Good Jobs
Blockchain/AI/IoT | February 20, 2024
These VCs are betting on AI to upskill workers and expand pathways to good jobs
The advent of generative artificial intelligence isn’t all doom and gloom for employees. Played right, AI could open pathways to higher-skilled jobs for …
Good Jobs | February 9, 2024
CHART: Support for workers is universal – and drives business outperformance
ImpactAlpha, Feb 9 – Worker issues, including wages, training and safety, consistently rank as the public’s top priorities for business behavior, according to Just …
Good Jobs | February 1, 2024
Upskilling Africa’s workforce for green jobs in renewable energy and resilient agriculture
ImpactAlpha, February 1 – National commitments to decarbonize economies and mitigate climate change are spurring a global green jobs boom, as countries race …
Inclusive Economy | February 1, 2024
Preparing Africa’s workforce for a green future
Africa is poised to play a pivotal role in the global fight against climate change. Its untapped renewable energy potential, abundant land, natural …
Good Jobs | January 9, 2024
Blackstone, KKR and Bain seek to create value with quality jobs
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 9 – Tired: Cost cutting and financial engineering. Wired: Investments in workers as assets. The private equity industry owns firms that …
Ownership Economy | December 14, 2023
With employee trusts, Canada opens a pathway to worker ownership
ImpactAlpha, December 14 — Expect to see a surge in Canadian companies converting to employee ownership in 2024. Legislation set to go into …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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: …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …