NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

1,000 thinkers & doers, changemakers & expert practitioners will converge at The Mead Center for American Theater in Washington, D.C. on June 9, 2020. The third edition of this unique global development event, Devex World will be a full day of inspiring, interactive, collaborative sessions with one focus: turning ideas into action.

We enter a future where new models reign. No sector, no function, no professional can afford to miss the data revolution or arrive late to innovations transforming lives at scale. This more global, dynamic, competitive ecosystem is brimming with possibility. Devex World is not just about understanding this future. It’s about charting it for you, your organization, and the world.

For over a decade, SOCAP has worked to surface new solutions by gathering diverse perspectives to address the unique obstacles that we all face when markets fail. We strive to better understand the challenges at hand and implement strategies to overcome those barriers. According to the W.K.Kellogg Foundation report, The Business Case for Racial Equity, “The average earnings of persons of color in the U.S. are 63% of the average earnings of Whites of the same age and gender.” People of color also start businesses at rates similar to Whites, however they are significantly underrepresented in access to capital, support services and mentorship with just “one percent of venture-backed founders are Black and 1.8 percent of venture-backed founders are Latinx” (The State of Inclusive Entrepreneurship: By the Numbers, The Case Foundation, October 2018).

At SPECTRUM, we gather business leaders, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, cross-sector practitioners, and investors to address this urgent need for access, inclusion, and impact across capital markets with intention and authenticity.

On June 9-11, SPECTRUM will host its second annual gathering in Atlanta, GA at the Gathering Spot. Through a curated mix of panel discussions, fireside chats, networking sessions, and receptions, SPECTRUM will cut through the noise to have honest and unfiltered conversations. Together we will identify pathways and action steps to closing the racial wealth gap, and creating systems that support entrepreneurs and business leaders of color.