Social Venture Network (SVN) is a now-defunct advocacy group that sought to persuade businesses to adopt left-of-center social and environmental policies. During its years of operation, SVN incubated a variety of other so-called social venture organizations, or groups devoted to promoting progressive politics within the business community. ¹ After merging with a left-of-center investing network it incubated called Investors’ Circle to form Social Venture Circle (SVC), in 2022 SVC formally merged with another venture originally incubated by SVN called the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) to form the  American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN).

Social Venture Circle currently operates as one of more than 100 association members of ASBN. ² A significant number of ASBN’s association organizations focus on environmental activism, including 1% for the Planet, ³ Alliance for Affordable Energy, ⁴ Carbon Business Council, ⁵ and Climate Action Business Association. ⁶

Founding, History, and Activities

Social Venture Network was founded in 1987 to advocate that businesses adopt left-of center environmental and social policies. ⁷ SVN was among the first social venture peer organizations in the United States urging businesses to focus not just on economic returns, but also on left-of-center social policy. ⁸ SVN would host annual gatherings and conduct mentoring to promote other so-called social venture organizations. ⁹

SVN incubated other social impact advocacy organizations, including B Lab, which certifies for-profit companies as “B Corps” to indicate a commitment to left-of-center social values. ¹⁰

In 1992, SVN helped incubate Investors’ Circle, a progressive investing network that claims to have facilitated over $265 million investments over 30 years to promote left-of-center environmental, health, education, and economic ventures. ¹¹ SVN formally merged with Investors’ Circle in 2018, rebranding itself as Social Venture Circle, a tax-exempt organization focused on providing peer networks to work with business leaders and impact investing to promote left-of-center social entrepreneurship ventures. ¹²

In 2009, SVN helped incubate the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC), a left-of center multi-issue advocacy group  promoting various left-leaning policy initiatives relating to environmentalism, race, labor, employment law, and taxes. ¹³ SVN help found ASBC in order to expand its left-wing advocacy outside of the business community into the public policy sector. ¹⁴

In 2020, after Social Venture Network had become Social Venture Circle, Social Venture Circle and American Sustainable Business Network formed what they called a “strategic alliance.” In 2021, SVC and ASBN decided to formalize their engagement and merge to form the American Sustainable Business Network, which they branded as a group to promote “environmental change, and social and economic justice as the federal, state, and local levels.” ¹⁵ As part of the merger, Investors Circle launched its core programs within the new umbrella organization ASBN. ¹⁶ The merger was formally completed on January 1, 2022. ¹⁷

As of 2022, ASBN and its association members claimed to represent over a quarter-million businesses. ¹⁸

People

The last executive director of the Social Venture Network-Investors’ Council Merger was Isaac Graves, who became the CCO of the American Sustainable Business Network upon its founding. ¹⁹ Graves now works as the COO of the Threshold Foundation, which funds a variety of left-of-center causes. ²⁰

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