Key Takeaways
- • Better Society Capital (BSC), founded in 2012 as Big Society Capital, was seeded with £400m from dormant bank accounts and £200m from Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and NatWest.
- • BSC describes itself as a "social impact wholesaler," operating as a fund of funds that commits capital to specialist fund managers and intermediaries focused on positive impact.
- • The stated strategy is to act as a first mover, attracting co-investment from other capital sources to develop new markets and commercialise social impact opportunities.
- • Gemma Bourne, managing director at BSC, leads the firm's social property investment strategy and discusses social housing KPIs, mixed-use projects, and manager selection.
- • The discussion also addresses how BSC measures social impact and balances impact objectives with financial returns.
Summary
Better Society Capital (BSC) aims to make social impact investing commercially viable by ensuring that economic incentives encourage firms to align their activities with societal goals. Founded in 2012 under the name Big Society Capital, the organisation was initially capitalised with £400m from dormant bank accounts, supplemented by £200m from Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and NatWest.
BSC commits capital to specialist fund managers and intermediaries that pursue measurable positive impact. The firm describes itself as a "social impact wholesaler," functioning as a fund of funds for impact investors. Its stated objective is to act as a first mover, encouraging co-investment from other capital sources so that new markets can develop and social impact opportunities can be commercialised.
In a recent episode of the Stories of Transformation series, Gemma Bourne, managing director at BSC and lead of its social property investment strategy, outlined the firm's approach. Topics included how BSC works to create new markets, its efforts to attract outside capital, and the role of its base of permanent capital. The discussion also covered measuring social impact, key performance indicators for social housing, and how BSC approaches mixed-use projects. Bourne addressed manager selection, the attributes BSC seeks in fund managers, and the challenge of balancing impact objectives with financial returns.
Note: The available source material is limited to the publisher's summary and episode outline. Specific KPIs, deal sizes, fund commitments, and performance figures discussed in the episode are not reflected here.
BSC commits capital to specialist fund managers and intermediaries that pursue measurable positive impact. The firm describes itself as a "social impact wholesaler," functioning as a fund of funds for impact investors. Its stated objective is to act as a first mover, encouraging co-investment from other capital sources so that new markets can develop and social impact opportunities can be commercialised.
In a recent episode of the Stories of Transformation series, Gemma Bourne, managing director at BSC and lead of its social property investment strategy, outlined the firm's approach. Topics included how BSC works to create new markets, its efforts to attract outside capital, and the role of its base of permanent capital. The discussion also covered measuring social impact, key performance indicators for social housing, and how BSC approaches mixed-use projects. Bourne addressed manager selection, the attributes BSC seeks in fund managers, and the challenge of balancing impact objectives with financial returns.
Note: The available source material is limited to the publisher's summary and episode outline. Specific KPIs, deal sizes, fund commitments, and performance figures discussed in the episode are not reflected here.
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