London-based ClearlySo is an investment banking firm that helps social enterprises raise capital from impact investors, those who seek a social impact along with a financial return. Last week, ClearlySo announced a new impact measurement service for private equity and venture capital funds.
Founder and CEO, Rodney Schwartz, is excited about the new product, which he says will make impact reporting easier. He says, "We launched our impact assessment tool, which, for the first time, specifically addresses the needs of PE/VC firms to measure and report on the impact of their privately held portfolio companies. It does so in a way that is portal-based, efficient, robust, easy-to-use, inexpensive and requires no lengthy questionnaires to be filled out by fund managers or investees."
Mathew Holloway, the CEO of Q-Bot, a social enterprise client of ClearlySo, says, "Obviously ClearlySo has only recently launched ATLAS, but throughout our work with them over the last year, and more recently with ATLAS, they have created a structure by which we can more effectively and efficiency measure and communicate our impact. These tools have allowed us to set goals and targets for the future and track and report on their progress."
Q-Bot's ability to tell their impact story has made a big difference for them, including helping to drive top line growth, Holloway says. "This has added a huge amount of value by aligning the interests of different stakeholders, including employees, investors and customers, and creating a framework by which it can be clearly communicated. This has meant that Q-Bot has been able to have an even greater impact than expected and most importantly demonstrate it. Q-Bot works within the social housing sector where wider societal benefits form part of the procurement process and so has also greatly contributed to the growth of the company and winning of new orders."
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