By C’pher Gresham, Dir. of Entrepreneur Initiatives Last October, SEED SPOT sent me to SOCAP, Social Capital Markets Conference in San Francisco, to learn, network, and be a part of the global social enterprise community. The conference happens at Fort Mason Park that overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. Who doesn’t love a few days in San Francisco eating delicious food and drinking a few craft cocktails all while networking with others doing social good globally? I said “Game on.” Little did I know that I was in for a tremendous experience that far exceeded my expectations and left my head whirling for weeks. I learned a ton, but a few lessons that highlight the benefits of SOCAP are: 1. The sum is greater than the parts. Most conferences focus heavily on programming or heavy on network building. SOCAP does both… and really well. This creates a scenario that elevates conversations above the status quo of job positions and the weather to conversations about how two companies can collaborate to share data or to find more impactful techniques to deliver programs or how to transfer knowledge developed in East Africa to inner City Detroit. Great Content + Great Networking Opportunities = Great Outcomes. 2. Finding You Tribe (One You Believe In.) When finding friends and work colleagues, we tend to look for individuals that share a similar ideology and outlook on life to ours. We do this, for better or worse, because we attach some part of our identity…
Read More: Got Plans for September? Now you do.
