Regional Capital Strategy
To catalyze regional growth by mobilizing blended capital that supports entrepreneurs in building resilient businesses and expanding local prosperity.
The Nation’s First Community Round Match Fund
For 80 years, U.S. securities laws prevented the vast majority of Americans from investing in startups. Retail investors could invest in public companies like Starbucks on Wall Street, but not in their neighborhood coffee shops on Main Street. They could “invest” $10,000 on the spin of a roulette wheel in Vegas or a horse in the Kentucky Derby, but not in their friend’s tech startup. They could “back” a startup on Kickstarter, but they couldn’t own that startup’s equity.
Why Access Ventures Invests in Blockchain
What is blockchain, why should you care about it, and what does it do for you? Access Ventures has utilized multiple ways to create an accessible economy, and we think blockchain will be a catalyst for this.
Rebuilding Neighborhood Economics
This study is designed to show how investing in low-income neighborhoods that are in paths of growth can benefit community residents, investors, and the diverse funders involved. It is an exploration of Access Ventures’ work thus far in Shelby Park, a small city neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky.
Moonshot with the Kauffman Foundation
At each phase of the process, ideas were refined and those with highest-potential were put to a group deliberation; finally a participatory budgeting process identified solutions with the greatest evidence of promise. This report is a compilation of those ideas. These are not fully baked out or endorsed by the Kauffman Foundation, nor the participants. However, in keeping with the structure of the workshop, we desired to develop ideas that were practical and potentially viable.
Expanding Capital Solutions for Founders
The impact of entrepreneurs on our communities and economies cannot be overstated. The crux of the issue is whether or not new startups will be able to get off the ground—which requires capital. To be able to lean into the possibilities of diverse entrepreneurial activity, we must creatively innovate our approach to every point in the startup journey, beginning with funding.
Playbook to Launching a Kiva Community
Every community is a team. And every team needs a leader: someone who can cast a vision and create opportunities for that vision to be realized. ‘Building a Kiva Community’ is a playbook for leaders who desire to drive social change and create economic impact.
One-Pocket Whitepaper
The core idea of one-pocket investing is that it reflects deep values through financial choices. It goes beyond seeing money simply as a tool, portraying it instead as a deep expression of who someone is at their core. This approach ensures that all investments align with the investor's fundamental beliefs, showing that their financial actions are a true representation of their values.
Growth Loan Playbook
This playbook is an open-sourced culmination of the steps we took and lessons we learned in building a community-first, character lending process. We designed the Growth Loan as part of a larger strategy to make our local economy more accessible to all.
The First Dollar Initiative
The first dollar is often the most critical step toward a founder’s success. Our mission is to bridge the racial wealth gap and support entrepreneurs of color in accessing the early-stage funding they need to turn their visions into reality.
Reconstruct Challenge Playbook
Faulty systems have contributed to the exclusion of a significant portion of the US population from our economy. From employment and criminal justice to our housing infrastructure and healthcare, systemic flaws perpetuate inequality and hinder upward mobility. This playbook outlines our decision-making and lessons learned as we developed the Reconstruct Challenge with venture philanthropy principles in mind.