EDGE FINANCE ACCELERATORS
Client: Internal in partnership with Donna Morton & Jordan Luftig
Dates: March 2023-February 2025
Departments: Disruptions, Deceleration, Resilience
The Invitation
The Edge Finance Accelerators were multi-month immersions for Edgewalkers in finance that explored how to transform finance to become a catalyst to transition us to a regenerative and equitable economy. We worked at the intersection of learning and action—integrating the intelligences of our hands, head, and heart. Participants were invited to envision and prototype financial innovations as well as develop inner and interpersonal capacities for directing systems change in a time between worlds.
Context
The investment landscape is saturated with strategies, market opportunities, and new 21st-century risk frameworks that represent step-change iterations of finance-as-usual. Continuing to funnel financial and other capitals into these structures further entrenches the dominant culture of separation, extraction, and dispossession at the root of the polycrisis.
The Edge Finance Accelerators were a refuge for edgewalkers in finance to transform finance through financial innovations and shared learning.
SOLUTIONS
The Accelerators produced Lab projects that serve as disruptions to finance-as-usual and open up possibilities for finance as a healing art.
testimonials
“The host team created unique spaces for learning and engagement, facilitated a process that looks promising to deliver impactful outcomes, and encouraged us to broaden our lens when we think about our role in shaping the future of finance.”
Kira Gerwing, Chief Real Estate Investment Officer, Sacha Investments Ltd.
“The connections we’ve made have already been really helpful, and will be long into the future, I’m sure. The materials you provided were very stimulating and impactful, and just being able to listen to the group and some of the guests speak has been really informative. Plus, the human care and attention you put into caring for the group was really impressive.”
Martin Kirk, Program Director, NoVo Foundation
“The Edge Finance Accelerator is timely, bringing together an incredible group of thoughtful change makers, as guides, guests, and participants to question current finance models. With prompts and facilitation from the host team, we were invited to question current approaches, learn from and reflect upon other worldviews, and explore opportunities to smooth the edges of finance. I appreciated the focus on project design and experimentation. As a result, we are now a small but mighty cohort from across Turtle Island, each bringing diverse capacities to test a new model for finance in practice.”
Alison Shaw, Executive Director, Simon Fraser University Climate Innovation
