ICYMI, the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) Cleantech Debt Fund recently invested in Boxes 🎁 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗗𝗢 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗜 𝗖𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗛 𝗗𝗘𝗕𝗧 𝗙𝗨𝗡𝗗 𝗜𝗡𝗩𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗 💰 Started in Uruguay, Boxes Interactive provides a blended digital and retail experience for brands and consumers. Their “Boxes” are self-service retail devices in high-traffic areas such as bathrooms, stadiums, and college campuses. Through the Boxes, retail brands offer alternatives to single-use plastics with biodegradable and sustainable products while providing consumers easy access to products either as a point-of-sale transaction or as digital referrals for coupons and subscription services. Boxes has developed a retail platform designed to enhance sustainable shopping experiences, engaging customers with free samples, interactive surveys, discount coupons, and offering a way for shoppers to provide post-trial product reviews. The company earns revenue through subscription fees paid by retail brands to use its Boxes as software-as-a-service, and through commissions on products sold through their machines. After initial success in Uruguay operating 70 devices with customers such as SC Johnson, Unilever, and Kimberly Clark, the company was selected for the Techstars accelerator program and launched operations in the U.S. Boxes came to the LACI Cleantech Debt Fund through the Greentown Labs accelerator and has since received early-stage SAFE, convertible note, and grant funding from Techstars, Google, and other early venture firms. The company has also been accepted into the Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs (TVL) Accelerator at the University of Texas. Managed by Mission Driven Finance™, the LACI Cleantech Debt Fund invests in companies working on solving challenges related to climate change. Capital from the fund will allow Boxes to build 20 additional units to be installed at premium locations. #cleantech #impactinvesting #socialimpact #sustainableshopping #inclusiveeconomy
Mission Driven Finance™
Financial Services
San Diego, California 5,068 followers
Private impact investment firm working to close capital gaps in order to close opportunity gaps.
About us
Mission Driven Finance™ is a private impact asset management firm dedicated to building a financial system that ensures good businesses have access to sufficient, affordable capital. Built from the ground up with a single purpose—to make it easy to invest in your community—we actively develop impact investment products to close financial gaps that close opportunity gaps. Mission Driven Finance was launched in 2016 in San Diego, CA and is a Certified B Corporation. missiondrivenfinance.com
- Website
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https://bit.ly/m/MissionDrivenFinance
External link for Mission Driven Finance™
- Industry
- Financial Services
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- San Diego, California
- Type
- Privately Held
- Founded
- 2016
- Specialties
- Impact Investing, fund manager, custom financial solutions, small business loans, nonprofit loans, impact-based financing, community finance, early care & education, place-based investing, environmental justice, cooperatives, worker ownership, talent pipeline, inclusive economy, care real estate, employee ownership, BIPOC entrepreneurs, women-owned, and Indigenous-owned
Locations
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Primary
San Diego, California 92110, US
Employees at Mission Driven Finance™
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Louie Nguyen, CFA
Chief Investment Officer | Impact Investor | Board Trustee | Founder | Affordable Housing Advocate | Mentor | Keynote Speaker
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Sarah Toce
Passionate about early education and care systems change
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Wilda Wong
Marketer by Day, Mindfulness Teacher By Night
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Bhairvee Shavdia
Managing Director at SBJ Capital, Job Quality Fellow at the Aspen Institute
Updates
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This week, champions of small businesses and nonprofits joined our first info session on 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗠𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗰𝗼, a new loan program designed to flow capital to entrepreneurs from underserved communities. If you know impact-minded small business owners or nonprofit leaders in New Mexico seeking growth capital, we would love to meet you and see how we can support the organizations doing good in your community. Invite other champions and join us for the next info session on 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟱 𝗮𝘁 𝟯 𝗽.𝗺. 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 to learn more about Advance New Mexico 👉 https://lnkd.in/gyv5RX8C 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗠𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗰𝗼 👉 https://lnkd.in/g8Pmvw5N #smallbusiness #smallbizloans #nonprofitloans #newmexicosmallbiz #newmexicosmallbusinesses #nonprofitfunding #impactloans #impactcapital #socialimpact
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We are thrilled to share that Care Access Real Estate (CARE) is entering an exciting period of growth thanks to equity PRI investments from the Annie E. Casey Foundation (and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, two incredible leaders in early care. 📈 On June 27, Lisa Hamilton, President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, dedicated some of her time on stage at the inaugural National Child Care Innovation Summit to spotlight the foundation’s investment in CARE, calling it “innovative capital to explore new solutions.” “Affordable real estate is a big hurdle for many of these home-based providers,” Lisa remarked. “[T]hrough this investment, through our endowments, we are able to provide seed capital [for CARE to] purchase homes, actually do the renovations that are often required so they can meet licensing tests and help them be prepared to open, so over time, they can lease to own these properties that we’ve helped catalyze [investments] in.” This was an incredible win for CARE, which just days earlier celebrated the one-year anniversary of our first property acquisition. I was grateful to be invited to represent CARE at this event presented by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, where leaders from across sectors and the nation aligned on the need to invest more and more strategically in America’s child care sector. At the summit, it was affirming to hear every speaker aligned with our core motivation: Child care is an essential service; America needs more quality early childhood education to generate long-lasting human development benefits for children and also keep parents in the workforce during critical skill- and career-building years. Of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s PRI investment, Senior Program Officer Jon-Paul B. said, "We are proud to make this anchor investment in CARE, which will help immediately purchase more properties for child care providers—supporting both their economic viability and the expansion of child care for families. We are hopeful that it will also catalyze others to make an investment in this important, innovative, and impactful fund.” CARE creates an investable vehicle so that partners like the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and more can help grow the child care sector in a socially just, impact-forward, asset-secured way. These investments are truly catalytic for CARE, and we are already hard at work purchasing more soon-to-be child care homes.
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Congratulations to San Diego-based Rise Up Industries for winning an award from the Impact Prize, a $1 million award split with three other winning nonprofit organizations. Rise Up Industries is a portfolio company in our San Diego County COVID-19 Small Business & Nonprofit Loan Program (nonprofit loan pool) that offers free job training and work ethic development through social enterprises to people who are formerly incarcerated and/or involved in gangs. The Impact Prize is supported by entrepreneur and philanthropist Thomas Iovino and the Iovino Family Foundation, managed in partnership with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. #socialimpact #impactprize #communityfinance #workforcedevelopment #workdev #technicaltraining
We are so excited to announce the winners and finalists for the 2024 Impact Prize! In its inaugural year, the Impact Prize focused on recognizing nonprofit programs with proven outcomes leading to high-value employment for people from diverse backgrounds. Meet our 2024 Impact Prize Winners: • Lost Angels Career Center • Rebuilding Exchange • Rise Up Industries • West Virginia Women Work, Inc. These four organizations, spanning various sectors and industries, impressed us with their excellence in advancing economic mobility through innovative workforce development and technical training initiatives. We can’t wait to show you more about the incredible impact they are making in their communities. We also want to recognize the following Impact Prize finalists for their outstanding work: BEST Hospitality Training, Grace Institute, Manufacturing Works, The Marcy Lab School, Next Chapter, Revolution Workshop Thank you to Thomas Iovino and the team at Iovino Family Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the Selection Committee, and all applicants for making the first Impact Prize a success! Learn more about the Impact Prize and our 2024 winners and finalists at https://lnkd.in/ewCmMcEP. Read the press release: https://lnkd.in/eV7v_bqk.
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Help us welcome Mireles Landscaping, a new portfolio company in our expanded place-based Advance California strategy. 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗗𝗢 ⛲️ Mireles Landscaping, owned by Jose Roberto Mireles, provides landscape maintenance, irrigation repair, and general business and site maintenance primarily to commercial clients. Before starting his own business in 2018, Roberto worked at two San Diego-based landscaping companies in operations and account manager roles. As of this writing, Mireles Landscaping has 10 full-time employees. Roberto believes it is important to pay his employees above minimum wage, noting that some of them may not find other jobs paying above minimum wage due to language limitations. “Our line of work is not easy,” says Roberto. “We do not go to work at an office; we work outside. Not many people would be able to do this type of work because it requires heart and 𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘴 (“grit”). Our employees are eager to create a better future for their kids. I am so proud of the men I work with. I know people look at us when we are on sites and do not really understand the planning and dedication that go into making properties and the City of San Diego look beautiful.” 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗪𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗩𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗 💰 Referred to Mission Driven Finance™ by our friends at Accessity, Roberto sought capital to scale due to an influx of referrals and new work. Funding from Advance California will help cover planned expenses such as work trucks, heavy-duty equipment, landscaping materials, and overhead costs like payroll, insurance, and bookkeeping services. Mission Driven Finance is proud to support a Latino-owned small business ready to scale. Community Reinvestment Fund, USA, a partner in our new Advance California loan program, participated in this investment. #impactinvesting #socialimpact #workforce #inclusiveeconomy #placebasedinvesting
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Do you know small business owners or nonprofit leaders in New Mexico who are impact-minded and seek growth capital? We would love to meet you and see how we can support the organizations doing good in your community. Join us for one of the following info sessions to learn more about 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗠𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗰𝗼: 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟯𝟬, 𝟯 𝗽.𝗺. 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 👉 https://lnkd.in/ggYfbDwZ 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟱 𝗮𝘁 𝟯 𝗽.𝗺. 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 👉 https://lnkd.in/gyv5RX8C 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗠𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗰𝗼 👉 https://lnkd.in/g8Pmvw5N #smallbusiness #smallbizloans #newmexicosmallbusinesses #nonprofitfunding #impactloans #impactcapital #socialimpact
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We are excited to share an ecosystem win 🎉 In the fall of 2023, Care Access Real Estate (CARE) learned that the City of Las Vegas’ zoning regulations required a minimum lot size of 6,500 sq ft to operate group child care, regardless of the property meeting Nevada’s state child care licensing standards for square footage. This restriction precluded child care programs serving more than six children (AKA “Group Child Care”) at this and many other properties in the city. CARE, in partnership with child care ecosystem partners, brought the inconsistency to the attention of the City of Las Vegas and sought a change in regulation that would remove this unnecessary barrier for all child care programs seeking to operate in the city. Last week, the Las Vegas City Council passed a measure to amend the code so that this lot size requirement may be waived with special use permit approval for child care! We are grateful to the City of Las Vegas for amending this code so that more child care opportunities and services can be readily available. The Children's Cabinet Nevada Department of Health and Human Services Division of Welfare and Supportive Services Las Vegas Urban League Wonderschool Access Community Capital #childcare #childcarerealestate #groupchildcare #lasvegas #zoningwaivers #careaccessrealestate #childcareREIT #LVCouncil #LasVegasCityCouncil
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Meet new Advance California portfolio company Just Fare! ✨ 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗗𝗢 🍴 Embodying its motto of “Tastes good. Does good,” Oakland, CA-based catering company Just Fare is dedicated to creating a positive impact for its workforce, the planet, and the community—by paying living wages, intentionally sourcing local and organic products, and purchasing from women- and BIPOC-owned businesses. Just Fare’s office catering business booked millions in revenue before the pandemic. However, as offices closed, Just Fare pivoted to launch a community kitchen with a loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program. In efforts to advance greater food equity in the Bay Area, the kitchen partnered with over 40 local community-based organizations to distribute over 445,000 meals to people in the East Bay. In 2022, Just Fare relaunched its workplace catering, and along with its event catering business, their revenue exceeded pre-pandemic levels in 2023. Since 2022, Just Fare has been led by CEO Bronwen Sterling after Co-founder and former CEO Gabriel Cole stepped down. Bronwen found her way to sustainable agriculture and food after a music career working on platinum records with the likes of Lil Jon, Pitbull, and Ying Yang Twins. She went on to earn an “esoteric” master’s degree from the University of Gastronomic Sciences - Pollenzo in Italy. “My transition from music to food was mainly due to the community and people aspect,” shares Bronwen. “I loved hosting dinner parties and fundraisers. Food brings people together.” The human aspect of the food service industry is now one of Bronwen’s main focuses at Just Fare, having spent an early part of her career in food pushing for improvements in the agricultural supply chain. 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗪𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗩𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗 💰 Just Fare sought funding for working capital, refinancing, and marketing/growth capital for its rebranded events arm and new online ordering system. Advance California, the statewide expansion of our Advance Strategy outside of San Diego, provided capital for Just Fare’s next stage of growth. #impactinvesting #placebasedinvesting #socialimpact #workforce #communityimpact #socialfinance #communityfinance
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Thank you Multifamily Impact Council and Rachel Mavrothalasitis for inviting us to speak at the Information Management Network (IMN) ESG & Decarbonizing Real Estate Forum (Summer). Our Co-founder & Chief Community Officer Lauren Grattan talked about Care Access Real Estate (CARE) in front of other real estate practitioners as part of the Spotlight Series: “Addressing the “S” in ESG.” We are grateful to connect with champions of this work. ✨ Thank you to co-panelists Alan Sneider with Primestor Development, David Repka with Bison Financial Group LLC, and Zachary Flora with Center for Active Design. #childcare #childcarerealestate #realestateinvestmenttrust #REIT #childcareREIT #commercialrealestate #socialimpact #impactinvesting #ESG #IMNevents #sustainability #affordablehousing #housing #intergenerationalwealth
What an incredible event! It was such a pleasure connecting with all our great friends, partners, and like-minded peers at the Information Management Network (IMN) ESG & Decarbonizing Real Estate Forum last week in Dana Point, #California. Both Bob Simpson and Rachel Mavrothalasitis moderated lively panel discussions covering “Building a Successful ESG Annual Report”, “The Social and Financial Benefits of #AffordableHousing”, and “Addressing the ‘S’ in #ESG”. Each conversation offered immeasurable value with distinct perspectives and respected insights. A special thank you to the MIC Members who attended and participated in panel discussions. Here are a few highlights from the event with: Topaz Simply, GI Partners Emily Pollard, CAIA, BKM Capital Partners Isela R., Bridge Investment Group Mark Rothman, AIA, DBIA, LEED AP, HENSEL PHELPS Thomas S., Stoneweg US, LLC Amanda Nunnink. Kayne Anderson Randall Loker. Paladin Realty Partners, LLC Dan Magder, Center Creek Capital Group George M. Saad, The BLVD Group Wesley Wilson, Avanath Capital Management, LLC Alan Sneider, Primestor Development David Repka, Bison Financial Group Zachary Flora, Center for Active Design Lauren Grattan, Mission Driven Finance™ Ariel Yarrish, Esusu Lizzie Adams, Goldman Sachs Russell Ginise, Walker & Dunlop Hanna Kokuashvili, The Smart Agency, Inc. We are so grateful to contribute to meaningful conversations like these. Thank you #IMNEvents for another fantastic conference! #CommecialRealEstate #ImpactInvesting #ImpactReporting #ImpactCapital #Sustainability #Leadership #Environment
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Meet Stratia Skincare, a new portfolio company in our expanded place-based Advance California strategy. ✨ 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗗𝗢 🧴 Founded by Alli Reed in 2016, Los Angeles-based Stratia Skincare focuses on creating “obsessively researched” skincare products using science-backed ingredients and formulations. The company is named after the “stratum” prefix in the Latin scientific names for the five layers of the epidermis, the outermost layer of our skin. “Stratum” itself means a layer of something. As the name origin suggests, Alli has a science background. A former chemistry student, Alli didn’t experiment with her own skincare and makeup routine until her 20s. “I was a tomboy growing up,” she said. After a brief career in other fields, Alli became interested in “how skin works biologically, how skincare is formulated, and the interaction between the two.” Alli’s experimentation with skincare is quite literal; she started creating formulas in her kitchen. “I set up a little mobile chem lab and started reverse engineering my favorite skincare products, the way you might take a radio apart and put it back together and see how it works,” Alli shared. “The formulas worked really well for me, and they worked really well for anyone I shared it with. So I decided to launch a Shopify store on the side.” After spending eight hours at her full-time job, Alli would come home and spend another eight fulfilling Shopify orders, eventually realizing it was time to quit the day job. 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗪𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗩𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗 💰 Prior to Stratia, Alli had never run a company or worked in the beauty industry, so it’s understandable she calls her journey into entrepreneurship “so scary” and “like jumping off a cliff.” She did, however, find early fans. Stratia became viral organically, relying on word of mouth on Reddit and Instagram rather than paid advertising in its first three years. For those looking to launch their passion project into a full-time gig, Alli shared, “Don’t be afraid to build your network and ask for help. I had to reinvent the wheel unnecessarily so many times.” Alli’s network now includes Elliot Begoun of The Intertwine Group (TIG Brands), who referred her to Mission Driven Finance™. Capital from the place-based Advance California loan fund is meant to cover working capital such as payroll, cost of raw goods, and packaging, and to refinance more expensive debt. As of this writing, the company’s workforce is majority women and BIPOC. The company pays above minimum wage and offers employees an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), fully paid health insurance, 401(k) contributions, and 12-week parental leave. Community Reinvestment Fund, USA, a partner in our new Advance California loan program, participated in this investment. #impactinvesting #placebasedinvesting #socialimpact #workforceimpact #inclusiveeconomy
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