The first AVPN conference we attended was also in Hong Kong in 2016. It is great to see how the conversation of venture philanthropy has grown in Asia. It is going beyond ROI to impact and outcomes. Over three days, more than 1,550 delegates from 50 markets, alongside 300 speakers across 110 sessions, came together under the theme “Asian Leadership for an Inclusive World.” With the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust as Host Partner.
Naina in her opening remarks, urged the delegates to move beyond measured and cautious actions to big bets. Delegates were reminded of the immense challenges facing the region: declining foreign aid, alarming setbacks in climate progress, and projections that over 260 million people in Asia could be pushed into poverty within the next decade. Yet, the region also represents extraordinary opportunity. Home to 60 percent of the world’s population and a fast-growing generation of wealth holders, Asia is not merely a participant on the global stage—it is a decisive driver of change.
I was able to attend various sessions and talk to old and new colleagues on measuring women’s empowerment by applying the W+ Standard and measuring impact outcomes and general. It is great to see a lot of new colleagues in this space introducing new and innovative ideas. But what stuck me most and important to reiterate was discussed in one the plenary sessions, where the speakers such as Prof. Larry Kramer from LSE emphasized the importance of centering our work around the outcome we want to achieve and not the tools we need to apply.
Some of the Key takeaways from this AVPN 2025 Conference were
- Big bets, not reckless gambles, but calculated investments in overlooked innovations that can transform lives at scale.
- Traditional development donors do see philanthropy as a major partners and many people were coining the term PPPP (People, Private, Public and Philanthropy).
- AVPN has launched the ImpactCollab Outcomes Marketplace, developed in partnership with Tri-Sector Associates, is a results-based funding platform that enables grant-makers to purchase verified social outcomes. Its first use case involves the Thai government funding youth employability outcomes, signaling a move toward more evidence-driven and effective social investing in Asia.
- Impact investing and Blended finance is still being discussed by the traditional grant makers but the discussion is more focused on results, outcomes and evidence.
For WOCAN, AVPN provides a great insight on where the innovative financing is headed and help us identify conventional and unconventional partners.