The entrepreneurs guide to social investment
A free, practical guide to social investment and revenue-based finance — written in plain English for founders, advisers, and ecosystem partners navigating funding decisions for the first time.
Is this guide for you?
This guide is for you if you’re a founder or social entrepreneur exploring funding options beyond grants, a trustee or team leader hearing new language around social investment and repayable finance, or an adviser, accelerator, or ecosystem partner who supports others through funding conversations and wants a clear, shared frame of reference.
What you’ll get from this guide
A practical, plain-English guide for founders and advisers navigating social investment and repayable finance.
- A clear explanation of the language of social investment
- The real difference between grants and loans, and when each one is right for you
- How revenue-based finance works — a flexible, growth-aligned repayable option explained in full
- Common pathways through the social investment ecosystem, including who the key organisations are
- How to assess your own investment readiness before you apply for anything
- What to do next — a practical guide to choosing the right conversation at the right time
Access the guide
Made in collaboration
This guide was created by Firstport, developed alongside three organisations who are deeply embedded in the Scottish and UK social investment ecosystem. Their input shaped every section.
