farmlead
Dealflow | March 21, 2017
FarmLead raises $6.5 million for online grain marketplace
FarmLead has raised $6.5 million for its online grain marketplace. The platform, launched in Ottawa in 2013, connects 4,000 grain growers to buyers …
Brandon Dennison, Coalfield Development: Forging a path for Appalachia's green economy. In the roller coaster climate bill negotiations with West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, Brandon Dennison brought something to the table that many other policy advocates couldn’t: the local impacts of a green economy. Dennison’s organization, Coalfield Development, has provided workforce stabilization, reskilling and jobs to 1,600 workers in a state racked by the coal industry’s decline. It has also helped launch several green and social enterprises, including Solar Hollar, one of the first solar companies in southern West Virginia. And it’s now leading a coalition of West Virginia universities, municipalities and other organizations called the Appalachian Climate Technologies Coalition, or “Act Now,” to grow the state’s green-collar workforce, repurpose empty manufacturing facilities, and reclaim mined land for sustainable use. “We’re a tangible example of what could be possible,” says Dennison, who was among many pressing the reluctant Democratic senator to support a climate package. “I think we had a unique place in the discussion because we’re not a policy organization, we’re a practitioner saying that this sort of policy could help us."
Deal spotlight: Reshaping jobs of the future. The U.S. economy will add nearly 12 million jobs by 2030. New talent development solutions, inclusive workforce strategies, and worker ownership models could help determine how those jobs will look. This week, KKR announced a $950 million sale of Minnesota Rubber & Plastics to Swedish engineering firm Trelleborg Group. Under a worker-ownership program implemented by KKR when it acquired MRP in 2018, all 1,450 employees will receive cash payouts equivalent to up to two years of salary. Separately, Daivergent this week raised $3.3 million in a seed round led by Zeal Capital Partners. The New York-based company is using data to provide personalized vocational, social and life-skills training to neurodivergent professionals to prepare them for tech and corporate jobs.
Steve Glickman, ex- of Economic Innovation Group, joined Aspiration Global as president after advising the sustainable bank for two years… Bill Stoddart, ex- of 45North Partners, was named CEO at Iroquois Valley Farmland REIT. Christopher Zuehlsdorff joined Iroquois as chief operating officer… Santhosh Ramdoss was promoted to chief investment officer at Gary Community Ventures.
MCE Social Capital is recruiting a portfolio intern in San Francisco… Walton Enterprises is looking for a senior investment analyst in Denver… PowerSchool is looking for an ESG program director… Truist seeks an investment banking associate for its clean energy division in New York or Atlanta… In New York, Boundless Impact Research & Analytics is hiring a marketing intern; The Conference Board seeks a sustainability senior researcher for its ESG center; and Capital Impact Partners is recruiting a community development investment bank associate.
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FarmLead has raised $6.5 million for its online grain marketplace. The platform, launched in Ottawa in 2013, connects 4,000 grain growers to buyers …