Entrepreneurship
Dorcia Whitebrake, an Everytable franchisee candidate. Photo by Everytable.
Ownership Economy | May 18, 2023
With inclusive loans and business support, franchise ownership offers a path to wealth for entrepreneurs of color
ImpactAlpha, May 18 — Employee ownership is having a moment. One promising strategy: democratizing the franchise model to widen pathways to ownership and …
Photo by Simon Luethi/8SP.
Creative Economy | May 1, 2023
Overheard at Upstart Co-Lab: Cultural institutions are learning how to invest for an inclusive creative economy.
ImpactAlpha, May 1 — An art museum investing in a portfolio designed to prove out the viability – and impact – of investments …
(top, left to right) Amy King, Julien Gervreau, Kristen Carroll (bottom, left to right) Angela Williams, Simon Mainwaring, Janie Hoffman
Impact Tech | April 27, 2023
On the minds of impact CEOs: Opportunity, scale and succession
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 27 – “Deliver impact, drive sales” was the mantra of executives of high-performing impact companies at Big Path Capital’s MO Summit in …
Dealflow | April 14, 2023
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: COVID recovery funding
ImpactAlpha, April 14 — Community development financial institutions and minority depository institutions played a crucial role in channeling COVID-relief funding to small businesses …
Return on Inclusion | February 13, 2023
Community Preservation Corp. invests $5 million in SHIFT Catalyst Fund to back diverse developers
ImpactAlpha, February 13 — SHIFT Catalyst Fund has secured a $5 million equity investment from Community Preservation Corp. to invest in real estate …
Nature's Garden for Victory and Peace in Tuskegee, AL, a member of the National Black Food & Justice Alliance
Inclusive Economy | February 9, 2023
Common Future launches first racial equity accelerator
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 9 – When Common Future absorbed the social impact accelerator Uncharted last May in a rare nonprofit merger, it brought together …
Photo by Vistaar Finance
Financial Inclusion | October 13, 2022
Warburg Pincus takes control of Indian micro-enterprise lender Vistaar Finance
ImpactAlpha, October 13 — New York-based Warburg Pincus is acquiring a majority stake in Vistaar Finance, an India-based non-bank financial company that provides …
Photo by New Mexico Nomad.
Place-Based Investing | October 12, 2022
New Mexico taps fixed-income strategy for small business lending
ImpactAlpha, October 12 — A fixed-income strategy that has helped hundreds of low-income, women-led and Native families in New Mexico access housing and …
Photo by Amazon.
Dealflow | October 11, 2022
Amazon Catalytic Capital to invest $150 million in underserved founders
ImpactAlpha, October 11 — Amazon has launched Amazon Catalytic Capital to invest in at least 10 venture capital funds, as well as accelerators, …
Photo by HCAP Partners.
Good Jobs | September 19, 2022
HCAP Partners raises $353 million to take its good jobs strategy nationwide
ImpactAlpha, September 19 — San Diego-based private equity impact investor HCAP Partners invests in underserved lower middle-market businesses. By working with businesses to …
McKeever “Mac” Conwell | Photo by Kaitlin Newman.
Inclusive Economy | September 19, 2022
Emerging fund managers form pooled investment vehicle to raise capital for overlooked founders
ImpactAlpha, September 19 — Baltimore-based RareBreed Ventures, Oregon’s Rogue Women’s Fund and VitalizeVC in Chicago are combining efforts to raise a collective $10 …
Photo by Sahyadri Farms.
Smallholder Agriculture | September 15, 2022
Sahyadri Farms raises nearly $40 million to digitalize India’s smallholder farmers
ImpactAlpha, September 15 — Sahyadri Farms is a farmer-led fruit and vegetable processing and export business that works with more than 18,000 farmers …
Photo credit: Teranga Capital
Seeding Impact | August 22, 2022
Teranga Capital: Taking risks to build an impact ecosystem in West Africa
ImpactAlpha, August 22 – Dakar-based Teranga Capital does private equity deals. It deploys venture capital. It helps small businesses that are too early for …
Photo by Northwestern Mutual.
Return on Inclusion | July 14, 2022
Five Black tech founders join Northwestern Mutual’s accelerator
ImpactAlpha, July 14 — Among the startups in the new cohort are Nashville-based Xcellent Life, which helps identify health issues through an AI-based …
Photo credit: Aera.
Climate and Clean Tech | May 24, 2022
India’s M Auto raises $20 million for electric mobility-as-a-service in Africa
ImpactAlpha, May 24 — Investing in the low-carbon transition of Africa requires solutions to alleviate poverty and uplift local economies as well. Chennai-based …
Photo credit: IFC.
Dealflow | May 24, 2022
IFC invests $30 million with Partners for Growth to deploy private credit in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, May 24 — San Francisco-based Partners for Growth, which specializes in private lending for growth-stage companies in emerging markets, will invest $30 …
photo: Chris Kendig
Impact Investing | May 19, 2022
Overheard at Total Impact: Diversify decision-making and shift power to communities
ImpactAlpha, May 19 – Agents of Impact convened upon the City of Brotherly Love, even as some unbrotherly events unfolded across the country …
Impact Investing | May 13, 2022
Call No. 42: Business financing beyond venture capital to fuel the boom in entrepreneurship (video)
ImpactAlpha, May 13 – One defining outcome of the pandemic: a boom in entrepreneurship. A record five million businesses were started in the …
Photo credit: Greenwood.
racial-equity | May 12, 2022
Greenwood acquires The Gathering Spot to build a community for minority professionals
ImpactAlpha, May 12 — Atlanta-based neobank Greenwood has raised $43 million on the promise that it can deliver better banking services for Black …
Return on Inclusion | May 9, 2022
In volatile market, alternatives to venture capital keep financing flowing to diverse founders
ImpactAlpha, May 9 – There’s more than one capital market for startups and small businesses. Venture capital and bank loans finance less than …
Inclusive Economy | May 5, 2022
Common Future and Uncharted merge to expand entrepreneurship and wealth-building in underserved communities
ImpactAlpha, May 5 – Call it the un-M&A deal. Common Future, the Oakland-based nonprofit focused on economic inequality, and Uncharted, the nonprofit social …
Something Better Foods founder GW Chew
Inclusive Economy | May 3, 2022
Flexible and equitable financial tools for a more inclusive economy
Seemingly everyone is creating a fund to address themes ranging from reparations to crypto-enviro. As impact investors, redesigning our economic relationships is just …
Steve Case and J.D. Vance in 2017 | Photo credit: Revolution
Entrepreneurship | April 28, 2022
J.D. Vance, the impact fund manager his partners would rather forget
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 28 – Before he got Donald Trump’s nod in the Republican primary for Ohio’s U.S. Senate seat, J.D. Vance was – briefly …
Entrepreneurship | April 6, 2022
Startups raise ‘community rounds,’ turning customers and fans into investors
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 6 – Raising money from “the crowd” has sometimes seemed anonymous and unstrategic, if not a bit desperate. By calling such a …
JOSE LUIS PELAEZ INC/GETTY IMAGES
Catalytic Capital | March 17, 2022
Black Vision Fund creates a pipeline of loan capital for Black-owned small businesses
ImpactAlpha, March 17 — Misperceptions of risk among many lenders make Black-owned small businesses twice as likely to get rejected for bank loans …
Photo credit: 99minutos.
Dealflow | March 3, 2022
99minutos raises $82 million for electric delivery for online vendors in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, March 3 — Retail e-commerce in Latin America is projected to nearly double to $160 billion in 2025, from $85 billion last …
Image credit: Gamiphy, an Ibtikar portfolio company
Frontier and Growth Markets | February 17, 2022
Ibtikar’s second fund for Palestinian tech reaches $15 million first close
ImpactAlpha, February 17 – Ibtikar Fund is building on the thesis of its first fund from 2016: that Palestinian tech entrepreneurs building regional …
Photo credit: John Martin PERRY.
Dealflow | January 27, 2022
KKR invests $45 million in GrowSari to digitalize ‘sari-saris’ in the Philippines
ImpactAlpha, January 27 — GrowSari, launched in 2016, helps more than 100,000 Filipino owners of brick-and-mortar retail convenience stores, or “sari-sari” stores, make …
Inventa co-founders, from left, Fernando Carrasco, Marcos Salama and Laura Camargo | Inventa.
Dealflow | January 25, 2022
Inventa scores $20 million to connect small Brazilian retailers with global suppliers
ImpactAlpha, January 25 — São Paulo-based Inventa, launched last year, has built a digital marketplace for Brazilian small businesses to purchase inventory. Inventa …
Dealflow | January 18, 2022
Elevar backs Fairplay’s revenue-based financing for online businesses in Mexico
ImpactAlpha, January 18 – Fintech startup Fairplay provides revenue-based working capital loans and inventory financing to Mexico’s small and mid-sized online businesses. The …
Photo credit: Novo.
Dealflow | January 12, 2022
Novo snags $90 million to provide banking services for U.S. small businesses
ImpactAlpha, January 12 — Miami-based neobank Novo provides bank accounts without fees or minimum balances for approximately 150,000 small businesses owners, entrepreneurs and …
Photo credit: Tul
Latin America | January 12, 2022
Tul raises $181 million to digitalize independent hardware stores in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, January 12 – Bogotá-based Tul helps Colombia’s mom-and-pop hardware stores source products from large construction suppliers like ArcelorMittal and Cemex. It launched …
photo: New Voices
Entrepreneurship | December 22, 2021
New Voices secures $97 million for its second fund for women of color entrepreneurs
Dec. 22, ImpactAlpha – Richelieu Dennis launched the venture firm New Voices to plug a funding gap for women of color entrepreneurs after …
Women Rising | December 20, 2021
Alitheia IDF secures $100 million for an African gender-lens fund
ImpactAlpha, December 20 — Alitheia IDF, a joint venture between women-led fund managers Alitheia Capital and IDF Capital, aims to positively impact women …
Photo credit: East African Business Week.
Dealflow | December 16, 2021
Aceli Africa raises $27 million to boost lending to agribusinesses in East Africa
ImpactAlpha, December 16 — More than half of East Africans depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, but loans to grow their businesses are …
Photo credit: Elsevier.
Investing in Health | December 16, 2021
Medical Credit Fund raises $36.7 million to finance health clinics in Africa. second digital finance fund
ImpactAlpha, December 16 — Nairobi-based debt provider Medical Credit Fund has since 2009 made loans of more than €120 million ($135.5 million) to …
Photo credit: TechCabal.
Dealflow | December 9, 2021
Flutterwave backs Côte d’Ivoire digital payments processor CinetPay
ImpactAlpha, December 9 — Lagos-based Flutterwave, helps merchants, banks and other businesses transact across borders and currencies. The digital payments platform, which has …
Climate and Clean Tech | December 8, 2021
Third Derivative launches carbon removal partnership and new cohort
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 8 – Third Derivative selected 16 startups for its latest cohort, dubbed Cohort 419 for the peak level of atmospheric CO2 …
Signals | December 1, 2021
Can the recovery catalyze a business revival on the Navajo Nation?
ImpactAlpha, December 1 – The Navajo Nation, which includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, is one of the hardest places to …
Photo credit: European Journalism Observatory.
Dealflow | November 30, 2021
Media Development Investment Fund backs Pluralis to invest in independent media in Europe
ImpactAlpha, November 30 — The decline of independent global news outlets has accelerated with rising news censorship and danger for journalists. MDFI’s Emerging …
Photo credit: Paul Langlois-Meurinne.
Dealflow | November 30, 2021
Nigerian B2B marketplace Sabi raises $6 million to support Africa’s informal businesses
ImpactAlpha, November 30 — Lagos-based Sabi is among a wave of enterprise tech ventures applying technology to fix market failures and inefficiencies. Sabi’s …
Photo credit: ZenBusiness.
Dealflow | November 17, 2021
ZenBusiness raises $200 million to scale support for micro-entrepreneurs
ImpactAlpha, November 17 — Austin-based public benefit corporation ZenBusiness, which has helped more than 200,000 U.S. micro-entrepreneurs start their businesses, is bringing on …
Photo credit: Northwestern Mutual.
Dealflow | November 8, 2021
Northwestern Mutual accelerator backs five Black founders
ImpactAlpha, November 8 — The inaugural cohort of the Black Founder Accelerator, launched by the Milwaukee-based financial services giant earlier this year, includes …
The Tendo team. Photo credit: BFA Global.
Dealflow | November 3, 2021
Catalyst Fund backs four Ghanian digital commerce startups
ImpactAlpha, November 3 — Catalyst Fund, the global inclusive tech accelerator managed by BFA Global and Philanthropy Advisors, secured $4.3 million in November …
Paskho Community- MadeTM pod, New York City (Photo: Paskho)
Impact Voices | November 2, 2021
Reimagining fashion production for a regenerative economy
After 25 years using my creativity to solve problems in the fashion industry, I had developed a reputation for turnarounds – in the …