Venture Capital for Social Enterprise: SCP's Approach to the Social Capital Market

Abstract

Like any venture capital organization, Social Capital Partners of Toronto has to separate "exciting ideas" from "worthwhile investments." But that's where the similarity ends. SCP is looking for partners with the will and the way to achieve real social returns as well as financial ones, to meaningfully employ the hard-to-employ as well as compete on the open market. Sean Van Doorselaer explains this selection process and the strategic lessons that it has for the CED sector as a whole, for social enterprise, and for that rare resource, social entrepreneurs. It is instructive to note that SCP is a key investor in Inner City Developments Inc., a good example of linking development finance to local capacity and entrepreneurial energy (Donkervoort, 2006).