About Us

Impact Seed was the culmination of a chance meeting between Co Founders Kylie Hansen and Sven Stenvers in 2012.

After a 15 year background in tech, telecommunications and clean energy startups, Sven exited his renewable energy venture in 2011, continuing to focus his passion for building impact-driven ventures. Kylie was then Chair and CEO of Cambodian/Australian social enterprise, Empowering Communities, having just returned to a Perth, and was concurrently working in roles across the WA NFP sector and completing her Graduate Certificate in Social Impact at UWA.

Over the next 2 years Sven and Kylie sought to further align their life and work with with their values, exploring the innovation landscape for investable WA social enterprises.

They found that in 2014, the WA startup, innovation and investment ecosystem which was overtly tech-centric and you were identified as “either a business, or a social enterprise, and not both”. Not satisfied with WA’s lack of support for social enterprise development, social innovation, and impact investment, Impact Seed was formed.

Today it is Western Australia’s peak capacity building organisation for impact investment, measurement and social enterprise development. Its work focuses on market development, growing participation and engagement with impact investment and social enterprise, and influencing policy.

Impact Seed has supported over 200 founders, not for profit, businesses, investor and government stakeholders, built an active government advocacy profile, along with a range of incubation, education and innovation programs, workshops and events.

The West Australian – Amping up Social License

Pro Bono News – 2020 Australian Impact Investment Awards winners

The West Business – Impact Investment WA Alliance urges McGowan Government to support the emerging sector

Pioneers Post – Newly launched social enterprise alliance calls on Australian PM for ‘National Impact Fund’

Business News – WA Super to make $20m impact investment

Pro Bono News – Advocates say WA is ripe for impact investing

Business News – WA backing for impact investing

Business News – Seed funds for social impact

Impact Seed is part of the rapidly emerging Impact Investment ecosystem

We believe social impact business models are the future way of all business.  Consumer choice is increasingly driven by conscience, not just product value. An overwhelming majority of under 40’s believe business’ purpose extends beyond profit and 60% of HNW’s see driving social impact with their investments as ‘extremely or very important’.

We are passionate about growing impact investment alongside business, investors, foundations and not-for-profits wanting to integrate social impact as mission aligned investments.

Our team have diverse and successful experience in commercial, startup, not for profit and social impact sectors in Australia and globally, and are passionate about bridging the gap by driving social innovation and social enterprise development through impact investment in Western Australia.

Social Impact = Unique Value Proposition = Competitive = Market Share Uplift

• Consumer Choice is now driven by conscience, not only product value
• Social Impact Business = Highly bankable. Best of brand-equity and value proposition.
• Impact investment funds (IRR): 6.9% vs. 8.1% for universe of non-impact investment funds (1)
• 92% of under 40’s believe a business’s purpose extends beyond profit (2)
• 60% HNWI’s see driving social impact with their investments as extremely or very important (3)
• Brands that elicit an emotional response outperform all major financial indices in revenue and profit growth (4)

* 1: GIIN 2015 | 2: Deloitte 2012 | 3: RBC Wealth Management 2014  | 4: MBLM Intimate Brands 2015

“When they discover that they have a conscious competitor, traditional companies are likely to find that their ability to attract customers, employees, investors and suppliers will diminish greatly.” (Ernst & Young, 2016)