Our Investment Approach
In addition to making direct investments, we have designed, seeded and invested in several pioneering funds that help to address challenging social issues and strengthen the capacity of ventures to deliver social and environmental change.
Social Tech Ventures – Investing in a more equal, inclusive, and sustainable future
We believe that if the benefits of technology are to be shared throughout society, there needs to be greater investment in impact-driven tech companies that are delivering a more equal, inclusive and sustainable future. $2.6bn was invested into UK impact tech in 2020, yet 62% of social ventures don’t have the right amount of finance in place. Social tech Trust is seeding the Social Tech Ventures Fund to scale positive impact by meeting the capital needs of high potential ventures who are currently underserved by the investment market. This fund is in development. Read more about the need for this fund.
UKRI Investor Partner – Enabling Healthy Ageing
We are an ageing society. On average, those aged 65 today will only live just over half of their remaining life without disability. We have partnered with UKRI to fund high potential impact-driven tech companies that are working towards providing 5 extra years of healthy active life whilst also addressing social inequalities. We are backing innovative business models that create impact at scale – we aim to allow people to remain active, productive, independent and socially connected across generations for as long as possible. Read more about our UKRI Investor Partnership.
Fair by Design – Tackling the poverty premium
The Fair by Design fund aims to end the poverty premium – the extra cost of being poor. An estimated 14.3 million people (22% of the population) in the UK are living in poverty and people in poverty, or on low incomes, pay on average £490 more each year for the same goods and services as people who are better off financially. As a founding investor in this fund, we are backing scalable tech businesses tackling the drivers of the poverty premium in the UK. Through this approach, we are aiming to contribute to systems change towards a fairer and more affordable life for low-income households across the UK. Link to Fair by Design.
We focus on three core areas where we have identified the greatest opportunity for social transformation to be facilitated by tech; communities, health and wealth.
Read more about why sustainable social impact needs a more flexible approach to investment in our blog.
To find out more about the fund and our investment activities please contact us at hello@socialtechtrust.org.
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iAMDigital Fund – Increasing digital inclusion
The iAMDigital Fund was set up in partnership with Creative UK and aims to improve the employability and livelihoods of those who are being left behind in a society, economy and workforce that is increasingly digital-by-default. The £1m fund invests in organisations that are using the creative industries to help create accessible pathways to digital engagement. Investments include Bulbshare, Northcoders and Turing Lab. The fund is not making any new investments. Link to iAMDigital.
Bethnal Green Ventures – Seeding tech for good ventures
We are a founding partner of BGV. After supporting the raise of their first fund, we have continued to back BGV, helping them to develop into one of Europe’s leading early-stage investors in tech for good. BGV invest in very early-stage companies, backing diverse founders that are using technology to create positive social and environmental impact at scale. Read more about our work with BGV.