Impact Lab Social Enterprise Speaker Series – From Idea to Investment – Attracting Values-Aligned Funders and Partners

Our third and final Impact Lab speaker series will focus on From Idea to Investment – Attracting Values-Aligned Funders and Partners led by Nicolas Greenfield, Lead for Scaling and Innovative Finance at the YMCAs of Québec.

This event is FREE to attend but we do ask that you pre-register online by following this link.

Early-stage social entrepreneurs often have strong ideas and deep purpose, but key questions remain: How do I attract the right funders? What do aligned partners actually look for? How do I communicate both impact and financial viability without overcomplicating it?

This Lab is designed to demystify funding and help you position your venture to attract the right kind of capital and collaboration.

Participants will explore:

• What values-aligned funders and partners are really looking for
• How to match your idea to the right type of financing
• The differences between grants, revenue models, blended finance, and innovative funding approaches
• Tips for creating a clear, compelling pitch
• How to communicate impact and financial viability in simple, credible terms

This session is open to students, community members, nonprofit leaders, and early-stage social entrepreneurs across Canada who are either in the early stages of developing their social enterprise models to those who are ready to move their ideas from concept to credible investment.

Join us to learn, reflect, and strengthen your ability to attract partners who believe in what you are building.

About Nicolas:

Through over a decade of impact work and research, Nicolas has specialized in program scaling and financing. In particular, Nicolas led the development and growth of a 70+ site program structured as a social franchise across 8 provinces and 5 countries. More recently, he has turned his eye towards developing and implementing innovative funding models for high impact community initiatives, this has led Nicolas to lead Canada’s first Social Impact Bond project in community safety.

Today, as the YMCAs of Québec’s Lead for Scaling and Innovative finance, Nicolas is laser focused on supporting the YMCA in developing the tools and capabilities to unlock its full potential through creative approaches for program implementation and financing. Similarly, Nicolas oversees social enterprise modeling, development and financing for the Y.

Nicolas holds a Masters in Management, specialized in Sustainable Development, from HEC Montréal where his work focused on scaling programs for systems change. Since 2021, Nicolas has lived in the East Kootenay, BC, where he can usually be found biking or climbing with his kids.