SVX: Connecting healthcare companies to impact investors

SVX: Connecting healthcare companies to impact investors

The Social Venture Connexion, or SVX, was launched on September 19, 2013, at the Toronto Stock Exchange, providing a first-of-its-kind platform to connect socially conscious accredited investors with ventures providing social impact.

Carlos Pinto Lobo, chief compliance officer for the SVX at the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing, presented this new platform to healthcare companies looking for investment capital at the MaRS Future of Medicine event last month.

SVX

Carlos’ talk focused on:

  • an overview of impact investing;
  • what the SVX is and how it works;
  • requirements for B Corp certification; and
  • the future of the SVX.

Many healthcare companies have a double bottom line, resulting in not only financial returns, but also social returns. Social ventures often face difficulties in finding investment opportunities, and the SVX helps solve this problem by providing a place where ventures and investors with similar goals can meet, connect and share.

As many healthcare startups devote much of their time to preparing their products for market, under certain circumstances the SVX may accept companies that are in the clinical trial or research and development stage of their business even if they have not yet met the minimum revenue requirements.

Ventures on the SVX platform also have the benefit of participating in online and in-person SVX Pitch Fairs and can receive pitch support in preparation for these events.

Another advantage for healthcare companies, especially for those that have expanded or that are planning to expand into the United States, is the B Corp certification. B Corp, or Benefit Corporation, is one of the third-party rating systems that the SVX employs to measure the social impact of a venture (others include GIIRS and IRIS). The MaRS Centre for Impact Investing can provide assistance to companies completing the assessment step when applying for this certification.

To learn more about the SVX platform and how you can access it to help find capital, see the slide presentation below and visit the SVX website.