Ecosystem Ideas

Over the last month we have received 45 ideas for improving the impact investing ecosystem from over 33 innovative thinkers. Some of the ideas came from stakeholders of the ecosystem but many came from local supporters of the ecosystem who are not directly involved in impact investing or impact investing practitioners who work outside of Minnesota.

Refining Ideas

The next step in this project is narrowing down the 45 ideas to the 10 ideas we would like to be workshopped and presented at the second convening. Many of the ideas overlap in solutions or issues they are addressing but we aim to narrow them down to the 10 that represent a diversity in issue area, viability, and idea creator.

Workshopping Ideas

Over the next two weeks we will be speaking with the creators of the most interesting ideas to workshop their idea for the convening. Some ideas have been fully fleshed out while others are still nascent. The goal of the workshops is to have a clear enough vision of the idea such that a 5 minute presentation could answer the following questions:

• What is your big idea and how would it work?
• How would your idea help mainstream impact investing in the TC?
• What would it take to do your idea?

Second Convening

The main programming for the second convening will consist of five minute presentations of the ideas that come out of the refining and workshopping process. The presentations will be informal and structured by the three questions listed above. After the presentations, attendees can approach the speakers and build upon the ideas in unstructured “Yes and—” exercises. 

The convening will take place on November 10th from 8am–11am in the Impact Hub’s Skyline room.

Here is the agenda:

8:00 – Networking & Breakfast

8:30 – Welcome

8:45 – Phase I Review

9:00 – Bold Ideas

10:00 – Discussion

10:45 – Send off