Good Jobs
Impact Investing | November 16, 2023
JFF Ventures aligns venture capital with a national nonprofit to invest in the future of work
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 16 – Creating the tools and technologies to move more than 100 million low-income Americans comfortably into the middle class with …
Image credit: CareAcademy
The Liist | November 7, 2023
The Liist, November 2023: Impact fund managers target creators of quality jobs and economic mobility
ImpactAlpha, November 7 – Much of the heavy lifting on Sustainable Development Goal 8 (decent work for all) will fall to policymakers. But …
Good Jobs | November 6, 2023
Investors want to know: Do investments in ‘good jobs’ meet the needs of jobholders?
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 6 – From automotive plants in the US to garment factories in Bangladesh, improving the “quality of jobs” is a key …
Photo by Blk Grvty.
Return on Inclusion | September 14, 2023
Disruptive Discourse: Standing up to legal challenges to fund managers and business owners of color
ImpactAlpha, September 14 — Women leaders of color are stepping up ecosystem-building efforts to counter the recent legal attacks against minority-owned and led …
Photo credit: Upaya Social Ventures
Impact Voices | August 31, 2023
Collaborating to create more dignified jobs in a warming world
The temperature was over 110 degrees Fahrenheit the day I met Roopa, a widowed mother of three, on her tiny plot of land …
Photo by Brad's Service Center.
Ownership Economy | August 22, 2023
Teamshares raises $245 million for small business employee stock ownership
ImpactAlpha, August 22 — Brooklyn, NY-based Teamshares has raised $245 million to build a national portfolio of 10,000 employee-owned small businesses. The opportunity: …
Ownership Economy | August 18, 2023
Deal spotlight: Employee ownership as a competitive advantage
ImpactAlpha, August 18 — KKR’s acquisition of New York-based book publishing giant Simon & Schuster earlier this month signals that investors with employee-ownership …
Photo by Shivendu Shukla on Unsplash
Good Jobs | July 27, 2023
In a strong labor market, investors look for companies to outcompete through ‘quality jobs’
ImpactAlpha, Jul. 27 – The Great Resignation turned out to be instead The Great Reshuffling. And as workers reshuffled back, they looked for a …
Photo credit: BluLever
Inclusive Economy | July 27, 2023
BluLever Education scores funding to train South Africa’s artisans and trade workers
ImpactAlpha, July 27 – More than 60% of South African youth are unemployed. Johannesburg-based BluLever Education is addressing the country’s jobs crisis with …
Photo by Kubik.
Low-carbon transition | June 26, 2023
Kubik scores $3.3 million to upcycle plastic waste into low-carbon building materials
ImpactAlpha, June 26 — Buildings account for 40% of total global carbon emissions, because of how building materials are produced, what materials are …
Good Jobs | June 15, 2023
Keep Company raises $800,000 to provide caregiving support to workers
ImpactAlpha, June 15 — More than half of the tens of millions Americans with caregiving responsibilities are contemplating leaving their jobs. Bethesda, Md.-based …
Inclusive Economy | May 4, 2023
Overheard in Philadelphia: Bridging capital gaps to build wealth in underserved communities
ImpactAlpha, May 4 — ImpactPHL’s Total Impact Summit gathered Agents of Impact in Philadelphia for the second consecutive year, following a three-year pandemic …
Rahul Singh & Arvind Ganesan
Dealflow | April 24, 2023
EcoSoul Home raises $10 million for eco-friendly home goods
ImpactAlpha, April 24 – Bellevue, Wash.-based EcoSoul has raised $10 million to sell plant-based tableware, kitchenware, toilet paper and compostable bags to customers …
Good Jobs | April 17, 2023
Two Sigma Impact raises $677 million to back ‘human capital-centric’ businesses
ImpactAlpha, April 17 — Two Sigma Impact, the impact investing arm of the $58 billion hedge fund Two Sigma, has raised $677 million to …
Photo by CEI.
Community Finance | March 30, 2023
Lumina Foundation backs Coastal Enterprises to help rural entrepreneurs launch child care businesses
ImpactAlpha, March 30 — Brunswick, Maine-based Coastal Enterprises, Inc. has received a $1 million program-related investment from Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation for its Child …
Photo by Bitwise Industries.
Inclusive Economy | February 28, 2023
Bitwise Industries raises $80 million to upskill workers on Chicago’s South Side
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 28 – Fresno, Calif.-based Bitwise Industries has raised $80 million to take its model for upskilling low-income residents for high-growth tech jobs …
Inclusive Economy | January 27, 2023
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: Black-worker ownership
ImpactAlpha, January 27 — With more than half of business owners in the U.S. over 55 years old, there’s a “silver tsunami” of …
Photo by GMAC.
Dealflow | January 23, 2023
Bamboo Capital’s Build Fund backs Green Mountain Arabica Coffee in Rwanda
ImpactAlpha, January 23 — In Rwanda’s Karenge region, women-owned Green Mountain Arabica Coffee exports green unroasted coffee beans that it sources from 1,200 …
Photo by Ahamove.
Good Jobs | November 30, 2022
Igloo raises $46 million to provide insurance for gig economy workers in Southeast Asia
ImpactAlpha, November 30 — In Southeast Asia, insurance coverage as a benefit for employees is a luxury most small and even medium-sized businesses …
Photo credit: Tamul Plates
Good Jobs | November 17, 2022
Upaya Social Ventures exits India-based maker of sustainable tableware
ImpactAlpha, November 17 – Upaya Social Ventures made a $27,000 equity investment in Tamul Plates in 2015, helping the all-natural disposable plate and …
Photo by SweepSouth.
Good Jobs | October 4, 2022
South African home cleaning service SweepSouth raises $11 million, led by Alitheia IDF
ImpactAlpha, October 4 — The domestic services industry in Africa has a reputation for being unregulated and exploitative. Cape Town-based SweepSouth launched in …
Photo by The Sauce.
Inclusive Economy | September 20, 2022
PowerToFly raises $30 million to upskill and connect underrepresented talent with jobs
ImpactAlpha, September 20 — New York-based PowerToFly has raised $30 million to upskill and connect underrepresented talent with jobs. Millions of professionals use …
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 …
Photo by iStock.
Investing in Health | August 19, 2022
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: Addressing the nursing shortage
ImpactAlpha, August 19 — In the early months of the Covid pandemic, cheers would break out every evening in many cities to honor …
Incredible Health's founders Iman Abuzeid and Rome Portlock. Photo by Incredible Health.
Investing in Health | August 18, 2022
Incredible Health secures $80 million to help nurses do well in permanent jobs
ImpactAlpha, August 18 — A fifth of health care workers quit their jobs during the pandemic, due to insufficient pay, burn out and …
Good Jobs | August 5, 2022
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: Reshaping jobs of the future
ImpactAlpha, August 5 — The U.S. economy will add nearly 12 million jobs by 2030. New talent development solutions, inclusive workforce strategies and …
Byron Dai and Rahul Mahida, the founders of Daivergent. Photo by NYT.
Inclusive Economy | August 4, 2022
Daivergent scores $3.3 million to support job seekers with disabilities
ImpactAlpha, August 4 — Around a fifth of the global population has cognitive variations such as autism, dyslexia and ADHD. Few workforce software …
Minnesota Rubber & Plastics employees celebrate the sale. Photo by KKR.
Inclusive Economy | August 3, 2022
KKR’s $950 million sale of Minnesota Rubber & Plastics means a payout for employees
ImpactAlpha, August 3 — KKR implemented its employee-ownership program for 1,450 employees when it acquired materials science company Minnesota Rubber & Plastics in …
Deploy! | July 18, 2022
A $25 million plan to upskill and diversify the climate workforce
ImpactAlpha, Jul. 18 – The climate ground war will be won block by block, building by building (for context, see “Call No. 32: …
Terra.do's founder Anshuman Bapna | Photo by Terra.do.
Climate and Clean Tech | June 16, 2022
Terra.do scores $5 million to connect global professionals with careers in climate tech
ImpactAlpha, June 16 — Investors and executives in climate tech are seeing an upswell of talent (for context, see “In Silicon Valley, talent …
Photo by Crawley.
Inclusive Economy | June 14, 2022
Nava Benefits raises $40 million to help small businesses lower the costs for employee benefits
ImpactAlpha, June 14 — Larger companies have the capital and resources to offer more and higher-quality benefits. Smaller businesses are burdened by excessive …
Photo by Achievers.
Inclusive Economy | June 10, 2022
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: Upskilling workers
ImpactAlpha, June 10 — Half of the global workforce will need new skills by 2025. From healthcare to financial services, tech firms are …
Photo by Guild Education.
Inclusive Economy | June 9, 2022
Guild Education raises $175 million to help employers unlock career mobility for their employees
ImpactAlpha, June 9 — Denver-based Guild Education has raised $175 million to help employers create career development opportunities for their employees. The company …
Photo credit: Alicia Powell.
Podcasts | May 27, 2022
Live-ish from Davos: Taking on the world with BlocPower and friends
ImpactAlpha, May 26 — Donnell Baird arrived at Davos this week with his partners from Brooklyn and Ithaca, where BlocPower is greening thousands …
Photo credit: Moves.
Inclusive Economy | May 26, 2022
Moves raises $5 million to help gig economy workers become owners
ImpactAlpha, May 26 — Roughly 57 million U.S. workers work in the gig economy, and that workforce is expected to grow to 86 …
Photo credit: Manara
Good Jobs | May 10, 2022
Manara scores $3 million to upskill tech workers in North Africa and the Middle East
ImpactAlpha, May 10 — Former engineers Iliana Montauk and Laila Abudahi launched Manara last year to offer coding classes for engineering students from …
Photo credit: RideTandem.
Good Jobs | May 4, 2022
RideTandem scores $2.2 million to alleviate ‘transport poverty’ for blue-collar workers
ImpactAlpha, May 4 — Public transportation is increasingly inaccessible for low-income workers in the U.K., particularly in rural areas. “Half of the lowest-earning …
BlocPower's Civilian Climate Corp workers with the owner of the building. Photo by Roodgally Senatus.
Green Infrastructure | April 7, 2022
Inside BlocPower’s mission to upskill workers and green New York City buildings (photo story)
ImpactAlpha, April 7 — On a recent early spring day, a half-dozen workers were installing heat pumps in a two-unit property on Ellis …
Mursal Hedayat. Photo credit: Chatterbox.
Refugee Lens Investing | March 16, 2022
Chatterbox snags over $2 million to connect tech-skilled refugees with jobs
ImpactAlpha, March 16 — London, U.K.-based Chatterbox launched in 2016 as an online language learning school for Syrian refugees to earn a living …
Impact Voices | March 2, 2022
Urging meat companies to protect workers and mitigate risks in their supply chains
ImpactAlpha, March 2 – COVID-19 hit the global meatpacking industry with force and put a spotlight on the industry’s long-standing hazardous labor practices. …
Photo credit: Score.
Dealflow | March 2, 2022
Advantage Capital aims to invest $200 million in minority-owned businesses in underserved communities
ImpactAlpha, Mar 2 — New Orleans-based Advantage Capital has leveraged more than $3 billion since 1992 for small businesses in underserved communities in …
Inclusive Economy | February 28, 2022
Social Finance will deploy $100 million from Google to upskill tech workers
ImpactAlpha, February 28 – Boston-based Social Finance has pioneered student-friendly “career impact bonds,” a form of income-sharing agreement, to reduce the risks to …
Scaler Academy founders | Photo credit: Scaler Academy.
Good Jobs | February 2, 2022
Scaler Academy secures $55 million to upskill Indian tech workers
ImpactAlpha, February 2 — Only about 1% of India’s graduating software engineering students find meaningful employment. This “has opened up opportunities for avowed …
Photo credit: Lyra Health.
Investing in Health | January 20, 2022
Lyra Health raises $235 million to help employers provide mental health benefits
ImpactAlpha, January 20 — Burlingame, Calif.-based Lyra Health works with companies like Uber and Morgan Stanley to provide mental health benefits for 10 …
Photo credit: Prevented Ocean Plastic Southeast Asia.
Climate Finance | January 13, 2022
Circulate Capital aims to build plastic waste recycling infrastructure in underserved Indonesia
ImpactAlpha, January 13 — Indonesia generates around 7.8 million tons of plastic waste annually. 4.9 million tons of plastic waste is mismanaged — uncollected, …