Let's connect the dots!

There is an energy I draw from being in the spaces 'in-between' other spaces; navigating the intersections of existing conventions, disciplines and orthodoxies to ask new questions and discover new approaches to emerging challenges.?

In some ways this was always the case for me. For example, playing sports growing up, I struggled to define my favourite position, and instead preferred to 'float' into different spaces throughout the game - connecting the play, providing momentum, relieving the pressure.?

I can't pretend I always had the skill, awareness or fitness levels to be everywhere all the time, but I instinctively preferred to be in the thick of the action, where the battle was hottest in the moment, and where I believed I could make the most impact.?

Well, it turns out there are many others with similar stories, from an array of backgrounds, having similar conversations about how we break down silos to create the impact we need across a variety of spaces.?

I delightedly rushed back from recess because I was privileged to be invited to some of these conversations. Whilst many of them have been one-on-one or in small groups with change-makers that I shan't embarrass by tagging, I wanted to spotlight two of the wider conversations.

The first, hosted at Chatham House by the incredible Ana Yang and Benjamin Yeoh , was the ‘UnConference’ on how we accelerate towards a fair and sustainable future. Not only was the unstructured nature of the conversation itself illuminating, the setting of Chatham House - in some ways the embodiment of the 19th century establishment - provided a juxtaposition that brought a different energy to the conversation.?

The second conversation, hosted at the House of KOKO by the brilliant Suhair Khan and Ben Evans , was an ‘open-ended’ conversation about the intersections of technology, culture and creativity. As part of London Design Festival (LDF), we talked about ecology and AI, responsible tech and the creativity of intelligence - we were also treated to an AI-enhanced beat-boxing session by the incredible Harry Yeff .

I have been affiliated with both Houses - Chatham and KOKO - for a long time, and thankfully was never forced to pledge Game of Thrones-esque allegiance to either. I deeply cherish both spaces and institutions as they give meaningful expression to different but equally authentic aspects of my temperament. They are both very much ‘me’, and so is the space in between them.?

My personal and professional life has been spent straddling spaces. I did not choose this for myself and it hasn’t always been easy to navigate, but my next phase will see me lean heavily into my ‘connector’ energy across the creative, engineering, investing, policy-making and charity / philanthropic spaces.??

On one hand, I am constantly blown away by the creativity of founders who say they can’t find impact funding to scale, and on the other hand, investors constantly tell me that they cannot find enough impact projects that stack up for investment. In my experience, both sides are earnest in their endeavours, but there is a degree of translation required between their two worlds.

It seems like we collectively have the creativity and the resources to solve many of the problems we face. There are some seriously inspiring initiatives at various institutions and within communities to make much needed improvements to various vectors of development, but much of it is disparate and increasingly diffuse.?We need to connect more dots!

So, let’s talk to each other...

• if you’re an investor who has (or is about to create) an impact fund or strategy,
• if you’re a founder with an impact solution that needs scaling
• if you are aware of other initiatives to connect impact capital with impact solutions

Let’s grab a coffee - virtual or in real life. I’m very keen to learn from others as we build consensus around ideas for the future!