Silke Horáková used to be a classical investor. However, when she heard about the British fund Bridges Ventures that invests exclusively into projects with a social impact, she decided to found a similar fund in the Czech Republic. It was 2011; the sector of social entrepreneurship was in its infancy and impact investing was an unfamiliar concept. Step by step, she became engaged in building a new sector of social businesses and after eight years when the time was ripe, she co-founded the first social impact fund, Tilia Impact Ventures.
You’ve been actively engaged in the social sector since 2011. How has it changed since then?
In 2011, there was almost no support for social entrepreneurs in the Czech Republic. Over the years, the sector began to expand and new programs like jako Lepší byznys from Nadace Via, Social Impact Award, Impact First Award from Česká Spořitelna, #třidvajedna program from Nadace Karla Janečka, Laboratoř Nadace Vodafone and Edison were created. Despite that, only a small fraction of investment goes into companies with a social impact.
Why is that? Are there too few investors?
I wouldn’t say that; finding investors was my smallest problem. On the contrary, I was surprised that when we were preparing this fund, we met many Czech investors who told us they do a bit of impact investing but that they would like to do more, even if the return on investment in the beginning isn’t great.
If there are enough generous investors, then where’s the problem?
There are not enough entrepreneurs who would found a company with the intent to create social impact. I’d say that inclusive businesses work well because the government supports them. However, I rarely see people with big ambitions who want to bring systemic change. People who have verve rarely found social businesses. On top of that, the whole social sector is dependent on grants and subsidies and hence there are only short-term projects that are not financially sustainable.
Did these reasons lead you to founding Tilia Impact Ventures?
Yes, Petr Vítek and I wanted to create a fund that would support entrepreneurs who wish to create a measurable impact. The fund should reach 59 million Czech crowns and our goal is to invest into 8-10 projects over the course of the next four years. And besides that, we also want to test the market, develop it, attract new investors to it and find out what financial instruments work best in it.
How does Tilia Impact Ventures differ from other funds?
So far, we’re the only Czech fund that focuses on impact investing. We aim towards enterprises with a clear positive social impact mission and measurable, scalable impact that have both a financially sustainable business model and ability to grow.
Do you already have any project in your portfolio?
Do you want to know the answer to this question? Keep reading the interview on the UP21 blog.
Silke Horáková is a co-owner and a board of trustees member at Albatros Media as well as an initiator of the Albatros Foundation. She is also a private investor, having worked in private investment funds and led the Czech Private Equity and Venture Capital Association. Silke Horáková supports social entrepreneurship, leads seminars on the principles of successful entrepreneurship in the social sector, and mentors social businesses. Together with Petr Vítek, she co-founded the first Czech impact investing fund Tilia Impact Ventures.She also co-founded the Fund for Independent Journalism. In her free time, she likes to read and draw.
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