“When we're thinking about regenerative capital, we're combining what philanthropy did, but we're also looking to grow that philanthropic pool, so we can do more. That's where we start building a better world for us all.” -David Cooper
“Fundraising is the hardest part of entrepreneurship. If they have the capital sooner, they would be executing because entrepreneurs, by and large, are doers.” -Maggie Spicer
“When it comes to social enterprise investing, raising awareness among investors and entrepreneurs is essential. Impact investing is a general investment strategy that seeks to generate financial returns while also creating a positive social or environmental impact. Investors who follow impact investing consider a company's commitment to corporate social responsibility or the duty to positively serve society as a whole. The bulk of impact investing is done by institutional investors, including hedge funds, private foundations, banks, pension funds, and fund managers. Yet, a range of financial service companies, investment platforms and investor networks now offer individuals an opportunity to participate.” (Chen, J. 2021 “Impact Investing.” Investopedia. Retrieved Jun 20 2021, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/impact-investing.asp)
In this episode, Justine talks with David Cooper, Senior Partner and Donor Advisor of DAF Capital and Maggie Spicer, Partner and COO, DAF Capital. Donor-Advised Funds (DAF) are one form of investment vehicle. David and Maggie explain impact investments and charitable capital investments through Donor-Advised Funds. Since the pandemic, DAF Capital along with 86Fund raised $120,000 to help 119 businesses. The 86Fund is a 501c3-sponsored, DAF-backed philanthropic venture fund that provided grants to U.S.-based restaurants and restaurant-adjacent small businesses (farmers, wine + beer makers, bakers, fishermen/women, etc.) impacted by the global pandemic and/or climate change. In this episode, David and Maggie also talk about frameworks that have the same goals such as Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG); Sustainable Development Goals (SDG); and Justice, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI-nope, not the Star Wars movie!). These and other similar frameworks are promising and POSSIBLE.
Connect with David Cooper:
David serves as DAF Capital’s Senior Partner specializing in the details of unlocking DAF capital. He has 20+ years of experience directing the acquisition, financing, ownership, and disposition of early-stage companies. He brings deep knowledge of equity transactions including due diligence, structuring, closing, and operational management. He and his associates make investments that match risk with returns and reconnect investors with the performance of the companies they invest in, selecting companies in need of financing that make a positive impact in the world—without sacrificing returns. And he has the track record to prove it.
David is a managing member of his family’s clean technology fund West Coast CleanTech (WCTT), founded on the belief that the confluence of economic, social, and environmental factors driving rapid technological change in green technologies offers positive investment opportunities. David is a board member of the Baja Coastal Institute, a nonprofit organization devoted to regional environmental and socioeconomic research throughout Baja, Mexico.
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Connect with Maggie Spicer:
Maggie serves as a Partner at DAF Capital to enable and inspire more people to use their Donor-Advised Funds in different ways than they would traditionally think.
She’s spent her career starting and building innovative companies, typically as a hybrid CEO/COO/CCO. She is the founder and Chief Operating Officer of WHISK, the brand strategy & kinesthetic experience agency trusted by Airbnb, Twitch, IDEO, Levi Strauss & Co., Github, Square, Salesforce, Tesco, Zendesk, and many others.
In tandem to WHISK, Maggie has launched six businesses in the last decade including 86Fund, a $12M DAF fund to aid SF Bay Area restaurants experiencing economic hardship. She serves on the Board of Directors for 18Reasons, a member of the Bi-Rite Market family.
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Connect with DAF Capital:
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Connect with 86 Fund:
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Connect with Justine:
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Connect with NextGenChef:
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Episode Highlights:
01:37 Impact Advising and Investing
07:39 The Environment, Social, and Governance Framework
12:43 How to Address the Gap in the Food System
18:13 Invest in Healthy Soil!
21:01 How Everything is Interrelated
26:25 It’s a Win-Win!
29:56 Why Support Impact Entrepreneurs
36:27 Get Folks ON the Land
41:09 Think About Healthy Ecosystems
