31 17Capital’s innovative partnership with Epic is in its seventh year and has provided invaluable experiences for both sides. This Q&A with Epic’s Chief Engagement Officer Myriam Vander Elst discusses how this partnership works in practice and how the two organisations, despite their different focus, have more in common that one might expect. Q: What is Epic’s mission? A: Epic is a global foundation that curates and supports game-changing non-profits to accelerate social change and build a fair, equitable and sustainable world. To do this effectively, Epic applies a thorough and cutting-edge sourcing, vetting and monitoring process to identify non-profits that are well managed and highly impactful in order to provide multi-year, unrestricted capital. As an expert intermediary non-profit, Epic builds and manages two portfolios of ground-breaking social organisations: “Children & Youth,” and “Climate Change & the Environment”. Our Advisory Board covers 100% of operational expenses to ensure that 100% of the donations we receive go to the non-profits in our portfolio. Q: Tell us about the partnership with 17Capital and why it is so special? A: It started as a typical corporate donor / charity discussion between myself and Pierre-Antoine de Selancy. Epic had just launched two years before in 2015 and 17Capital were interested in Epic’s rigorous and methodological approach to giving for their own philanthropic initiatives. Beyond giving, 17Capital offered practical help and free office space in its Victoria office. When 17Capital moved location, they drew within the architect’s blueprint a dedicated standalone office for Epic UK. This marked the beginning of an amazing and tight daily partnership between our two organisations. Since then, 17Capital have been the first UK fund to sign the Epic Pledge on the carried interest from 17Capital Fund 4, and have made the same pledge from their subsequent funds. 17Capital staff support several of Epic’s portfolio organisations, from fundraising activities with “Sport dans la Ville”, to sponsoring children’s hospice “Haven House,” to staff regularly mentoring youths from “Thinkforward”. I have joined 17Capital’s Advisory Board and contribute to the firm’s ESG Committee on a regular basis. The benefits on both sides are exponential: beyond the fundraising and financial support which are key to Epic’s fight, it brings Epic insights and knowledge of the financial industry, enabling Epic to be insightful and innovative in their philanthropic approach. Reciprocally, 17Capital staff, and management alike, are proud of the partnership and proud to be working for a company that takes its social responsibility so seriously, which is what according to research, 80% of today’s graduates are looking for in a job. Moreover, 17Capital believes that it’s beneficial when undergoing LP due diligence processes. Q: Despite operating in very different sectors, how are there parallels between 17Capital and Epic’s processes? A: There are many parallels. In fact, before launching, Epic’s commitment to effective and rigorous philanthropy used “Design Thinking” to look at other models that could inspire them. In a world with ten million non-profits out there, donors are faced with three obstacles: lack of trust, lack of knowledge and lack of time to acquire this knowledge. ▶ Interview with Epic