Seed the Change | He Kākano Hāpai is forging a new path with a philanthropic investment strategy that diverges from the mainstream. Our investment portfolio is 100% aligned to purpose: investing in people and companies that are working to bring about positive systemic change for people and planet. 

As our name suggests we invest in early (or seed) initiatives. This stage is renowned for being a high risk space, and as such not-for-profit organisations rarely consider these investment opportunities, taking a cautious fiduciary approach. However, in these times of urgent need for systemic change, Seed the Change believes that supporting and backing our changemaking entrepreneurs is more important than ever. 

We invest in seed investment rounds, endorsing the person and their idea. But isn’t this risky? No, because there is as much reward, in various forms. It is widely accepted that entrepreneurs have many set-backs before their big breakthrough. Should a company not realise its potential as advertised in their Information Memorandum, and our financial investment is not returned, we consider that it is just these setbacks that provide valuable learnings for the entrepreneur to go on to unlock that game-changing initiative. Broadly speaking we consider all our investments part of our philanthropic giving portfolio. It's a win-win approach in our view. 

Our Chair and Founder, Anake Goodall spoke to our investment approach during Terra Nova Foundation’s Te Ao Earth Week. Here we share the highlights of his speech. 

Seed the Change’s approach to investment is high risk, no fail. The world is a dynamic place, and there is a real opportunity to poke around the edges to find what’s missing and explore the things that people say can’t be done, but would be of real value if they could. We seek projects that lift the wellbeing of humans and the environment, and facilitate the transition to a more sustainable, equitable, regenerative and joyous future:

Sustainable - This can take many forms, like projects protecting existing biodiversity, planting trees, to ensuring sustainable systems that support humanity 

Regenerative - Every project in our portfolio must be part of the solution. We invest in the changemaker with the changemaking idea that is going to leave people and planet in a better state than they inherited. 

Equitable - Why would anyone in the world not have sight because of cataracts, or be disabled for life being born with Clubfoot. These are very treatable conditions, and with a minimal amount of money and co-ordination we can enable hundreds of thousands of people to live fulfilling abled lives.  

Joyous - It is not just about the amount of CO2 in the environment. Humans like to sing and dance, read poetry, love each other, worship their Gods. We are products of our environment, and this aspect of the human dimension is something we see as worth celebrating, exploring and encouraging in parallel.

Seed the Change looks for people with new ideas and activities. They may be new companies, start-ups or individuals who have never given a presentation in their life.  Our money is intended to see if they can get their plans up and running. There is no failure, it is about education.

Success looks like Cogo, an app that tracks purchases against carbon impact in real time. Seed the Change invested in this company in its seed investment round. Our contribution boosted its confidence, momentum and connections. Providing Cogo with its first outside investment put it in a better position to attract more investors. The company is now on a trajectory to informing 200 million residents of the planet what their carbon impact is on their expenditure.

Shareholder activism is another component of our investment strategy. This involves buying small parcels of shares that can take others over the proxy threshold to attend AGMs and raise awkward but crucial ethical questions. 

We’re all uniquely positioned with our own skills and insights, and it is collaboration that gets you over the line. The opportunity is very real and right in front of us. There is no such thing as a bad contribution. It all adds to the gain. 

— Anake Goodall