Impact Investments for Companies Creating Social Impact
Is Your Business Staged for Growth and Impact? We Can Help.
Community-focused companies looking to grow and scale often face barriers to securing the equity investments they need. This is especially true for companies that serve traditionally disinvested communities. As a result, options tend to be limited to taking on debt or turning to extractive capital that benefits the investor more than the business.
We are changing that paradigm through an investment strategy focused on providing the capital needed to grow at a pace that aligns with the strategy of that company. Our goal is to not only support the company itself but also drive meaningful and measurable outcomes in the communities in which they operate.
Investments Aligned with a Continuum of Capital and Training Programs
Together with our sister organization CDC Small Business Finance, we have over 80+ years of experience delivering a suite of lending products, impact investments, and programs to serve a diverse set of businesses and communities. This allows us to work with your company at different stages including bringing in our investments team to work with you during those critical growth points.
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Deploying Regenerative Capital
With a focus on social impact through scaling community-focused companies, our strategy is to ensure the organizational leaders maintain control of their vision and have the flexibility they need to achieve success. Unlike venture capital approaches that seek to extract returns, our investment approach aims to grow the company, create impact, and ensure wealth remains within the community.
A Suite of Investment Instruments
Our Investments group utilizes a flexible investment approach that uses the following range of investment instruments to support growth-stage companies:
- Profit Share Preferred Equity: Non-dilutive preferred equity whereby profitable businesses pay a % of profits and dividend
- Revenue Share Mezzanine Debt: Unsecured mezzanine debt whereby business pay a % of revenues and interest
Types of Businesses We Partner With
Our Investments group works to create transformation within underestimated communities long overlooked by traditional capital providers by investing in and growing social enterprises. We provide impact investments to a broad range of companies who are focused on driving solutions that support at least one of the following outcomes in their communities:
- Operating or employing within a low-to-moderate-income area
- Led, managed or owned by an entrepreneur that lives or works in or supports underserved people and communities
- Is employee-owned (coop, ESOP, EOT, etc)
- Drives healthcare access to underserved communities
- Drives healthy food access to underserved communities Increasing
Investment Range
- $1 – 15 million
Stage Target
- Growth-stage operating businesses with at least $4 million in revenues
Impact Investments
- Help investees scale, create jobs, and address social determinants of health
- Bring institutional capital to disinvested businesses and communities
- Address systemic issues of inequality and close the wealth gap
- Increase healthy and affordable food access for people living within food deserts or who are food insecure
The Places We Serve
Fueling economic growth and opportunities in our communities
We have learned a lot over the past three decades about fueling equitable growth and opportunities in our communities. That is why we work to foster deep connections with communities by taking a place-based approach to economic development that centers our work around the people and places we serve. We start by listening to our communities, then co-create programs, services, and products tailored to meet each community’s needs.
The result? Our investments, relationships, and programs leave a positive, lasting impact for generations to come.
Impact Investing Success Stories
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| Investment | $5 million junior venture debt investment | $1 million preferred equity investment |
| Company Overview | Cultural experience company, led by Abner Mason, focused on partnering with health plans to guide their Medicaid and Medicare Advantage members through personalized wellness journeys that encourage dignity, autonomy, and companionship. | Obran Cooperative is a worker-owned conglomerate that seeks to enhance lives, improve social determinants of health, and build wealth through employee ownership. Obran Health, a subsidiary of Obran Cooperative, is building the first worker-owned, home-based healthcare system, and does this by acquiring and transforming businesses in the home-based and ambulatory settings |
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| Meet our Investees | Q&A With SameSky Health CEO Abner Mason | Read more about Obran’s transformative approach to support coops and health equity |
Ready to Answer Your Questions
Meet Our Impact Investments Team
Our diverse and dedicated team brings decades of experience helping to grow mission-aligned companies with expertise in managing a variety of investment instruments.
Yrenilsa Lopez, CFA
Managing Director
Experience: 14 years of experience in impact and sustainable investing, expertise in private equity and mezzanine instruments across sectors
Education: Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University; MPA from Cornell University; CFA Charterholder
Elisabeth Chasia
Investment Director
Experience: 12-year track record in the impact sector with a focus on mezzanine debt and small businesses in disinvested environments
Education: BA from Cornell University; Master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University; MBA from Columbia University
Swetha Krishnakumar
Investment Director
Experience: 9-year track record in impact investing with a focus on preferred equity and mezzanine debt across multiple sectors
Education: BA from the Georgia Institute of Technology; MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Wendy Xiong, CFA
Investment Associate
Experience: 8-year track record in asset management with a focus on equity, fixed-income investment, and fund management
Education: BA from Wuhan University; Master’s degree in Finance from EDHEC (France) Business School.
Sahil Patel
Investment Analyst
Experience: 3 years of experience in business valuation and M&A advisory, with a background in social entrepreneurship
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance & Accounting from the University of Illinois
Noah Asghedom, CFA
Investment Analyst
Experience: 7 years of experience in consulting and investments, focusing on strategy, investment and portfolio management
Education: Bachelor’s degrees in Finance and Accounting from Penn State University; CFA Charterholder
Yi Wei
Senior Director,
Capital Deployment Initiatives
Experience: 12-year track record of helping social enterprises scale with a focus on investor relations and fund structures
Education: BA from Harvard University; MBA from the University of Chicago
Bill Coyle
Capital Deployment Analyst
Experience: 3 years of Big Four experience, two and half years of investment experience, fundraising, and financial analysis
Education: Bachelor’s degree in economics from Boston College; MBA from Georgetown University
