Corporate Impact | September 21, 2021

Citi Impact Fund adds seven new investments

Roodgally Senatus
ImpactAlpha Editor

Roodgally Senatus

ImpactAlpha, September 22 — Citi Impact Fund launched last year to invest in companies addressing workforce development, financial inclusion, sustainable energy and water use, and high-impact infrastructure.

The $200 million fund has backed 23 companies to date, more than half of which are led by women and/or people of color.

New investments include Daylight, a fintech for LGBT+ people; Jetty, a rental-housing startup that simplifies the application process; Pathstream, a digital upskilling platform targeting working adults; and RTS Green, a waste collection and recycling company.

Racial equity

Google for Startups’ second $5 million Black Founders Fund awarded $100,000 in grant funding for 50 Black founders. Nearly one-quarter of the recipients have graduated from a historically black college or university, or HBCU.

Google launched its first Black Founders Fund last year as part of its $175 million initiative to promote economic opportunity for Black Americans (see, “Scaling the ‘capillary banking system’ to expand access to capital”).

Climate cohort

Urban-X, a partnership between smart-city venture Urban US and BMW-Mini, welcomed a cohort of startups working to reimagine cities via climate action.

Companies in the 10th cohort include Climatebase, a networking platform connecting talent to high-impact climate jobs; Plentify, an smart energy company retrofitting home appliances; and LimeLoop, a reusable packaging logistics company.