As we move into this new year, we’re taking this newsletter issue to celebrate a few Incite portfolio founders who are building delightful products or services and making the world a better place –at the same time. Doing well and doing good are not mutually exclusive, and they should happen in tandem. Meet some of our favorite leaders who put this theory into action every day.
Whether it’s training and educating the next generation of political campaign staffers, tenaciously fundraising from values-aligned investors during a pandemic or using your voice to create new advanced energy jobs – there’s so much good work to be done in 2021. We’re eager to build with you, and find better ways to build movements and companies.
We founded Incite because we wanted to give more good people who are making world positive change a seat at the table. If there’s an entrepreneur we should know, we want to meet them. Drop us a line at ventures@incite.org or labs@incite.org.
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By Swati Mylavarpu and Sonal Shah
As we soak up last week’s deep historical significance and the incredible promise of President Biden and Vice President Harris being sworn in, it’s worth taking stock of where we are and how much work is left to do.
We have so much to celebrate on January 20th from defeating President Trump and his impossible corrupt cadre of advisors and turning Georgia blue (thank you, Stacey!) to knowing that the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine is critical and time is of the essence. But we’d be kidding ourselves if we spend 2021 just taking victory laps. We’ve got a democracy to rebuild…KEEP READING.
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“Tech has gotten by for a very long time without regulation or without any major regulation. Every other industry has a 3-letter acronym regulating body. It’s important to have that check.” - Matt Rogers on political campaign fundraising.
“We should care more about values than valuation.” - Swati Mylavarapu on why and how we invest at Incite.org
Swati Mylavarapu and Matt Rogers join The Realignment to discuss Silicon Valley after Trump, campaign finance reform, the future of the Democratic Party, and the challenge of fixing broken systems when one benefits from the status quo. Listen to their lively, thought-provoking conversation HERE!
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Plastic-free grocery-delivery startup Zero is gearing up to launch in Los Angeles on February 10, after solely operating in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“We aim to be and we will be the largest sustainability platform in this country,” founder Zuleyka Strasner said. “So whatever you need and desire — food, homewares or otherwise, certainly plastic-free but also just sustainable in general — you would come to us. Zero really is a movement beyond just food...”
KEEP READING about this awesome update from our portfolio company! We couldn't be more excited that ZeroGrocery is expanding to our neighbors in LA.
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The Span Smart Panel is your bridge to clean energy. Span replaces the traditional electrical panel in your home with powerful smart technology that lets you manage your home energy and circuits from anywhere. The Span Smart Panel is purpose-built for clean energy upgrades like solar, batteries, and EV charging.
Founder Arch Rao sees the Alexa integration as a way for Span to become the home automation hub that tech companies have been promising for a long time.
“There are far too many devices in the home today… with too many apps,” Rao said. “The advantage we have is, once installed, we’re persistent in the home and connected to everything electric in the home for the next 30 to 40 years...”
Read about Span’s newest integration with Alexa HERE!
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The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for employees and businesses alike.
A new study from our portfolio non-profit, PL+US, together with Promundo and Parental Leave Corporate Task Force (PLCTF),found that gender-equitable paid leave policies and practices are some of the most effective ways to stem the tide of women leaving the workforce in record numbers due to COVID-19.
Read the full report HERE.
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There is no silver bullet to solving the climate crisis, but the team at Moonshot Snacks knows two things to be true:
First, food production takes an environmental toll.
Second, we must reduce global net CO2 to zero and also draw down carbon this decade for us to ensure a safe, stable temperature.
Every decision we make, every day, matters. We believe that with immediate action, we can create longstanding and necessary sustainable change...KEEP READING.
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Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) is a national association of businesses that are making the energy we use secure, clean, and affordable. AEE represents more than 100 companies in the $238 billion U.S. advanced energy industry, which employs 3.6 million U.S. workers.
Prior to the onset of COVID-19 almost 3.6 million Americans worked in advanced energy. Unfortunately, the pandemic has cost more than 500,000 workers their jobs. As one of the fastest growing sectors of our economy prior to the pandemic, advanced energy should be a central part of our economic recovery.
As Congress considers economic recovery packages, AEE is calling for prioritizing investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy storage, and electric vehicles. All of these technologies are fast to market and can put tens of thousands of Americans back to work.
Complete the form to send your senators to prioritize clean energy in our economic recovery. And learn more about AEE.
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Upcoming Virtual Incite Events |
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1/13/2021 @ 2pm EST
2/05/2021 @ 9am PST
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Meet Jennifer Carroll Foy, hosted by Swati
RSVP HERE
Digital Media, Political Science & Voting: Lessons from 2020, hosted by the Association of Marshall Scholars with Swati Mylavarapu
RSVP HERE
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