SVX.US launches new impact investing platform with $11.5 million TechSoup offering

New platform helps a growing segment of investors make good impact investments; Capital raise will enable TechSoup to power up social impact with new initiatives to help organizations improve lives through the use of technology.

SAN FRANCISCO, November 14th, 2018 – Today, Canadian-based Social Venture Connexion (SVX) officially launched its investment platform in the U.S. SVX is a platform offering debt and equity investment opportunities in high impact companies, organizations and funds that can deliver positive social and environmental impact alongside financial return.

Using the innovative SVX impact investment platform, tech nonprofit TechSoup intends to raise $11.5 million through a Direct Public Offering (DPO). TechSoup connects civil society organizations and changemakers around the world to the resources they need to design and implement technology solutions for a more equitable planet.

The TechSoup DPO, which includes three tiers of debt securities investments, marks the first time the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has qualified a nonprofit to raise funds nationally through a Regulation A+ / Tier 2 offering. With investment minimums as low as $50, it is uniquely structured to engage with TechSoup’s community, including the non-profits they serve, the technology companies they support, and those who have supported TechSoup for 30 years.

SVX.US is being launched in collaboration with SVX Canada, Cutting Edge Capital, and Bequia Securities, a U.S. SEC registered broker dealer and member of FINRA/SIPC. For more information on TechSoup’s offering and SVX.US services, please visit https://svx.us.com.

QUICK FACTS

  • For every $100 invested, TechSoup is able to distribute an estimated $47,000 of additional resources to nonprofits.
  • TechSoup has reached more than one million organizations in 236 countries and territories around the world. The DPO will enable it to make additional inroads into the global nonprofit/NGO sector, which is made up of more than 12.3 million NGOs and an estimated workforce of 251 million people.
  • In Canada, SVX supported enterprises, funds, and organizations have raised over $100 million in capital since 2013.
  • According to the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), the top 200+ impact investors have $228 billion dedicated to impact investments, a figure which doubled between 2017 to 2018.
  • According to a recent survey by U.S. Trust, four in 10 wealthy US investors – including 77% of Millennials and 59% of Gen X – either own impact investments or are interested in impact investing. According to the 2017 Sustainable Signals survey by Morgan Stanley, 75% of all investors are interested in sustainable investing.

QUOTES
“SVX is delighted to collaborate across borders by starting up in the U.S. impact investing market with TechSoup’s offering. This opportunity is open to a growing group of investors who are increasingly interested in aligning their investments with their values, from foundations to family offices to the general public. We are excited to make impact investing accessible to all investors from Wall Street to Main Street.”
Adam Spence, Founder and Director, SVX Canada

“Launching the SVX.US platform with TechSoup is the perfect start for us. TechSoup has demonstrated significant measurable impact for years, and has been a global leader putting social values first. This offering allows us to signal to Investors that only highly curated issuers will be added to our platform, while applying traditional approaches to due diligence and suitability via Bequia’s own commitment to this socially-responsible space.”
John Katovich, Principal at Bequia Securities and Co-Founder, SVX.US

“It was essential to us to shape an impact investment that was inclusive, giving as many of our stakeholders as possible an opportunity to engage and influence our future. The DPO and SVX as our investment platform make it possible for us to democratize access to a unique impact investment that can have meaningful social returns for our community of stakeholders as well as financial returns. This funding will help us to realize five long-term strategic initiatives that enable TechSoup to rapidly bring new services to nonprofit and philanthropic communities and continue to generate significant social impact.”
Rebecca Masisak, CEO, TechSoup

Media Contacts
John Katovich, SVX.US
john.katovich@svx.us.com

Annie Dizon, TechSoup
Annie@TechSoup.org

Anisha Jain, SVX.CA
anisha@svx.ca

About SVX.US
Partnering with SVX Canada and Cutting Edge Capital, and utilizing the broker dealer expertise of Bequia Securities, SVX.US improves access across borders, enhances shared capacity, technology, and knowledge, and creates a single access point for all impact investors and issuers. The platform focuses on social and environmental criteria, and delivers tailored programming to support the unique needs of the entire marketplace. Socially motivated investors can rely on the platform to find curated company and fund offerings that value employment, governance and stakeholder engagement, equal to sound and responsible business practices. For more information, please visit svx.us.com.

About TechSoup
TechSoup provides the transformative technology solutions, the digital platforms, and the in-person experiences that enable people to work together toward a more equitable world. With 70 partner NGOs around the world, TechSoup manages the only global philanthropy program that brings together more than 100 tech companies to provide technology donations to NGOs everywhere. TechSoup’s data and validation services enable companies, foundations, and governments to connect their philanthropic resources with vetted NGOs around the world. In the past 30 years, TechSoup has reached 1.06 million NGOs and distributed technology products and grants valued at more than $11.1 billion. www.techsoup.org

About SVX Canada
SVX is an impact investing platform for ventures, funds, and investors seeking social and/or environmental impact alongside the potential for financial return. We provide a single access point for raising capital and making investments. We work across sectors including cleantech, health, education, food, and social inclusion to help enterprises raise capital so they can focus on their business. We work with all investors, from foundations and family offices to everyday investors, to help them make good impact investments through education, advice, transaction support, and management. SVX is powered by MaRS Discovery District in collaboration with the TMX Group Inc. and the Government of Ontario. SVX is a nonprofit organization based in Canada registered with local securities regulators as an Exempt Market Dealer (EMD), with a network of platform partners in the US and Mexico. For more information, please visit www.svx.ca.