Village Capital

How can we ensure capital flows to impact innovations taking on the biggest challenges of our lifetimes, like climate change and health equity? Yesterday, Village Capital CEO Allie Burns joined the stage at #SOCAP24 to kick off the Capital Flows for Impact track alongside Rodney Foxworth (Worthmore), Daniel J. Barker (Halcyon), Dr. Stephanie Gripne (Impact Finance Center), and Astrid Scholz (Armillaria). The candid conversation explored how to change the narratives that glorify massive rounds and venture capital – instead, weaving stories that show how alternative capital structures and patient capital can support innovators creating impact. Each year, SOCAP Global convenes the impact community with a clear intention: to facilitate impact across silos, geographies, approaches, and philosophies and to accelerate the development of meaningful, critical relationships. Village Capital is honored to take part in this gathering. More insights to come! 💡

“We want to make sure everyone who is living with a serious mental illness gets care.” For entrepreneurs building impact-creating startups, it’s a heartening reminder from a fellow entrepreneur that staying true to your company’s impact mission can drive your success. At our recent LIFT Health Equity cohort in-person gathering, VilCap alum Gregor Hoffman shared more about how keeping impact as his company’s north star helped shape its successful trajectory. Gregor, Co-Founder of 1DocWay, participated in a 2014 health equity program with Village Capital, ultimately being the top peer-selected company. 1DocWay was successfully acquired in 2015, and Gregor and his co-founder are now building a new company, firsthand: a peer-led model of supporting adults with serious mental illness. Together with the cohort, Gregor tackled questions ranging from considering an exit, building your team, finding a customer base, and working with investors. Gregor is one of many alumni who return as mentors and advisory board members to support the next generation of impact-creating entrepreneurs who go through VilCap programs around the world. If you are interested in mentoring or supporting our work in other ways, check out our Get Involved page: https://lnkd.in/gTQfrzsF

Pittsburgh friends: Join us this Wednesday, October 30, for a celebratory event highlighting ten innovative companies that have completed the Dream Climate Tech Launchpad with Dream.Org! This investment readiness program equips Black and Latinx climate tech founders to better compete for funding and scale their businesses. Learn more and register to join the venture forum: https://lu.ma/yt8mw5mo

“Even the best brands stumble when they forget what matters most: connection. Many struggle with relevance and innovation because they focus too much on transactions and trends. The solution? Keep it human.” Village Capital Communications and Brand Director Sofía Cándano recently joined the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York City and came away with insights for impact-creating companies and organizations: ⚡ Purpose Drives Connection: Purpose-driven brands don’t just focus on what they sell but on *why* they sell it. Aligning with values that resonate with your audience creates deep, lasting connections. Consumers are likelier to engage with brands that solve meaningful problems and clearly communicate their mission. ⚡ Holistic Brand Experience is Key: Successful brands look beyond individual touchpoints to their whole experience. This means integrating brand personality, voice, and values across every interaction, from marketing to customer service. ⚡ Innovation Requires Constant Evolution: You can’t rely on last year’s strategies or successes. The most innovative brands always ask, “What’s next?” and “How can we push boundaries?” Boldness in adapting to change and staying ahead of trends keeps brands relevant and impactful. ⚡ Embrace Advocacy for Bigger Causes: More than ever, consumers expect brands to stand for something bigger than just their products. Leading with purpose and advocating for societal causes – whether environmental sustainability, diversity, or social justice – resonates with consumers, especially younger generations, who seek values-driven brands. ⚡The Power of Collective Storytelling: Storytelling doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s shaped by the communities and people who live those stories. Brands that involve their audience and reflect shared experiences in their narrative are more likely to inspire loyalty and create meaningful connections. Do any of these reflections resonate with you? Drop a comment and let us know!

The disability innovation ecosystem bridges inclusivity, design, and technology to create a more equitable world. Historically, societies have often seen people with disabilities as a problem to be fixed so they can operate in society like people without disabilities. But disability innovators (and the ecosystem builders that support them) flipped the script. Entrepreneurs with disabilities have been pushing boundaries for quite some time, creating and producing products and services that are both functional and cutting-edge. Necessity has always acted as the catalyst for innovation, with many technological advancements' origins in addressing needed accommodations (including typewriters, touch screens, and electric toothbrushes). For example, the Lazarillo app allows its users to navigate new places in a safe and efficient way. Want to learn more about the disability innovation ecosystem? Read the full report to learn directly from ten leading disability innovation accelerators – then drop a comment to let us know something that sparked your curiosity and interest in the world of inclusive innovation! https://lnkd.in/eXdPW5_f

Excited to be traveling to Pittsburgh next week for the Village Capital Dream Climate Tech Launchpad program. The program supports Black and Latinx-led climate tech startups building solutions related to energy, the built environment, and electronic transportation and infrastructure. If you are in Pittsburgh from Oct 28-31 and are interested in meeting for coffee and/ or meeting some of the cohort at our community event on the 30th, send me a note for more info!

How are entrepreneurs and their companies similar to plants? 🌻 Kerry Bowie, Founder of the Majira Project and Resource alum, saw firsthand the many challenges that founders of color face when trying to secure capital funding for their innovative projects. He leads an organization that talks about closing the racial wealth gap for Boston’s communities of color in terms of cultivation – planting seeds and helping them grow. The Marija Project is an alum of our Resource program, which seeks to support community-led and focused Entrepreneur Support Organizations. Learn more about it here: https://lnkd.in/g9X2Epfy

We are thrilled that two VilCap alumni have been selected for the 2024 Meaningful Business 100, highlighting a group of leaders creating powerful change.  🔹 Francis A. Obirikorang is the co-founder and CEO of AgroCenta Technologies, Inc (Techstars 22) | VISA Africa Fintech Accelerator '23, an agritech startup helping smallholder farmers access and adopt digital financial services. 🔹 Shelley Saxena is the founder and CEO of Sevamob, an India-based startup that is transforming the delivery of primary healthcare in the world via an AI-enabled healthcare platform. Congratulations to both for this well-deserved recognition, and we can’t wait to see how their startups continue to shape a better future! https://lnkd.in/epVATyai

Reliving incredible moments from Nairobi, where our Africa-based team gathered for three days of learning, collaboration, and networking at the Greentech Africa Stakeholder Summit. Founders had an amazing two days showcasing product demos, identifying strengths and risks, and engaging in peer due diligence to rank the most investible startups. Huge congratulations to EFIKA and EGIKE, the top two peer-selected startups! 🎉 Day three wrapped up with the exciting peer-selection process, followed by an essential session on mental health for startup founders and engaging panel discussions. Special thanks to our panelists, including VilCap alum Duncan Kariuki of Octavia Carbon and VilCap investee James Odede from AquaRech LTD, amongst other experts who shared their insights on developing impactful and sustainable climate solutions in Africa. We’re incredibly grateful for the 33 mentors – including investors, ESOs, corporates, and greentech ecosystem players – who generously offered their expertise. Together, this growing community of changemakers is paving the way for a more sustainable and inclusive future! This summit was made possible thanks to the support of Moody's Corporation as part of the Greentech Initiative, which supports climate-focused startups advancing sustainability through their innovations across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. https://bit.ly/40cYbpb

“What we’re seeing in the ecosystem is an increase in the number of founders, funders, and supporters who are questioning the paradigm of how to fund an impactful business.” Allie Burns and Nathaly Botero joined Laurie Lane-Zucker in conversation for an Impact Entrepreneur Deep Dive about their article, “Redefining the Fundraising Journey for Impact Startups,” co-authored with Aunnie Patton Power. As Nathaly shared, the entrepreneurial ecosystem is increasingly questioning norms around how a successful business is defined – and media has a critical role in choosing the types of stories and successes that are amplified. Publications like Impact Entrepreneur are playing an important role in shifting the narrative by amplifying stories that showcase true impact—one where all stakeholders benefit, including founders, investors, employees, and communities. 🎥 Hear from Nathaly directly: https://lnkd.in/gb6fy7YC 📖 Read the full piece: https://lnkd.in/evKFsh-R