Ignition Fund I

Ignition Fund I

An experimental application of capital in catalysis of

transformative ventures.

CONVERSATION PRIMER - v1

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Pre-amble

• The values I hold as I bring this forth:– Attention on systems-depth shifts and

consciousness change– Embodiment of whole systems thinking– Acknowledgement of all as one, one as all,

and all as it is.

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Escalating imbalance…

• Records are being broken– Homelessness– Poverty– Disparity– Hurricanes– Tsunamis– Heat– Etc…

Pick your Passion

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… calls for profound change.

• Deep change happens at two interrelated levels: systems and consciousness– They are both in constant, dynamic interplay– They are the co-creators of society

• Venturing is the intentional process of change– To undertake a risky or daring journey – To risk or offer– To undertake to express, as when opposition or resistance

appears likely to follow; be bold enough; dare to go

• Capital is the key ingredient in venturing– Financial– Social– Intellectual

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In response emerges…

• A purpose– To restore balance among people and the

planet by venturing towards systems-depth shifts and consciousness change.

• A goal– To discover and demonstrate a systems

based approach to catalytic investment in transformative ventures.

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with a perspective on venturing…

• The more transformative the venture the less effective conventional planning and management approaches prove to be

• Working on changing systems and consciousness requires operating in the style of the system and consciousness you aim to create

• Transformative venturing is about creating a stable state far from equilibrium

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• Venture investing involves 3 forms of capital– Financial– Social– Intellectual

• In the overlaps there is leverage• At the centre is the fulcrum • Investing in transformative ventures

requires a transformative approach

and a perspective on investing.

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Transformative investment practices…

Conventional Strategy

Systems Strategy Transformative investment practice

Financial -invest in plans-seek surety-control risk

-invest in conditions-create space-comfort with unknown

“Seed stability fund”“Deal Day”

Social -directly managed-linear-referral based

-dynamic-fluid-interconnected

“Iggy-Active Network”

Intellectual -expert advice-directive

-wisdom in community-co-creative engagement

“Venture Votex”“Viable System Model”

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“Seed stability fund”

• Recognize capital’s clout as– Attractor– Influencer– Enforcer

• Use capital’s clout in encouraging systems style transformative venturing – Invest in creating basic financial stability

• Baseline independence and freedom

– Follow-on to catalyze growth• Once aligned then intentional or opportunistic

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“Deal Day”

• A co-creative approach to deal structuring• 1 day session

– Engage venture team, investors, and key community members

– Assess alignment– Determine requisite and accelerating condition

measures and activities– Structure deal to most catalyze conditions and

leverage capital clout

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“Iggy-active network”

• Whole portfolio network activation• Online profile and network development

– LinkedIn + social network? (ning/facebook/twitter/pownce etc.)

• Leverage network– Deal flow– Due diligence engagement (Readiness screening)– Specific capital requests from aligned ventures

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“Venture Vortex”

• A comprehensive venture alignment framework– For assessment– For optimization

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“Viable System Model” (VSM)• Developed by

Stafford Beer

• Systems science of organization– Diagnostic– Design

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Systems-based investment cycle

• Employ capital as a catalyst

Requisite Conditions•Basic financial stability•Core competency coverage

Readiness indicators •Trust•Clarity•Momentum

Accelerating conditions•Venture vortex alignment•Active, appropriate network

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Resulting deal process

1. Identify transformation2. Call into network for ventures3. Online alignment survey4. Readiness screen5. Venture vortex assessment6. Deal Day7. Venture vortex and VSM optimization8. Reporting and network requests9. Revisit as appropriate

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Ignition Fund I

• A practical experiment into transformative investment practices

• $1.5 M - $3 M– $500k management and systems setup– $500+k stability funding– $500+k growth seed funding

• 18 months active management– Venture reporting and network in perpetuity

• 5 ventures already short-listed– 1 charity, 1 non-profit, 2 commercial, 1 concept– Renewable energy, sustainable food, regional

transformation, consciousness change

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• Michael A. B. Lewkowitz– An accomplished venture builder with over a decade of

experience founding, advising, professional investment, and managing emerging entities with a vision.

• Founded: 6 • Incubated: 2• Managed: 3 • Advised: 5

– Mission: To co-create a comprehensive example of the practical structures for common people to meet their primary needs in a way that reflects balance among people and the planet by 2015.

Igniter

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Anticipated results

• 3 viable transformative ventures– 1 incubated venture– 1 commercial grade venture opportunity

• Systems based investment experiment learnings– Venture Vortex model– Deal Day process and deal document template– Iggy-active network approach– 18 month facilitated debrief session participation and output

• Deal terms to be determined in “Deal Day”– Initial considerations

• Investment at par by end year 3• Principal return by end year 5• 1 commercial grade venture opportunity

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Next Steps

• Is there something here that’s caught some interest?

• Follow-up conversation and vortex review

• Still interested?

• “Deal Day”

Ignition Fund I

An experimental application of capital in catalysis of

transformative ventures.

CONVERSATION PRIMER

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Fun slide…