C7 will create a direct impact at the local level. We will utilize our global network to multiply our efforts. Through developing on the ground contact networks we will gain access to ideas early in the cycle, when they first need access to capital. We will create these linkages through the expansion of our network and by hosting events in key urban centers around the world. At the same time as harnessing our events to expand local connections, we will run programs to source initiatives.
The initiatives we want to invest in are those:
We believe that those that can demonstrate their conviction in what they are doing deserve a chance to augment their effects on their community and the world. These sorts of initiatives establish virtuous circles; when one good thing starts happening, other good things happen, which cause the first thing to continue happening. These circles, when viewed under a societal impact lens, create positive feedback loops and result in the formation of durable initiatives. These sorts of self-sustaining initiatives continue to generate positive impact without requiring additional capital inputs. This also makes them resistant to macro or micro level shocks that routinely leave non self sustaining initiatives in a funding drought. Avoiding this global and local supply chain risk by identifying resilient, self-sustaining initiatives is at the core of C7’s impact plan.
Our investment strategy is geared towards reaching ideas early, much earlier than smart money, to occupy the gap that traditional funding can’t fill. We want these ideas to succeed to the point where they can reach traditional capital. C7 wants to be able to judge it’s own work so that we can improve on future investments, while also reassuring our network that proper investments are being made and positive change is being implemented.
The advent of free to use online communities provides a foundational tool for C7 to share ideas globally. Entrepreneurs can connect, share ideas, and collaborate on potential solutions, resulting in cross pollination. These communities can be used to source projects at their beginnings for C7 to invest in or donate to. We will tie in our partner network and create moderated channels of discussion to allow for refined exchanges on specific areas. These channels will digitize interactions that previously required in person events, while generating investment pipelines for our partners and funding channels for the entrepreneurs.
The next piece of the puzzle that combines both our Investing and Events is content generation. We do not think content can solve all the problems, but we see it as a viable means to an end. We think through the correct content can act as an amplifier and in reaching the right audiences we can create a funnel that leads to more success in the areas where we can create real change.
C7 will find solutions being implemented at the local level and share them with urban centers around the world. By leveraging a global network that is both in person and digital, C7 will connect entrepreneurs from different backgrounds that face shared challenges.