2022 is a special year for us at Capital Impact Partners as it marks our 40th anniversary. Four decades of leaning into helping people build communities of opportunity and developing pathways to success.
And while this is an exciting time for us as we embark on a new strategy under Momentus Capital, it is equally important to remember our roots as a champion for the cooperative movement.
By Ellis Carr, President and CEO of Capital Impact Partners and CDC Small Business Finance (each is part of the Momentus Capital branded family of organizations)
In 2022, a Fast Company piece by Porter Braswell released new statistics that painted a telling picture: in 2021, only 1.4% of Black founders received venture capital funds. That’s a stark number when you consider that more than 13 percent of the U.S. population is Black or African American. It is not surprising, however, given that Black investors only make up 3% of the venture capital industry. The numbers are similarly poor for women-led startups, which only receive 2.3% of venture capital funding, and whose leaders only make up 5.7% of venture capital partners.
When you think that racial inequality, specifically as it relates to Black Americans, has cost our economy over $16 trillion over the last 20 years, it’s clear that our approach to investing in diverse entrepreneurs needs to change.
SameSky Health Founder and CEO Abner Mason is on a mission to advance health equity in communities
Abner Mason came up with the idea for SameSky Health in 2013 with a dream of creating a company that is on a mission to advance health equity. From its inception, SameSky Health has been focused on engaging and helping Americans who are marginalized or under-resourced.
The idea of “community” often conjures images of a geographic place, a shared space where people congregate. While true, communities can be so much more. Their true potential can manifest itself when they foster connections between individuals who share mutually beneficial ideals. Through championing those shared values, community members can create a future of shared prosperity.
More than Money Podcast Interviews Ellis Carr, President & CEO of Capital Impact
Expanding opportunities for residents in low-income communities is the focus of community development financial institutions (CDFIs). These mission-driven institutions prioritize social, economic and racial justice for underserved communities over and above profits, meaning that CDFIs invest in places and projects that traditional lenders are often reluctant to support.
