Renewal investee Jason Mogus of Communicopia was the focus of a recent article on Charity Village: 

"Once the new kid on the block, venture philanthropy has grown into its own in the past decade. The urge by young and emerging entrepreneurs to spur social change and increase capacity in the charitable sector while still making a profit may have started off small, but it's gaining a lot of credence. And Canadian organizations are helping the tide along.

According to Jason Mogus, CEO of Communicopia, a for-profit, Internet strategy and development firm supporting organizations that are "working for sustainability and social change," the landscape has definitely changed.

"Five years ago, Renewal Partners was the only established (five years old at the time) group in Canada doing this work. BC Social Venture Partners (SVP) and Calgary SVP were just getting started, and Social Capital Partners in Toronto were also just getting going," says Mogus, who is on the board of BC SVP and currently serves as Chair of Philanthropic Innovation for the organization.

"No one knew about the [venture philanthropy] model. I was reading about it happening in Seattle and Silicon Valley, where many great ideas start, but not much here. Today, as you know, all four groups mentioned are much more established and more people are doing "engaged philanthropy," from big names like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, to Richard Branson, who I work with," he states."