Reflecting on 2019: Sharing our thinking on social impact

As we come to the end of 2019, one of the things I’ve been most proud to work on is growing our social impact work. In January, we kicked off a working group to design a social good program for Vision Fund I, drawing on our core strengths to have the greatest possible impact. For the last year, we have been working together with Vision Fund I’s portfolio companies and social good partners to start exploring how we can have a greater impact on some of the biggest challenges facing society -- from climate change to workforce displacement. The in-person meetings of these groups in San Francisco in July and November have been some of the high-points of my 2019. We are still in the process of piloting initiatives and engaging with the right experts to determine where we’re uniquely positioned to have the greatest impact, but I’m proud of what we’re building.

At SoftBank Investment Advisers (SBIA), I’m privileged to be able to include this work within my ‘day job’ as a Managing Partner, working for a company that aspires to have a positive, lasting impact on the world. SoftBank’s founder, Masayoshi Son, often talks about a 300-year vision and about creating ‘happiness for everyone.’ This ambition to create a better world is part of what first drew me to work at SBIA.

But I also recognized that we had an opportunity to do more--and to do something truly unique and ambitious. We believe Vision Fund I’s portfolio includes some of the most innovative companies in the world, many of whom already have programmes in place to support their drive for a positive impact on society.

However, as we started digging into this topic over the last year, we couldn’t help but wonder if we could generate an even greater impact by working together to mobilize the collective scale and resources of Vision Fund I’s ecosystem. 

That’s why I’m thrilled we are now partnering with what we believe to be some of the most ground-breaking companies in the world, seeking to exponentially grow our impact in areas we believe we can affect the greatest change. Guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, our goal is to use Vision Fund I’s portfolio companies’ collective knowledge and expertise to generate positive social impact. In addition to working with Vision Fund I’s portfolio companies, we have also joined successful organizations like 2030Vision, to achieve even more together than we can alone.

We know getting this right will take time.

We also know that at our scale and level of public visibility, actions and impact matter far more than words and good intentions.

That’s why we’ve spent the past year carefully considering how our social impact program will work in practice, consulting with partners and experts in this space to really understand how we can build something that has a significant impact on the world. We don’t expect to get it perfect the first time around, and we will need to test and adjust our approach as we go, but we’re excited to be making progress on this incredible journey.

As we continue to think about how we can be most impactful, we'd love to hear more from our peers and experts in the space. You can contact me directly via LinkedIn to share ideas, insight and opportunities for collaboration. Looking forward to sharing more over the coming months.