Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will require impact investment and venture capital, as well as development finance. But how can entrepreneurs working on shared global challenges access that money?
Perhaps the single best way to learn how to pitch to investors is by sitting on the other side of the table. Last week, Devex had the unique opportunity to do just that — evaluating startup pitches as part of a social impact and mission-driven investor panel at the Silicon Valley Open Doors conference.
“When I look at an investment, even one I think might have a chance of social impact, I look at — does it have a chance of succeeding, and does it have a reasonable risk-adjusted return?” said Alisa Yaffa, who founded Step Up Funding, which aims to accelerate the investment process for entrepreneurs.