Hanna Ebeling On Backing The Boldest Impact Ventures And Building Regional Resilience

Hanna Ebeling is CEO at Sefa, working with social purpose organisations on capital solutions and capability uplift to suit their needs, helping these organisations build organisational sustainability and access finance from a range of impact investors.

From traditional banking with HSBC to venture philanthropy in the Philippines, Hanna brings a global practice lens to Sefa. Her passions include blended finance in partnership with foundations, community-led enterprises, and ground-breaking housing models.

She is on the board of disability service provider Woodville Alliance and social enterprise Vanguard Laundry, and as a member of government and sector reference groups contributes to improving for-purpose collaboration between government, philanthropy and the private sector.

Hanna discusses Australia’s evolving impact investment landscape, the launch of Sefa’s new Backing the Bold program, and how regional social enterprises are pivotal to community resilience and inclusive economic development.

Highlights from the interview (listen to the podcast for full details)

[Tom Allen] - To start off, can you please share your perspective on how the Australian social enterprise ecosystem has evolved since we last spoke 18 months ago?

[Hanna Ebeling] - I think obviously that there’s never a dull moment in the social enterprise ecosystem. There’s a consistently increasing number of investors interested in the space, and a growing number of consultants helping organisations articulate their impact and strengthen their business models.

There’s probably been less activity around launching new capital funds, with the exception of the Social Enterprise Loan Fund (SELF) by White Box [Enterprises], which has been fantastic to finally see enter the market.

Most importantly, what we’ve seen at Sefa is this next generation of impact businesses coming to the forefront. These are businesses that might be profit-for-purpose with high growth aspirations and a commercial operations lens, yet they remain deeply embedded in their impact thesis.

For example, Sefa has now lent (because we also provide loans) to two former alumni of the Snow Foundation’s entrepreneur program: Clean Slate Clinic and RoboFit. We’re seeing these new impact businesses emerge that are not only seeking access to capital but also potentially in need of capability support.

What’s new at Sefa, and how are you supporting these organisations? How has the organisation evolved?

The first few years were all about capital. But in the last five years, since I became CEO, we’ve built out the capability-building and consulting functions within Sefa. What we’ve realised through collecting insights and learnings is that to truly integrate those two components in a way that supports purpose-driven organisations will require a programmatic format.

We’re now creating, for the first time, a very innovative product called Backing the Bold. It’s a program run by our sister charity, Sefa Partnerships, and supported by the Hand Heart Pocket Foundation out of Queensland. It provides a clear pathway through capability building and investment readiness, directly into a fit-for-purpose loan opportunity ranging from $50,000 to $200,000.

We’re aiming to create, for the first time at Sefa, a seamless customer experience for impact-led organisations. They will know that once they’ve completed the investment readiness process there will be the right type of capital available to match their maturity stage and the type of business model they’re running.

You’ll be speaking at the upcoming Social Impact Summit on July 2–3 in Sydney. What are you most looking forward to about this event?

This event presents a great opportunity to shine a spotlight on an area that Sefa is very passionate about. As we prepare to roll out Backing the Bold in Queensland, we’ve been very conscious about activating communities in regional areas.

In a previous program that focused on capability-building support in New South Wales, specifically in supporting enterprises achieving outcomes for women facing disadvantage, we intentionally worked in regional areas like the Northern Rivers and the Riverina around Wagga.

The panel at the Social Impact Summit, which we’ll be delivering together with ACRE, will allow us to place a very intentional and practitioner-focused spotlight on regional enterprises. We’ll be discussing their challenges, the support they currently lack, and the potential to build essential social fabric within those communities.

We’re excited to bring a bit of that regional flavour to the urban, metropolitan area of Sydney.

You’re likely seeing some interesting opportunities and gaps for better supporting organisations seeking financial assistance. How would you describe the current environment in impact investing, and what gaps and opportunities stand out to you?

I think we’re seeing a lot of different scenarios now. It really depends on whether organisations already have existing networks and the right context to access the right capital.

From Sefa’s perspective, we sometimes observe that the same organisations are repeatedly accepted into support programs to receive grant funding. They are essentially benefitting from compounded layers of support. Meanwhile, others (particularly regional organisations) are often excluded from access to capital. There’s a real opportunity here to build bridges.

For example, we’ve seen that The Funding Network through their corporate partners are actively working to bring regional, impact-led organisations into the fold. It’s a meaningful attempt to (quite literally) spread the love when it comes to support.

I’m currently mapping the barriers and opportunities, and considering who is interested in funding in which areas. Ultimately, I believe in prioritising equity and inclusion. These might sound like broad values, but I’m approaching them in intentional and even small ways. From Sefa’s side I can make a significant contribution to the bigger picture. That’s definitely front of mind for us.

What advice would you offer to seasoned purpose-driven founders who feel like they’re plateauing and want to reach the next stage?

A step up is always hard for any organisation. We see it even within Sefa; There isn’t necessarily a linear path in terms of maturity and growth. Ultimately comes down to the DNA of the organisation.

What is the ultimate goal? Is it about deepening impact or scaling impact? Both of those outcomes, in our view, represent growing your impact, though they might manifest in different ways. For example, especially in a regional context, bigger isn’t always the best approach. It might instead be about stabilising an initiative and ensuring it’s self-sufficient and able to continue in perpetuity.

For a founder reflecting on what’s next, I’d encourage them to clarify: what’s the problem you initially set out to solve? Where are you currently? What could your moonshot look like? What is that next ambitious step you want to take?

Then, examine your business model. Are you able to reach that next goal with your current structure? Do you need to change something? Do you need to take on capital? I think it’s really important to be crystal clear on three things: where you’ve come from, where you are now, and where you want to go next.

What inspiring projects or initiatives you’ve come across recently creating positive change?

Very recently (and in fact, we’re currently bringing this to our own investment committee) we engaged with an organisation called Inventorium. They’ve already been running after-school education support programs for young students who sit just outside the mainstream schooling system.

Often, special assistance schools are limited to providing a physical safe haven with specialised teachers and support staff. Inventorium has taken that a step further. They’ve undertaken significant advocacy work with the South Australian Government, proposing that their specialised model be rolled out nationally. While they’ve already delivered national after-school programs digitally, they haven’t yet offered a fully accredited school program.

Thanks to their advocacy, they’ve now received the green light to strategically explore this possibility. We’re incredibly excited about the potential to support them in becoming Australia’s first fully accredited, digitally delivered school, one that’s designed to meet the needs of students currently falling through the cracks.

To finish off, what books or resources would you recommend to our audience?

Yeah, that’s always an interesting question (and a challenging one too). With so much going on, it can be hard to find the time and headspace to get into a book.

That said, I’m currently listening to one called Grit by Angela Duckworth. I also had a great session recently with a trusted ally, and we talked about how I often bring a lot of ideas and passion to my work. But what really stands out sometimes is simply having the grit to go that extra mile.

I was reflecting on my own journey at Sefa. I’ve been here 11 years, and I have at times wondered, “Is that too long? What does that say?” That conversation brought up this idea of grit again, and I realised it’s something I see in everyone I work with, including you, Tom, and the broader social enterprise ecosystem.

The book itself is very scientific and research-based, and one of its core messages is that grit can outshine talent. That’s definitely resonated with me.