Social Entrepreneur: Conscious Companies | Benefit Corporations | Impact Investing

RSF Social Finance has an innovative approach to financing social enterprises. They bring social entrepreneurs and funders together in regional meetings where loan rates are negotiated. Entrepreneurs help funders understand the impact of higher rates, while funders help entrepreneurs understand the impact of lower returns. In the end, they set the rates. How did Mike Gabriel come to join RSF? From 1997 to 2002, Mike Gabriel was an investment banker in San Francisco. “There was the dot-com boom and bust,” Mike told me. “There was a lot of froth – a lot of greed. That took a toll on me. Like many young people do, I questioned, what is it I’m doing with my life?” He decided to travel the world for a while. First stop? The Philippines. While in the Philippines, Mike joined a micro-finance institution. “That got me on this track,” he said. This led to a 5-year stay with the Grameen Foundation. Today, Mike is with RSF Social Finance, as a manager with in the Social Enterprise lending program, specifically focused o