Impact Investing Network Map - Creative Science

Bringing Data to Life

Effectively visualizing a highly complex, interconnected, and ever-changing impact investing ecosystem.

The Challenge

The challenge facing The Case Foundation, in partnership with Crunchbase and ImpactSpace, was to find ways to reveal the underlying activity driving Impact Investing. Their goal was to illustrate the connections between investors, companies, and funds within Impact Investing, with the belief that bringing these connections to life would lead to a better understanding of the impact investing ecosystem’s size, breadth, and depth. The challenge was to identify effective ways to showcase these connections and promote a greater understanding of the impact investing landscape.

Approach

The Case Foundation and Creative Science, along with a number of other partners, worked hand-in-hand to take this idea and make it a reality.

Setting the Stage

A public facing site frames the context for what the data is, how to explore it, and the importance of its existence.

Cleaning and Sourcing Data

As an open source data project, the tool integrates various 3rd-party data sources, including a real-time Crunchbase and Impact Space API. Upon arrival, data is cleaned and relationships are associated.

Interactive Data Exploration

The tool displays complex data relationships between investors and recipients in an easy-to-digest manner. The tool’s interactivity allows users to explore the data set in a way that’s easy to understand.

Outcome

The collaboration between The Case Foundation, Crunchbase, and ImpactSpace resulted in a solution that effectively illustrates the connections between investors, companies, and funds within Impact Investing. By visualizing the impact investing ecosystem and bringing it to life, the partners have fostered a better understanding of its size, breadth, and depth. The solution has provided investors with insights and opportunities for collaboration, leading to more effective impact investments. Furthermore, the increased transparency and understanding of the impact investing landscape have helped attract new investors and expand the ecosystem, ultimately leading to greater social and environmental impact.