We analyze and contribute to the developing social finance field by engaging in academic research and creating market insights for investors, intermediaries as well as portfolio companies. Our offering comprises:

• Market intelligence: We create knowledge on markets (e.g., Impact Investing in Germany, Mapping the Social Impact Investing Market in Morocco) or instruments (Evaluation of the first German Social Impact Bond) to foster awareness and enhance interest.
• Thought leadership: We develop new ideas and concepts based on our experience and insights into the field, e.g., how foundations can leverage their resources to generate more impact or how social security systems need to adapted for the platform economy.
• Research projects: We collaborate with renowned experts worldwide in research consortia, e.g., YES – Young Entrepreneurs Succeed, an EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment funded research project to activate unemployed youth to access the labour market and promote entrepreneurship.
• Investment Counsel & Strategy Development: We support investors in formulating their social finance strategy as well as in finding potential investees across Europe.

We support impact investors and their investees across the entire investment process by developing and implementing a variety of methods and tools. These comprise amongst others:

• Portfolio construction: We support in defining, identifying and assembling a social finance portfolio across all asset classes based on the individual investment strategy. We do so, by systematically aligning investment opportunities with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals benefiting from our insights into social capital markets all over Europe.
• Impact due diligence: We conduct impact analyses of potential investment opportunities focusing on a coherent theory of change and validation of underlying logic models. Link.
• Impact assessment & reporting: Post-investment, we can support managing your portfolio by designing impact assessments and setting-up appropriate impact reporting systems, e.g., by implementing the Social Reporting Standard.
• Scoring & Benchmarking: We analyse portfolios in the context of the wider social finance market by benchmarking it to the status quo in a specific field or region.
• Company reports & ratings: We support in drafting company impact reports and assess their impact potential with regard to investment alternatives across Europe.