Sumerian is an impact first investor where we seek to maximise the social or economic impact of our investments; financial returns are our secondary goal. We support pioneering social enterprises and charities to achieve their impact potential. As well as making investments, we provide business skills support to help strengthen and grow your organisation - such as governance support, financial forecasting, or strategy development - ready for investment, and we provide social investment advisory services to Trusts and Foundations.
Our experience is that most social enterprises and charities adopting market-based approaches typically demonstrate low and slow growth, and encounter frequent pivot points necessitating regular changes to their business plan. Reflecting these common characteristics, we provide:
- Business skills support and mentorship that builds their core capacity
- Patient, flexible and affordable funding tailored to their specific needs
- Linkages to other stakeholders essential to their growth and impact
For Trusts and Foundations, we provide advisory services around:
- Upskilling teams to provide social investment
- Advice on social investment, including due diligence work
- Skills support to investees and potential investees to develop their capacity