MICROCAPITAL EVENT: Social Capital Markets 2008 (SoCap08) to Include Microfinance

Social Capital Markets 2008: Where Investors & Entrepreneurs Converge

October 13-16, 2008, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, California

The creators of xigi.net, an interactive database containing “information about people, organizations and investment offerings in social enterprise, microfinance, housing, fair trade, cleantech, nonprofit facilities and many other sectors,” will hold an event titled “Social Capital Markets 2008” (SoCap08) to gather social entrepreneurs, investors, and organizations to discuss and learn about pertinent issues to the nascent social capital industry. As the conference web site states, microfinance will be directly addressed during the event and the agenda will include speakers from the global microfinance constituency. Additionally, SoCap08 will be comprised of entrepreneur-focused tracks and investor-focused tracks, the latter of which will include “Microfinance Investing.”

SoCap08 is intended to inject confidence into the “social capital ecosystem“—the term used by the conference organizers for the wide range of profitable, yet socially-oriented, participating sectors—and to highlight the common issues and challenges facing all, such as the difficulty of expanding beyond “seed” funding which is often raised through close acquaintances and family and has proven difficult to obtain from other sources.

The conference sessions will take place on October 14th and 15th, while there will be an opening reception on the 13th and the “open space” networking event on the 16th. Information on the Fort Mason Center and accomodations can be found here.

Registration is not yet open, but interested parties may send an e-mail to info@socialcapitalmarkets.net to be notified when registration begins.

SoCap08 is produced by Xigi Media and Xigi.org, neither of which maintains web presences, thus detailed organization information was not available. However, the conference web site describes Xigi Media as a media company which works with other organizations to produce social networking platforms, research, newsletters, and events. Past customers of Xigi Media include Google‘s annual partner conference, Zeitgeist, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) representing 375 companies responsible for 86 percent of US-based online advertising, and the Global Communications Consortium (GCC), a London Business School research program focusing on key issues facing the communications industry. Xigi.org, whose team are the creators of xigi.net, is the “non-profit face of Xigi Media.” Xigi.net maintains a Social Capital Index (SoCap Index) which tracks investment instruments and transactions for a variety of socially-oriented industries, including microfinance, as reported by a recent MicroCapital article.

The conference is sponsored by Halloran Philanthropies, an institution promoting economic development, ethical business, microfinance, and neighborhood revitalization, and the Center for Social Innovation (CSI) at Stanford University‘s Graduate School of Business which engages students and alumni in environmental and social issues. The CSI produces the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR), a subscription-based publication focusing “on advancing strategic management and leadership in the social sector” since 2003. The SSIR also supports education in solutions to social problems through the creation of 70 case studies now in use by numerous teaching institutions in multiple countries and reports on its web site that it reaches thousands of individuals each year through community engagement programs.

Those interested in sponsoring the event may contact Kevin Jones at kevin@xigi.biz.

By Anthony Busch, Research Assistant

Additional Resources:

Fort Mason Center: Home

Google: Home

Interactive Advertising Bureau: Home, About

London Business School: Home, Global Communications Consortium

MicroCapital article, February 28, 2008: “Socially-Conscious Investment Information Portal Xigi.net Launches Social Capital Index”

New York Times: Home, “Google Gives Some Hints About Social Network Plan”, by Miguel Helft, October 11, 2007

Social Capital Markets 2008: Home, About, Content, Venue/Stay, Producer

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Home, FAQs

Stanford University: Home, Graduate School of Business, Center for Social Innovation, What We Do, About