September online: self-paced e-learning on our innovative learning platform; homework developing your action plan or creating your impact strategy, followed by a feedback session and later review in person (5 hours) 

21 and 22 September in Barcelona: 2-day course at the Esade campus (20 hours) 

10 October online: informal feedback session (2 hours)

As we’ve heard from member feedback, convening in person helps course participants get the most out of their experience. Our partnership with Esade Business School is essential to this aim.  

It’s a chance to make sunny Barcelona the launchpad of your impact journey. Dr. Lisa Hehenberger, a renowned leader of research in all things impact, will guide us, along with a slate of guest speakers who know the impact space from all angles – stay tuned for speaker announcements!

 

Fees

  • €1,400 (excl. VAT) for EVPA Members
  • €2,800 (excl. VAT) for non-members

 

See you in Barcelona!  

To secure your spot, please sign up by 31 July 2023. Places are limited – register now!

Agenda

21 September

  • 9.00-12.00 Introduction
  • 12.00-13.00 Investment process #1: the investment strategy
  • 13.00-14.00 Lunch break
  • 14.00-17.00 Investment process #2: due diligence, investment management, exit
  • 17.00-18.00 Networking across the continuum of capital
  • 19.00-21.00 Site visit

22 September

  • 9.00-10.00 Introduction
  • 10.00-12.00 Impact measurement and management
  • 12.00-13.30 Non-financial support
  • 13.30-14.30 Lunch break
  • 14.30-16.00 Tailored financing and innovative finance
  • 16.00-17.30 Action plan and closing ceremony
Speakers

Dr. Lisa Hehenberger

Dr. Lisa Hehenberger

Dr. Lisa Hehenberger is a lecturer in Strategy and General Management at ESADE. She is a renowned expert on venture philanthropy and social impact investment.

She is a member of the European Commission's Expert Group on Social Business (GECES) and of the OECD's Social Impact Investment Expert group. She served on the French National Advisory Board and the Impact Measurement Working Group of the Social Impact Investment Task Force established by the G8. Until recently, she was the Research and Policy Director of the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA). EVPA is the pan-European association for venture philanthropy and social impact investment. She set up and ran EVPA's Knowledge Centre, conducting and publishing research, and collecting and disseminating data and knowledge. She also coordinated EVPA's policy initiatives, facilitating the transfer of knowledge between policy makers and practitioners.

Dr. Hehenberger's research focuses on applying organisational theory to study the evolution of venture philanthropy and impact investment.

Dr. Lisa Hehenberger is the director of 'The fundamental course on venture philanthropy and impact investing' whose complete agenda including the speakers' profile will be available soon.


Fabio Segura

Fabio Segura

Fabio Segura is Co-CEO at Jacobs Foundation (JF) where he shares the responsibility for the overall success of the organization, while leading the development and execution of its 2030 strategy. From 2015 to 2019 he was Head of International Programs, where he was responsible for the strategic, financial, and operative direction of programs across Africa and Latin America.

Previously he served as Senior Investment Manager at LGT Venture Philanthropy, where he was responsible to establish and grow the organization's investments and operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to his work in sustainability, Mr. Segura served as a peace and development worker in Colombia and as consultant for the United Nations.


Maria Raurell

Maria Raurell

Maria Raurell is ESADE alumni and has been working in the field of impact investing and financial inclusion since 2011. Today she holds the position of Director of Investments and Risk at MCE Social Capital - an impact investing firm that invests flexible capital in enterprises committed to generating sustainable livelihoods, with a focus on women and the environment. Previously, she has worked in Oikocredit International in the Netherlands as credit analyst, in Enclude as inclusive finance consultant, and as freelance consultant in the fields of financial inclusion and entrepreneurship. This work has allowed her to get exposure in multiple developing and emerging  markets such as Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mexico, Nicaragua and Pakistan among others.

In Spain, she has been collaborating with Stone Soup Consulting on impact evaluations and benchmark studies; she was also one of Oportunitas Foundation’s advisor, the first grassroots social microfinance institution in the country. 


Alessia Gianoncelli

Alessia Gianoncelli

With a decade of experience in the social investment space, as part of her long journey at Impact Europe, the investing for impact network, Alessia contributes to build the impact investing market, by supporting impact investors and all impact stakeholders in connecting, exchanging, learning from each other, and providing them with research, data insights and capacity building opportunities. Alessia aims at accelerating impact by focusing on building partnerships with other networks and relevant actors in the field, sharing learning and good practices, breaking silos, and facilitating the creation and the exchange of knowledge.

In her capacity as Impact Europe Director of Knowledge and Programs, Alessia leads a team of 8 young enthusiastic professionals working on research activities, content and programs development, programs management, data collection, and community engagement.

Alessia co-authored publications, practical cases, and articles on topics such as venture philanthropy, impact measurement and management, impact strategies, the European impact ecosystem, tailored and hybrid finance. Thanks to her research, she prominently contributed to the Impact Europe narrative around investing for impact and to the debate on the different nuances of impact investing. Alessia is invited to speak at international conferences and give guest lectures at European Universities and Business Schools (e.g., ESADE Center for Social Impact, Nova School of Business and Economics, Luiss – Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli, INSEAD Business School in Paris, Solvay Brussels School Economics & Management).

Alessia also cooperates with Impact Europe's sister organisations in Latin America, Asia and Africa (GAIN, Latimpacto, AVPN and AVPA) to strengthen the collaboration among actors active in the global impact ecosystem, by sharing learning, facilitating the exchange of experiences, contributing to scale successes across regions.


Arnau Picón Martínez

Arnau Picón Martínez

Arnau Picón is Knowledge and Learning Associate at Impact Europe. Since joining Impact Europe in February 2019, Arnau has conducted research on topics related to the impact ecosystem, such as impact measurement and management and the role of crowdfunding platforms within the impact sector.

Previously, Arnau worked in the Social Policy Area of a Local Government and in the communication sector as a journalist. He holds a Msc in Economic Development from the University of Glasgow and a Bachelor Degree in Journalism from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. He speaks Spanish, Catalan, English and French.

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impact finance fundamental course - speakers
Small Print

Please check out our cancellation policy. Participants are expected to secure their own accommodations in Barcelona. Should you need further information about any aspect of this course, please reach out to us