In the season finale of The Catalyst, Emily Macdonald is joined by Daisy Ford-Downes, Emily’s predecessor at Firstport and one of Scotland’s leading voices in social investment and blended finance.

Daisy led Firstport’s investment programmes for five years and played a key role in the creation and early rollout of the Catalyst Fund. In this episode, she takes us inside the thinking behind the fund, why it was designed, what gap it was created to fill, and how revenue-based finance can support social enterprises in a more flexible, patient way.

Together, Emily and Daisy explore the limits of traditional funding tools, the role of risk capital without equity, and why investment models need to be designed around people, planet, revenue, impact, and organisational readiness.

The conversation also looks at investment readiness, mission protection, patient capital, steward ownership, community shares, and the future of social investment in Scotland.

For founders exploring the Catalyst Fund, or trying to understand whether social investment could support their next step, this episode offers a clear and generous look at the principles behind the fund and the kinds of organisations it was built to serve.

In Episode 6 of The Catalyst, Emily Macdonald is joined by Hal Prescott, founder of The Pitt.

Together, they explore the journey from launching one of Edinburgh’s best-known street food markets in Leith, to rebuilding The Pitt as a social enterprise in Granton through the Granton Project CIC.

Hal shares how The Pitt began as a grassroots street food market, how community and trader support became central to the model, and why the move to Granton created an opportunity to build something with deeper social purpose. The conversation looks at social investment, crowdfunding, phasing a project, peer support, resilience, and what it means to create a space that supports local traders, community groups, and small businesses.

The episode also explores Hal’s experience of Firstport’s LaunchMe programme, investment from the Catalyst Fund, and partnership funding with Foundation Scotland, as well as the realities of building a large, complex community-led project from the ground up.

For founders thinking about social investment, place-based enterprise, or how to turn a bold idea into something practical, this episode offers an honest look at ambition, uncertainty, and building with community at the centre.

In Episode 5 of The Catalyst, Emily Macdonald is joined by Amy Gutcher from the Sumerian Foundation. Together, they explore what social investment looks like when it is built around impact, patience, trust, and long-term support. Amy shares her journey from helping found a social enterprise, to training as an accountant, to working within an impact-first social investor.

The conversation looks at cash flows, financial resilience, revenue-based repayments, patient capital, and why investment should be more than money. Amy also reflects on access, trust, underrepresented founders, and how social investors can think differently about risk.

For founders trying to understand finance, investment readiness, or what kind of support they might need to grow sustainably, this episode offers a practical and thoughtful perspective.