Return on Inclusion
Photo by Tim Hüfner on Unsplash
Return on Inclusion | September 15, 2021
‘Criminal justice footprints’ present risks and opportunities for investors
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 15 – With its first set of corporate ratings, FreeCap Financial has identified 10 indicators investors can use to screen companies for …
Photo credit: UNCF.
Dealflow | September 14, 2021
Black Venture Capital Consortium and Ford Foundation closes $7.5 million for student-led fund
ImpactAlpha, September 14 — The Student Venture Fund is part of BVCC’s two-year venture capital training for students from historically Black colleges and …
Dealflow | September 8, 2021
Employee Ownership Catalyst Fund raises nearly $5 million to back worker-ownership conversions
ImpactAlpha, September 8 — The open-ended fund, co-managed by Mission Driven Finance and Project Equity, received commitments from Living Cities and other impact …
Dealflow | September 7, 2021
Microverse secures investment to expand income share agreements for global talent
ImpactAlpha, September 7 — The Latin-led edtech, which is looking to connect at least one million young software developers from emerging markets to …
Photo credit: ENGIE Africa.
Africa | September 1, 2021
Energy Access Relief Fund attracts $68 million from public and private investors
ImpactAlpha, September 1 — Off-grid solar and other energy access companies, with razor-thin margins in tough markets, face a liquidity crisis. COVID-19 has …
Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz.
Community Finance | August 31, 2021
Silicon Valley Bank backs National Equity Fund to create affordable rental housing in California
ImpactAlpha, August 31 — California has eight of the 10 most expensive cities for rental housing in the U.S. A $110 million commitment …
Photo credit: IFAD.
Dealflow | August 30, 2021
Khatabook and Bazaar raise financing to digitize small businesses in India and Pakistan
ImpactAlpha, August 30 — Investors continue to swarm enterprise technology providers helping small businesses go online. Last week, Nuvemshop raised $500 million to …
Photo credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.
Features | August 26, 2021
Can investors help Haiti build back better this time?
ImpactAlpha, August 26 — Haiti’s politicians are promising a different response. Global leaders are looking for different approaches. And millions of Haitians are …
Wynwood Art District, Miami | Photo by Brian Lundquist on Unsplash
Creative Economy | August 24, 2021
Artists are startups and creators CEOs as technology decentralizes the creative economy
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 24 – Musicians, actors, artists and other “creators” are getting creative about reaping the economic gains of their influence and turning their …
CHINO, CA - Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Civic Tech | August 23, 2021
Decarceration-lens investing gains momentum in public and private markets
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 23 – Criminal justice is a growing part of racial-justice investing. To equip investors in public markets, Adasina Social Capital has built …
Capitalism Reimagined | August 18, 2021
How CDFIs are rethinking lending risks to build BIPOC-led businesses and wealth
The portrayal of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income populations as “too risky” for business investments is rooted in racism used to justify underinvestment …
Photo credit: Al Bello/Getty Images.
affordable-housing | August 17, 2021
IMPACT Community Capital raises $210 million to preserve U.S. affordable housing
ImpactAlpha, August 17 — Federal affordability restrictions on more than 123,000 housing units expire this year; hundreds of thousands more expire over the …
Photo credit: SparkCharge
Climate and Clean Tech | August 12, 2021
LACI makes SparkCharge its tenth investment from its cleantech debt fund
ImpactAlpha, August 12 – Los Angeles-based cleantech incubator LACI last year launched a debt fund for underrepresented founders “to play a role in …
Photo credit: Black Enterprise.
Catalytic Capital | August 11, 2021
Packard Foundation commits $25 million to address racial disparities in credit
ImpactAlpha, August 11 — More than 50% of white U.S. households have a FICO credit score above 700, compared with only 21% of …
Squire's co-founders, Songe LaRon and Dave Salvant. Photo credit: Squire.
Dealflow | July 29, 2021
Squire scores $80 million to help barbershops manage their businesses
ImpactAlpha, July 29 — The New York-based company’s software helps over 2,000 barbershop owners in North America and the U.K. with online scheduling …