The conference is one of the largest and most revered conferences in the social investment and venture philanthropy sector, bringing together different actors from all over Europe, all seeking to create and collaborate in an impactful way. Last year, over 500 participants ranging from social investors, social enterprises, grantees to venture philanthropy organisations and policymakers from 45 different countries, all present at our Annual Conference in Oslo.
Watch highlights of last year’s Annual Conference, “Guiding Lights” in Oslo, Norway.
Over 500 actors interested in social impact, from 45 countries gathered between 9 and 10 November, in Oslo, Norway, to find ways to build new solutions for society during the 13th European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) Annual Conference themed Guiding lights organised in partnership with Ferd Social Entrepreneurs.
In his keynote speech, Sean Hinton, Director of the Open Society Economic Advancement Program and CEO of the Soros Economic Development Fund, underlined that risk-taking, knowing your customers, and backing teams is the key to bring together the soul of philanthropy with the spirit of investing.
Cooperating with multiple actors in the sector and taking risks when supporting social purpose organisations are two main elements participants identified as essential in order to build solutions that contribute to improving the society we live in.
This is one of the largest and most established conferences in social investment and venture philanthropy, bringing together European social investors, social enterprises, grantees, venture philanthropy organisations, business representatives, academics and policy makers from a variety of countries. This year’s conference has been supported by FERD, Oslo Kommune, Sparebankstiftelsen/DNB, Sparebankstiftelsen Oestfold A, TD Veen.
I am grateful for the community arriving here in Oslo. This conference means a lot for putting venture philanthropy on the map. It gave many people from the Nordics a chance to see what kind of people are in the sector in many other countries, and the competences they bring with them. I think the conference is a good starting point for more Nordic actors to join the venture philanthropy space. The conference gave me a sense of common goals. We are a community ready to act, to solve problems, and to spread solutions., declared Katinka Greve Leiner, Director of Ferd Social Entrepreneurs.
This year, the EVPA Annual Conference will head to Warsaw, Poland. Currently, only 2% of venture philanthropy investments are allocated to CEE, while 67% go to Western Europe. Social entrepreneurs face difficulties in accessing patient early stage capital that does not demand high financial returns. By organising the 14th EVPA Annual Conference in CEE, EVPA hopes to build a different message around the region, to increase resources and bring new actors into the sector.
On 3-4 November 2016, the EVPA team headed to Paris for the 12th edition of its Annual Conference. The Conference offered exceptional opportunities for networking and establishing much-valued connections. Attendees meet with organisations similar to their own and shared challenges and opportunities. The mix of sectors and expertise gave them the opportunity to learn from others, share their own experiences and strategies, and develop a common vision on the future of VP. This year we had 525+ attendees, but who knows next year?
If you want to see the pictures of the event, please visit the album.
On 1-2 December 2015, the EVPA team headed to Madrid for the 11th edition of its Annual Conference. It was another great event, where the sector came together and shared ideas, stories, and ambitions for the future.
There were many actors, new and veteran who gave testimonials on the experience and value that this conference added.
Ryan Little, Project Manager, BMW Foundation. EVPA15 Conference committee
“This was one of those rare conferences where decision-makers come together, new partnerships are created, deals are made, and there is a strong bias towards doing. Of course the sessions were packed with content, but it was the deafening roar of the hundreds of simultaneous conversations that were happening during the breaks and receptions and the creative energy you could feel from it that signalled something was really taking hold.”
Zoe McDonagh, International Activity, Fondazione CRT. EVPA15 Newcomer
“The conference gave great insight into the world of Venture Philanthropy, social impact investing and social entrepreneurship – the mix of sectors and experience gave everyone the chance to contribute and learn from one another. The best part was the crash course for newcomers which was fundamental and the perfect opportunity to get into the conference “culture”. The EVPA conference has something for everyone, social entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, foundations and more – an experience not to be missed.”
Cliff Prior, CEO, UnLtd
“EVPA Madrid showed venture philanthropy and social investment at their best: truly purposeful, building on the foundations and taking some big steps forward, with honest reflections about challenges as well as practical solutions from real experience. And as ever, the people made it, with exceptional opportunities for networking and valued connections. Congratulations to the team!”
Darren Ryan, CEO, Social Entrepreneurs Ireland
“There is nothing quite like meeting somebody from a similar organisation to your own and discussing shared challenges and opportunities. You can learn more in a 30 minute conversation than reading any articles on Venture Philanthropy. This is the true beauty of the EVPA Conference. While I attend for the great speakers and sessions, the best value comes from those individual conversations with so many European leaders.”
If you want to see the pictures of the event, please visit the album.
On 17-18 November 2014, the EVPA team headed to Berlin for the 10th Annual Conference. The event brought together hundreds of venture philanthropy and social investment experts and practitioners from Europe and beyond to discuss this year’s theme: ‘Collaborating for Social Impact: the next 10 years’. The themes covered a range of topics from crowdfunding to impact measurement and from exits or family philanthropy to government regulations.
If you want to see the pictures of the event, please visit the album.
On 26 and 27 November 2013, EVPA headed to Geneva, Switzerland for its 9th Annual Conference. Over 500 venture philanthropy and social investment experts and practitioners from Europe and beyond came together to discuss the 2013 principal theme ‘Responsible Leadership: Inspire and Act!’
