Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Mission Markets Musings: Jeff Tuller

Dec 22, 2010 9:15 AM ET

Mission Markets Blog

I wear two hats here at Mission Markets: Chief Technology Officer and Director of Social Metrics, and right now is a pretty good time for both.

Technology first. Let's take a quick look at how the current state of technology helps Mission Markets fulfill its mission: to grow the impact investing space.



For starters, we have the internet.  We take for granted these days the ability to set up a storefront in cyberspace, but the internet has matured way beyond that:



  • Virtual communications: email was the internet's original killer app because it filled one basic need: to communicate.  Email still comes in handy, but real-time tools like Skype, LiveMeeting and Webex offer virtual conferencing capabilities that seem indispensable now.  Our Virtual Road Shows are just the latest example of this technology in action.



  • The Social Web: "Social" websites allow us to spread the Mission Markets gospel through channels such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter - on top of our own blog and newsletter.



  • Mega-Networking: The viral growth inherent in the network model is multiplied when your network includes networks.  Our own social network grows steadily with each new Mission Markets fan, but it takes one giant leap each time we partner with organizations with networks of their own.  For example, there are our friends at Slow Money and Social Venture Network.  We love each other not only for the alignment of our missions, but for the cross-pollination potential of our networks.



I can't say technology makes building an impact investing marketplace easy, but it sure makes it easier. Next post, I'll talk about how recent developments in performance metrics makes social and environmental impact easier to capture and compare.

- Jeff Tuller, Mission Markets Chief Technology Officer/Director of Social Metrics

Mission Markets operates a private investment exchange facilitating transactions within the social and environmental capital markets. The Mission Markets platform provides companies and organizations with access to funding and impact investors an efficient way to evaluate, invest in and monitor sustainable investment opportunities.

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