In the case of equity capital, there are several exit strategies. There can be a sale of the shares to a third-party investor, the social entrepreneur can buy back equity from the investor, or the parties can pursue an initial public offering on a social stock exchange or liquidate the ownership. The buy-back arrangement implies that the social entrepreneur has sufficient funds to buy back the share of the social investor.
In the case of debt capital, social entrepreneurs can either repay the loan or refinance the loan. If the social entrepreneur pursues refinancing, the same or another social investor must be willing to finance the social entrepreneur for the next few years. If the social enterprise defaults on the loan (e.g. non-repayment of the loan or long-term delay on scheduled payments), there are three scenarios:
- Social investor institutes bankruptcy proceedings to recover part of the loan (“liquidation”)
- Social investor extends the period of the repayment schedule (“financial flexibility”)
- Social investor accepts equity in exchange for the loan (“debt to equity swap”)
Grant funding also presents several exit considerations. A social investor can fund 10% of the total budget or take over part of the overhead costs for a given period of time. After this time, the social enterprise either needs to secure follow-up financing or should have reached financial self-sustainability.