Job title
Team name
Danny Almagor is co-founder (with his wife Berry) and the Executive Chair of Small Giants. Danny was the inaugural Social Entrepreneur in Residence at RMIT, the founder and former CEO of Engineers Without Borders Australia and is the co-founder and Chair of the Impact Investment Group, and more recently created Sentient Impact Group. He has founded over a dozen for profit and non profit organisations including The Sociable Weaver, The Impact Club, Beyond Family Office and Beyond Creative. He has served on numerous boards, including many of the Small Giants family of businesses such as Tom Organic, The School of Life, The Cape ecovillage and Pacific Biotechnologies, as well as non-profit boards and advisories boards including the Jewish Museum of Australia, Stand Up, Smiling Mind, The Gross National Happiness Centre in Bhutan and Toniic. Danny has been recognised through many awards including a Churchill Fellowship, RMIT Alumnus of the Year, EY Social Entrepreneur of the Year, UN PRI Social Investment Pioneer and the Medal of the Order of Australia. He has studied Aerospace Engineering, Business Administration and outdoor education. He loves to cook, read, rock climb, talk about philosophy, garden, travel and jump on the trampoline with his three kids. He doesn’t like to run marathons, watch horror films, drink beer, spend time on social media, or invest in anything that isn’t impact.
Our Philosophy
The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.
Robert Swan

Our Philosophy

We believe capital is energy that when used appropriately can drive the evolution of all other sectors towards empathy and the Next Economy.

It is our hope that these beliefs will be integrated into all portfolios and form the basis of an empathetic, regenerative economy.

Interdependence: Our approach is grounded in an awareness of the innate interdependence of all life. 

Inspired by nature: We learn from natural systems – continuously emerging, evolving and adapting in a complex, whole system. 
‍‍Catalytic: We understand that systemic change occurs at the margins of any existing paradigm and that often we must take the first step. 

Place matters: We believe people are deeply connected to the places they live and that those places inform their livelihoods and cultures.

Together we are better: We love the collective wisdom of collaboration and hold each other accountable with empathy and humility.

The Long Game:
We take a generational perspective and invest for the long term.
Our vision
A more just and inclusive global economy that supports human flourishing while living in harmony with the natural world (the Next Economy).
Our mission
To lead our communities towards empathy and the Next Economy

What do we mean by 'The Next Economy'?

Small Giants works in service of building an economy and society that supports human flourishing while living in harmony with the natural world. We call this The Next Economy.

The Next Economy guides us as both a set of operational principals and a north star, and has been developed and informed from the foundational work of Kate Raworth’s pioneering concept, Doughnut Economics, which offers a model for what it means for humanity to thrive in the 21st century.

The doughnut (image across) consists of two concentric rings: a social foundation, to ensure that no one is left falling short on life’s essentials, and an ecological ceiling, to ensure that humanity does not collectively overshoot the planetary boundaries that protect Earth's life-supporting systems. Between these two sets of boundaries lies a doughnut-shaped space that is both ecologically safe and socially just: a space in which humanity can thrive.

Systems in the Next Economy

In the emerging next economy we envision, there are multiple interdependent systems simultaneously evolving and co-existing. Currently, we focus our investments in the following systems of the Next Economy.

Regenerative Agriculture & Food

An agricultural and food system that nourishes all life while regenerating the earth.

Finance

A financial system that works for the benefit of all life.

Clean Energy

To create a zero carbon energy system that supports the needs of people.

Circular Economy

Zero waste. Waste no longer exists as a concept.

Built Environment

To create places which make people’s lives, their community, and the planet better

What is the purpose of capital?

We believe the purpose of capital is to create, nurture and support the social and physical infrastructure, the enterprises and the ideas of the next economy. Using a systems change approach to the problems of the day by supporting the marketplace, beyond just the single shops.

Our principles

It is our hope that these principles will be integrated into all portfolios and form the basis of an empathetic, regenerative economy.
We believe there are key principles that create the foundation for the next economy. These principles inform our perspective and engagement across all of our work.

Ecology

biodiversity, stable climate, clean water, clean air, healthy soil

Wholeness

integrating our masculine and feminine, emotional and rational, intuitive and intellectual selves

Connection

connect to ourselves, each other and the planet. We are drawn to connect to the food we eat, the places we live, the work we do and the people we care for. The deepest expression of human connection is love.

Equality

A financial system that works for the benefit of all life.

The Beautiful Portfolio Strategy

We believe that capital should be available in all forms and at all stages of an impact enterprises lifecycle. We ask ourselves what is the most appropriate form of capital that will enable an enterprise to fulfil it’s potential?

Philanthropy

  • Zero Interest Loans
  • Catalytic capital
  • Potential to create systemic change
  • Grants & Donations

Early-Stage

  • Equity or convertible notes
  • Early-stage, catalytic investments
  • From Angel to series A
  • Values-aligned start up capital

Growth

  • Debt or Equity
  • Capital growth
  • Short & long-term credit
  • Convertible notes
  • Multiple generation time horizon

Mature

  • Debt or Equity
  • Income generating
  • Consistent & resilient cash flows
  • Capital Preservation