Our projects span a continuum of return expectations. For some, we expect a full market-based financial return. We believe in the concept of “impact alpha,” which shows that over the long run, companies and funds with a strong impact focus can not only match the financial returns of their non-impact counterparts, they will exceed them. However, in some cases, such as Glide Community Housing, it is more appropriate to structure the project to just break even. It’s enough to build a model that is self-sustaining without donated dollars.

Finally, in the case of Unitus, we built a non-profit whose mission was to help create an ecosystem and provide the technical assistance necessary to help build for-profit Microfinance organizations to the scale that impact investors would invest and take them to the next level. Everything on this spectrum shares a singular belief: that the capitalist system can and should be harnessed to solve the world’s most pressing problems.

Dev Equity

Dev Equity is currently our flagship project: A venture capital style early stage investment fund with a focus on low incoming housing, sustainable agriculture, and urban revitalization in Latin America. See the companies in the Fund I portfolio, preview how Fund II is progressing so far, and read our annual Impact Reports.

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Dignity Fund

The Dignity Fund was one of the early pioneers in the impact investing field. Started in 2004, The Dignity Fund was one of the first for-profit investment vehicles in the Microfinance industry. It served to pave the way for what has now developed into the impact investing sector that we know today.

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Glide Community Housing

Elizabeth served on the board of directors of Glide Economic Development Corporation and Glide Community Housing for 13 years, most recently as the Chair. In collaboration with Glide Memorial Church, one of San Francisco’s most important provider of services for the homeless and underserved in San Francisco, GECD and GCS constructed and managed a collection of badly needed low-income apartment buildings for the formerly homeless in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district.

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Unitus

Unitus was one of the most substantial and impactful organizations in the early years of the Microfinance industry. Unitus’ role was to work hands-on with a select group of the most promising early leaders in the Microfinance field, helping shape and grow them into some of the world’s most prominent financial institutions for the poor. Elizabeth served on the board of Unitus from 200x to 200x, as vice-chair and later Chairman.

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Align Impact

Align Impact is a joint-venture project between Align, a leading impact advisory firm, and Abacus Wealth Management, an investment management firm for impact-focused investors. This innovative Fund of Funds serves as a way to introduce high net worth individuals to impact investing with a balanced portfolio of carefully curated impact funds.

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Copia Global

Copia is bringing ecommerce to rural African communities. By providing an IPAD-like device to small shop and kiosk owners in small rural villages, Copia now makes it possible for villagers to buy from an enormous selection of products like never before. Think Amazon for rural communities, with the local shop owners participating in the revenue chain.

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YPO Social Enterprise Networks

Elizabeth was one of the founders of the movement to create a social mission within Young President’s Organization. Elizabeth was the Chair of the first fledgling program within YPO that eventually evolved into the Social Enterprise Networks, now a major component of YPO’s purpose and vision.

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Deutsche Bank Microfinance Consortium

Deutsche Bank was was one of the first major financial institutions to turn its attention to impact investing, with the Deutsche Bank Microfinance Consortium, which invested funds in prominent Microfinance institutions to help them expand to help poor entrepreneurs in developing economies.

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Root Capital

Root Capital is a leader in lending to small and medium sized businesses in rural agricultural communities, helping promote sustainable growing practices and dramatically impacting the lives of some of the poorest families in our world.

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FINCA

FINCA is a leader in supporting the Microfinance industry. The FINCA Impact Fund was created to provide investment capital to a select portfolio of FINCA’s most promising microfinance partners.

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