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Locavesting

Locavesting Logo Locavesting.com - A book, a movement... now a media site! News, analysis and resources focused on the intersection of community + financial innovation. Founded by Amy Cortese. @Locavesting


home-compass-croppedVisit the Invest With Values - Resource Directory to discover resources, information and organizations that will help you align your money and values.

New Crowdfunding Portal SBMX Offers Small Business Bonds

August 14, 2019 By Locavesting

At Locavesting, we’ve always thought the best use of Regulation Crowdfunding was helping individuals invest in local businesses. Rather than buying stock (or SAFEs) in speculative tech startups, we believed that lending money to established small businesses would become a mainstream option. Lately, that’s looking more likely, as new funding platforms emerge that cater to […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Industry Group Calls for Changes to Regulation Crowdfunding

July 16, 2019 By Locavesting

Three years after Regulation Crowdfunding went into effect, advocates continue to call for improvements to the law, which made it easier for small companies to raise money from ordinary investors. The latest call for action came in June in the form of policy recommendations outlined by the Association of Online Investment Platforms (AOIP), a group […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Celebrating the Creative Force Behind Impact Investing: Lawyers

July 10, 2019 By Locavesting

The concepts of local and impact investing are easy for most people to embrace: what’s not to like about investing in places you love and businesses who are doing good in the world? But the methods of doing so require specialized knowledge of securities laws. That’s why lawyers may be the unsung heroes of impact […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Low Income Co-Living Offers a Solution to the Affordable Housing Crisis

June 11, 2019 By Locavesting

Call it a co-op for renters, or boarding house 2.0. Startup PadSplit, based in Atlanta, has a novel approach to solving the affordable housing crisis: shared homes, with private bedrooms for residents (or members, as they’re called), fixed utility costs and a business model that makes it all profitable for property owners. While many co-living startups […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing

Regulation Crowdfunding Turns Three!

May 22, 2019 By Locavesting

Regulation Crowdfunding, the law that ushered in mainstream crowdinvesting, turns three today. And while it might not be growing by audacious leaps and bounds, it’s not a slacker, by any means. Regulation Crowdfunding, a centerpiece of the 2012 JOBS Act also known as Title III, allows small businesses and startups to raise up to $1.07 […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Impact Investors are not Funding the Patagonias of Tomorrow—and That’s a Problem

January 30, 2019 By Locavesting

The impact investing community does not always agree on everything. But ask any impact investor who the figureheads of the environmental movement that they look to for guidance are, and they’re likely to answer “Patagonia,” without skipping a beat. Patagonia is a global apparel brand with roughly $1 billion in annual revenue and considerable environmental street […]

Filed Under: -Impact Investing

Why Low Minimum Funding Targets Hurt Investment Crowdfunding

January 15, 2019 By Locavesting

Many businesses raising money under Title III of the JOBS Act are setting “target amounts” as low as $10,000. I understand the motivation, but I’d urge issuers and the platforms to think twice. Background In Title III Crowdfunding (also known as “Regulation Crowdfunding” or “Regulation CF” or simply “Reg CF”), the business (known as the […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

The Year in Community Capital: Coops, Crowdfunding and Other Coups

January 10, 2019 By Locavesting

It’s been a head-spinning year. But amid the chaos, a lot of good progress was made in the community capital field.  Here are some of the top stories of 2018: 1. Coops Rising The United Nations designated 2012 the International Year of Cooperatives, but we would argue 2018 was the year that cooperatives really began to […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Venture Capitalists Wear No Clothes (and Why Revenue Models Beat 10x Exits)

November 12, 2018 By Locavesting

From his perch as founder of Fledge, a network of social impact accelerators, Luni Libes has claimed the role of industry provocateur, critiquing the prevailing Silicon Valley model of investment and agitating for more aligned funding models. In particular, he’s an advocate for revenue-based funding, whether via loans or redeemable equity, where startups buy back their […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

With Acquisition, A New Chapter for Vermont’s Milk Money

October 29, 2018 By Locavesting

Milk Money, a Vermont-only crowd investing portal, has been acquired, signaling a new phase for the platform—and perhaps the intrastate crowdfunding market as well. The two-year old intrastate crowdfunding platform’s new owner is the Vermont Innovation Commons, a regional innovation hub in Burlington combining a startup accelerator, co-working space and residential units under one roof. The […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Program for Diverse Founders Targets Lack of Friends and Family Funding

October 16, 2018 By Locavesting

Most startups fund their earliest days with money from friends and family, as well as angel investors. But what if your friends and family are not wealthy—and, in fact, are more on the struggling side of the equation? That’s the stark reality for many entrepreneurs, especially those from diverse backgrounds. The average white household has […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Buy The Block Empowers Black Communities to Invest in Themselves

October 3, 2018 By Locavesting

In this age of wealth inequality, runaway development and gentrification, it’s easy for communities to feel powerless in the face of rapid change. Lynn Smith founded Buy The Block, a real estate crowdfunding portal and the first portal that is African American-owned, to help change that dynamic. Smith (pictured above) has invested in real estate since […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

How One Solar Company Transitioned to Worker Ownership

October 1, 2018 By Locavesting

Solar Company Powers Up With Employee-Ownership Program Inclusive Economy Challenge Served as Framework for Business Restructuring What is it with solar companies? They seem to be among the leaders in sharing ownership with workers—see Namaste Solar, South Mountain Company, and PV Squared, for example. The latest convert is Technicians for Sustainability (TFS), a Tucson-based solar energy installation company and […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, Beyond Investing

Women-Owned Businesses Surge, Led by Black and Latina Owners

September 25, 2018 By Locavesting

Women are creating more businesses than their male counterparts, and African American and Latina women are driving that trend. However, women, especially non-white women, still lag in  revenue and job creation. Those are some of the top line findings from the 2018 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, an annual report commissioned by American Express and prepared […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Noted Community Capital Lawyers Launch Crowdfund Mainstreet

August 28, 2018 By Locavesting

With more than 40 approved funding portals for Regulation Crowdfunding, the launch of a new portal might elicit a yawn. But Crowdfund Mainstreet, which debuts on Friday, has a unique pedigree—and a mission to match. The Oakland, CA-based portal is the creation of a pair of lawyers-Jenny Kassan and Michelle Thimesch-who have been on the front […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing

Is JOBS Act 3.0 About to Become Reality?

July 24, 2018 By Locavesting

Investment crowdfunding may finally get the fixes that advocates have long called for. On Wednesday, a sweeping collection of bipartisan bills known collectively as the JOBS Act 3.0 passed the House of Representatives with broad support. The package now moves to the Senate. Sponsored by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) and Ranking […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

It’s About to Become Easier to Choose a Socially Responsible Investment Advisor

July 11, 2018 By Locavesting

Starting this fall, choosing a financial advisor may become a little easier for people who care about the impact their money is having—thanks to a brand new professional designation for financial advisors that was recently unveiled by the College of Financial Planning, in collaboration with the US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment. Called the Chartered […]

Filed Under: -Sustainable-Responsible Investing

Real Pickles: Anatomy of a Successful DPO

July 3, 2018 By Locavesting

Long before the JOBS Act and state-specific laws legalized investment crowdfunding, there was the direct public offering, or DPO, a sort of do-it-yourself IPO. Kassandra Mayhew of Cutting Edge Capital recently talked to Real Pickles cofounder Addie Rose Holland (pictured at left) about how a DPO helped the Greenfield, MA company transition to a worker-owned cooperative and preserve its […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Four Recent Reports Shed Light on the State of Impact Investing

June 27, 2018 By Locavesting

Having trouble keeping up with the latest developments in the world of impact investing? Allow us to help. We dove into the weeds of four of the field’s most notable recent studies, extracting the most interesting findings for you. Some of the key themes involve the mainstreaming of impact investing, the vital role that women […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Is Your Financial Advisor ‘Best for the World’?

June 20, 2018 By Locavesting

Impact investing is going mainstream. But while you may rest easier knowing that your nest egg is making a positive contribution to society (as well as your financial position), what about the financial intermediaries in your life? Every year, B Lab publishes a list of “Best for the World” B Corps—those that rank in the top 10% […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing, -Sustainable-Responsible Investing, Featured

Debt-based Crowdfunding Is Quietly Generating Investor Returns

June 5, 2018 By Locavesting

Crowdfunding success is often measured by the number of campaigns meeting their funding targets and the dollars raised. But what about the investor side of the equation? It’s still very early, and there are no industry-wide performance metrics that measure investor returns. But there are inklings. Some investment crowdfunding portals have lately taken to reporting […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Obvious Ventures: Investing in Solutions for People and Planet

May 29, 2018 By Locavesting

Entrepreneurs are often lauded as “disruptors” in their fields. But what about funders? Early stage venture capital firm Obvious Ventures is betting on a way of investing that disrupts the process at its core. The Silicon Valley-based firm makes investments in what it calls “world positive” companies, or “startups that create new solutions to big world problems in […]

Filed Under: -Impact Investing

For Regulation Crowdfunding, a Glass Half Full

May 17, 2018 By Locavesting

Two years ago today, Regulation Crowdfunding went into effect with a promise to transform the investment landscape for entrepreneurs as well as investors. So how’s it working out? In the first two years, 910 businesses have used the Regulation Crowdfunding exemption (aka Title III of the JOBS Act) which allows them to raise up to […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Regulation Crowdfunding’s Investor Limits Are The Real Problem

May 8, 2018 By Locavesting

Since the JOBS Act was signed by President Obama in 2012, advocates have been urging Congress to increase the overall limit of $1 million (now $1.07 million, after adjustment for inflation) to $5 million for offerings under Title III (aka Regulation Crowdfunding). But for many issuers, the overall limit is less important than the per-investor […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing

7 Steps to Creating a Sustainability Transition Movement in Your Community

April 23, 2018 By Locavesting

In 2005, I was just an ordinary, low-profile guy in my thirties living in the town of Totnes, England. Like many of us, I worried about the crises endangering humanity—the rampant exploitation of natural resources, the frenetic and dehumanizing quest for profit, exclusion and widening of inequalities. It disturbed me profoundly, for example, that of […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, Beyond Investing

A Hawaiian B Corp. Expands With the Help of Small Investors

April 17, 2018 By Locavesting

It was concern for Hawaii’s environment, economy and farming system that inspired Brett Jacobson to launch Hawaiian Ola, a maker of healthy beverages, in 2012. Jacobson, a farmer who previously ran a biofuel company, wanted to start a business that could help Hawaii’s struggling farmers—the average farmer in makes about $15,000 a year, according to the […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

A New Credit Union in Maine Will Fund Sustainable Food and Farms

April 13, 2018 By Locavesting

A new credit union is hoping to fill a funding gap in Maine for small scale, sustainable farming and food production. Called Maine Harvest, the credit union is in a final fundraising push to reach a $2.4 million capitalization, at which point it can apply for a charter. It is expected to open in early 2019. […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing, -Local Banking

A Place-Based Impact Fund Debuts in Ontario

April 4, 2018 By Locavesting

Impact investors are increasingly gravitating to place-based investing. The latest example: a new impact investing fund in Canada that will focus on loans to social and environmental enterprises in Southwestern Ontario. The VERGE Breakthrough Fund, as it is called, also underscores the willingness of impact investors to experiment with new approaches. The fund was created by VERGE […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Crowdfunding, Guerrilla-Style. Lessons From Jolene’s First Cousin.

April 2, 2018 By Locavesting

When Guerrilla Development opened up crowdfunding for its latest project, a two-building mixed-use development called Jolene’s First Cousin, the team figured there would be strong demand. An earlier project, the Fair-Haired Dumbbell (they have a penchant for quirky names to go along with their iconoclastic buildings), raised $1.5 million from 121 investors in eight months, using Regulation A. […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Women Founders Are Benefiting From Crowdfunding, but Where are the Women Investors?

March 12, 2018 By Locavesting

Investment crowdfunding is beginning to fulfill its promise of democratizing investment and access to capital. While women entrepreneurs are still outnumbered by men on most crowdfunding sites, their ranks are steadily growing. At Republic, a Regulation Crowdfunding portal that emphasizes women-owned ventures, 8 out of 13 businesses currently raising capital are women-owned. And on investibule, a platform […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Grameen America Launches New Impact Investing Fund

February 7, 2018 By Locavesting

Microlender Grameen America is upping its game in impact investing. The U.S.-based microfinance organization marked its ten-year anniversary last month by announcing a new $11 million impact investing fund, the first in what it said will be a series of new funds. Called the Social Business Fund, it’s aimed at providing additional money to women entrepreneurs […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Community Foundations Go All-In on Place-Based Investing

January 30, 2018 By Locavesting

Two years ago, Baltimore Community Foundation was working to build race equity into its selection process for investment managers when a question was raised. “We asked, ‘Why are we not considering local impact investing that could specifically address race equity and lack of access to capital for communities that have been shut out of wealth opportunities for […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Regulation Crowdfunding Market Growing at Impressive Clip, Says Report

January 25, 2018 By Locavesting

It’s time for a crowdfunding update. Regulation Crowdfunding closed out its second calendar year, and the folks at Crowdfund Capital Advisors (CCA) analyzed the data recently in a report for the S.E.C. While still in its infancy, the investment crowdfunding market is growing at a fast clip and represents a viable capital-raising alternative for small and mid-sized […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Impact Investing Marketplace ImpactUs Shuts Down

January 22, 2018 By Locavesting

ImpactUs launched last spring with a splash. Hatched out of the CDFI world and funded by heavyweights including the Ford and MacArthur foundations, the impact investment marketplace promised to bring new ease to connecting investors with vetted funds as well as direct investments in social enterprises. Its goal: $1 billion in transactions over five years. But less […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

For Real Estate Lender Groundfloor, It’s Slow and Steady and Open to All

January 17, 2018 By Locavesting

Real estate has been one of the hottest areas of crowdfunding, although most of it is focused on wealthy “accredited” investors who put money into funds, known as REITs. (And let’s face it, accredited investors don’t lack investment options!) Just two platforms allow direct investing by unaccredited investors. One is Pittsburgh-based Small Change, which uses the […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

From Sundial and Unilever, an M&A Trend We’d Like to See More of

January 16, 2018 By Locavesting

It’s been a busy few months for Richelieu Dennis, the founder of Sundial Brands. After selling Sundial, the personal-care products company he founded, to Unilever in late November, he kicked off 2018 by buying Essence, the storied black culture magazine, from Time Inc., returning the magazine to black ownership. “I’m very focused on giving back, investing and growing my community,” […]

Filed Under: -Impact Investing, -Sustainable-Responsible Investing

Is it Time to Finally Change Your Bank?

January 10, 2018 By Locavesting

As the stock market reaches giddy new highs, it’s worth noting that it was just 10 years ago that a mortgage bubble and risky behavior fueled by the nation’s largest banks brought the economy to its knees. That experience—along with a backlash against the high, often unscrupulous fees charged by big banks—prompted many people to […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Local Banking

More Business Are Heeding the Call to be a Force for Good

January 8, 2018 By Locavesting

Climate Change. Inequality. Political dysfunction and divisiveness. These are some of the monumental challenges we face in the year ahead. One encouraging note is that businesses are increasing stepping up and embracing the role of business as a force for good. The most visible sign of this is the B Corp. movement. Since its beginnings […]

Filed Under: -Sustainable-Responsible Investing, Beyond Investing

Entrepreneurs: Looking to Raise Capital in 2018? Do This First.

January 2, 2018 By Locavesting

Tired of bootstrapping and ready to raise money to expand your business this year? Congratulations. That’s the first step toward achieving your dreams. Too many of us, especially women, constrain our business’ potential by scraping by on a tight budget or maxed out credit cards. But before you dive in, it pays to get really […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

In Toronto, a Long-Awaited ‘Social Stock Market’

December 13, 2017 By Locavesting

Social impact investment platforms are cropping up to help connect investors with investment opportunities. The latest, a platform for accredited and unaccredited investors called Social Venture Connection (SVX), recently launched in Toronto. An earlier version of SVX,  introduced four years ago, served accredited investors only. “We really see this as a game changer for impact investing in Canada,” […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing

Why Locally Owned Shops Deserve Our Business the Rest of the Year, Too

November 27, 2017 By Locavesting

Americans are voting with their dollars. Sandwiched between the frenzy-inducing duo of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday has quietly become a force. Last year on Small Business Saturday, an estimated 112 million Americansspent a combined $15.4 billion at independent neighborhood retailers and restaurants, up 13% from 2015. The figures are not in yet […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, Beyond Investing

Transform Finance: Bridging the Worlds of Finance and Social Justice

November 22, 2017 By Locavesting

Impact investment has the potential to transform economies and societies, say its advocates. But the growing field is littered with examples of good intentions gone wrong—often the result of a “top-down” approach. How can impact investors avoid unintended consequences and ensure that their investments are aligned with the goals and needs of the people and […]

Filed Under: -Impact Investing

NYC Will Invest in Local Women Entrepreneurs on Kiva

November 21, 2017 By Locavesting

Women entrepreneurs of New York: your city wants to invest in you. Under a new program, called WE Fund: Crowd, when women entrepreneurs create a crowdfunding campaign on Kiva.org, the city will kick in the first 10% of their goal, up to $1,000. New York City officials hope to support at least 500 women-owned businesses over three […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing

A New Credit Union Will Focus on Clean Energy

November 15, 2017 By Locavesting

Worried about climate change? Want to do more to support the spread of renewable energy? There’s a new credit union designed for people like you. The Clean Energy Credit Union is a new federally chartered credit union with a mission to help speed adoption of renewal energy by making it more broadly affordable. It was founded by […]

Filed Under: -Impact Investing, -Local Banking

Meet Impact America: A ‘Best for the World’ Fund

November 13, 2017 By Locavesting

Every year, B Lab, the nonprofit that certifies B Corps, celebrates “Best for the World” companies—those that score in the top 10% of B Lab’s Impact Assessment. They also analyze investment funds. This year, 28 funds representing $1.3 billion in assets under management made the list of “Best for the World” funds; eight of them US-based. One […]

Filed Under: -Impact Investing

New Products Bring Impact Investing to the Masses

November 8, 2017 By Locavesting

Many individuals would like to know that their investments are doing some good in the world. One recent survey found that 75% of investors were interested in impact investing. But the $114 billion impact investment market has traditionally been the domain of foundations, institutions and wealthy  individuals. That’s changing. “We are at a tipping point,” says Dorrit Lowsen, […]

Filed Under: -Impact Investing

The Local Crowd: Building a Crowdfunding Ecosystem Across Rural America

October 3, 2017 By Locavesting

Laramie, Wyoming may not be the first place you would look for an innovative experiment in digital age economic revitalization. And at first glance, Diane Wolverton and Kim Vincent might not fit the image of change agents. But the pair has been quietly building a crowdfunding ecosystem across rural America that is helping communities lift […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing

Will Chicken Soup for the Soul’s Reg A Inspire?

September 7, 2017 By Locavesting

If you were vacationing in late August, you might have missed a notable milestone in the young annals of crowd investing: the IPO of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, which raised $30 million in four weeks using Regulation A+. Not only is it one of the best known brands and social enterprises to date to […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Is it Time for State-Based Crowdfunding to Shine?

August 14, 2017 By Locavesting

What do Alaska, Florida, Texas and Vermont have in common? They’re among the 34 states that have passed state-based crowdfunding laws. When it comes to crowdinvesting, most of the attention goes to the JOBS Act, the 2012 federal legislation that gave us Regulation Crowdfunding, Regulation A+ and other provisions that make it easier for small companies […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Impact Investing

Innovators Face Challenges in Breaking Down Barriers to Capital for Underserved Entrepreneurs

June 5, 2017 By Locavesting

In just a few short years, MORTAR, a small business incubator in Cincinnati, has made impressive strides in helping longtime residents in fast-gentrifying neighborhoods start businesses and grow in tandem with their neighborhoods’ fortunes. Since 2014, the incubator has expanded from its original location in Over-the-Rhine to include three other Cincinnati neighborhood programs as well […]

Filed Under: -Community Investing

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Disclaimer: The information shared through investwithvalues.com has been provided by Talgra, LLC (“Talgra”). No representation or warranty, expressed or implied is made by Talgra, the sponsors, partners or contributors as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein. The website is for educational and informational purposes only and is subject to change. This does not constitute an offer or a solicitation to purchase or sell any security, and nothing herein should be construed as such. The opinions represented in this directory are those of Talgra and should be considered in conjunction with advice from a professional advisor in the context of your particular investment situation. The specific investments included in this website are examples of investments that can be made in each of the different investment categories and are not recommendations to purchase any individual security or investment vehicle.