Using finance as a tool for social change
Leveraging each investment for good
Our Investments
Bay Area Medical Academy
Bay Area Medical Academy provides job-oriented training in high-growth, high-demand areas of the health care field, fulfilling the workforce needs of the medical facilities in the Bay Area. BAMA prepares individuals (predominantly women) from different socio-economic, cultural and educational backgrounds for successful, long-term careers in the field.
When I first met Simonida, I was thoroughly impressed with her mission to educate and help find employment for some of our Bay Area’s least advantaged women. I was blown away by the care and the professionalism with which she treats each of her students, as well as her dedication to building relationships with the large hospitals and care centers. As an immigrant woman herself, Simonida has had many barriers to overcome and at the same time is effectively helping other women succeed.
Capital Sisters International
Capital Sisters International was created as a platform to advance economic justice and financial inclusion for marginalized women entrepreneurs in the informal sector. The mission of Capital Sisters International is to connect impoverished women in developing countries who need tiny business loans with investors willing to provide them. Capital Sisters delivers its mission through two programs, an Investment Program and an Advocacy Program. The Investment Program provides capital to microfinance institutions in developing countries. The Advocacy Program works to raise awareness about the need for more enabling public policy on financial inclusion.
Certifiably
Certifiably's mission is to make it easier for like-minded, certified, values-based businesses to connect, because the more successful each becomes, the greater impact each can have. Their dream is that someday every business purchase made will be measured by the impact that purchase can have in making progress against the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals.
Cnote
CNote is an award-winning investment platform where you earn a better return while investing in the causes and communities that matter to you. CNote was founded on two core principles. That everyone deserves a shot at financial freedom and that each of us can play a part in building a more equal world.
Conscious Company Magazine
Conscious Company is the first print and digital, nationally distributed publication in the US to focus solely on sustainable business and business as a force for good. By leveraging the power of storytelling and great design, Conscious Company aims to broaden the conversation about using business as a force for good. They believe that a new definition of success in business is emerging — a definition that is motivated by a growing dissatisfaction with the "status quo," an overall shift towards a values-driven economy, and one that is ultimately centered on a company’s ability to have a positive effect on society and the environment — taking all stakeholders into account — in addition to turning a profit. They want to celebrate these businesses by featuring the stories of companies that operate consciously, by providing their leaders with a megaphone to inspire other businesses to do the same, and by showing the world just how powerful business can be when used in a positive way.
Cutting Edge Capital
CEC is developing innovative financing tools and entity structuring that help preserve mission and goals for new companies raising money. Nia's investment supports CEC to develop software that will bring down the cost and streamline the process of direct public offerings for small and medium sized businesses, allowing them to grow with mission intact.
I love Jenny and her women led team at CEC. I love that they are right here in Oakland, working with our local businesses to build and expand this space of conscious investing by developing the software and legal infrastructure needed to raise smaller increments of capital from a broader range of investors.
Ecotrust Forest Management
Ecotrust Forest Management is a forestland investment management and advisory services company who manages land on behalf of investors and forestland owners to enhance forest health and productivity, and to produce a diverse array of forest products and services including timber, biomass, carbon, and improved habitat and water quality. Ecotrust Forests seeks to capture a wide array of funding sources — New Market Tax Credits, carbon credits, conservation easements, and restoration funding — to supplement private capital resources in the acquisition and management of forestland, while also creating reliable jobs for local residents and opportunities for local communities as a fundamental element of good forestry.
Managing our land well and sustainably is one of our biggest challenges as a society. I feel privileged to partner with EcoTrust in their clever multi-funding source approach to serving their mission of sustainability.
Emerging Women
Emerging Women exists to support and inspire women to express themselves authentically through the work that they do. This awesome team provides the tools, knowledge, and network to help women lead, start and grow their businesses in a way that integrates core feminine values like connection, collaboration, intimacy, beauty and heart. They provide a platform for leaders and entrepreneurs to come together to explore and express their inner truths in the hope that women have a strong voice in the shaping of our world’s future.
Chantal is a force of nature and her leadership is exemplary. I was thrilled to become one of her investors on this path to empower women to be all they can be.
Fem Inc.
Fem Inc. engages all audiences with positive entertainment featuring strong female characters. Fem Inc. is a women-centered technology and entertainment company that powers digital entertainment networks, popular websites, and apps with a distributed video discovery experience that understands what drives engagement for diverse audiences.
I was inspired by Rachel, her drive and experience, and mission to increase the prevalence of strong female characters in our media.
Force For Good Fund
The Force for Good Fund, from Lift Economy, nurtures, supports, and invests in women and people of color-owned, “Best for the World” B Corporations (i.e., companies that score in the top 10% of B Corps worldwide). This fund is needed because it is incredibly difficult for early-stage, socially and environmentally responsible businesses run by women and people of color to access non-extractive capital. The Force for Good Accelerator / Fund is an innovative opportunity to support these early-stage entrepreneurs with the guidance, access to capital, and connections they need in order to be successful.
Impact America Fund
Impact America Fund is a GIIRS rated private equity fund led by Kesha Cash. Its mission is to generate financial returns while enhancing the quality of life for underserved communities in America. IAF invests in high growth companies that are scaling solutions in the Health & Wellness, Education, Essential Services, and Financial Inclusion sectors.
I met Kesha and was delighted to have found an entrepreneur that shared my passions about making impact investments in sectors and with communities that need it most. She is addressing racial and social equity issues through the businesses in which she invests.
Investibule
Investibule opens the door to a diverse range of investment opportunities in your community—whether that's the place where you live or groups you care about. The universe of community-based investments is growing, but remains highly fragmented. Investibule solves that problem by gathering community-based investment opportunities spanning Kiva, Credibles, Direct Public Offerings and JOBS Act-enabled crowdfunding offerings onto one easy-to-use platform. Investibule supports all forms of community capital and partners with community-based financial organizations for mutual benefit and to grow the movement.
Kubé Nice Cream
Kubé Nice Cream is a local artisan-food-producer of raw, plant based, hand-crafted, coconut cream "nice cream" in the Bay Area, California. The standard international pasteurization process of coconut cream and milk uses a toxic preservative and bleaching chemical called sodium metabisulfite. Kubé is the emerging leader in harnessing the power of raw, unpasteurized coconut cream. Kubé believes that real, fresh and healthy foods, without chemicals, support healthier outcomes for all people and for the earth.
The Lei Company
As the 1st Pasifika Worker-Owned Cooperative in the United States, the Lei Company Cooperative provides a year round and environmentally conscious avenue to purchase lei for a variety of occasions while evolving the craft of lei making and lei makers, and providing business ownership opportunities, training and employment to the Pasifika- melanesian, micronesian and polynesian community.
Nia Global Solutions
Nia Global Solutions brings the concept of Impact Investing to public markets, offering investors a managed portfolio of publicly traded stocks that harness the innovative social purposes of capitalism. The portfolio is carefully constructed of companies that create meaningful outcomes, not only for its investors, but for people and the planet too.
I was drawn to create Nia Global Solutions as a way to bring conscious investing to the public markets. At Nia we engage in a very careful due diligence process looking at solution-driven products, run by diverse management teams. We are unique in that we bring activism into the public markets by engaging with both our chosen companies as well as those who do not make our buy list for the portfolio. NGS will also donate a percentage of profits to those non-profit organizations who are working on issues of corporate accountability.
Portfolia
Portfolia helps women discover and interact with new companies and entrepreneurs, and invest in these innovative and growing companies–individually or with colleagues, friends, and mentors.
I was inspired by the gender lens woven throughout this endeavor. I wanted to support this women-led team to encourage, support, and grow the field of women investors. Debt. [Women]
STEP into a Job!
While education is key to developing a vibrant American workforce, STEP into a Job! asserts that vocational training programs that include strong social supportive services, technical training, and direct engagement with employers provide the best results - measured in retention, graduation, and job placement rates. Their model consists of Social Supportive Services, Technical Training, Employer Engagement, Apprenticeships, as well as Placement Services.
Weal Life
Weal Life use technology to make it easier to care for one another, especially during a health crisis, aging or chronic illness. Weal Life crowdsources your care from people you know so you can heal and thrive. It leverages mobile technology to capture value from underutilized capacities of family, friends, neighbors and others who help streamline life logistics such as transportation, meals, errands or shopping for medical supplies.
