news & stories
Inspiration and Resources for Change Makers
At Access Ventures, we believe our impact will reach only as far as the stories we tell.
We view storytelling as a critical amplifier of our work and the work of our partners, without which we cannot realize our mission.
Explore some of these stories below, and let us know what you think.
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More Than Profit (MTP) is our podcast to influence more capital for good.
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We continually share learnings and best practices that advance our collective mission of human flourishing.
Working Your Way Home
The Working Your Way Home program, created by New Directions, LHOME, and HPI, offers homebuyer readiness courses and down payment assistance to help employees transition from renting to owning, addressing the affordable housing crisis in Louisville and Southern Indiana through collaboration and community-focused solutions.
Supporting Those Who Support Our Community
Service providers for people experiencing homelessness, such as shelters and food pantries, are critical for addressing regional homelessness, especially during the pandemic which has increased their challenges; collaborative efforts and community support are essential to their ability to serve the most vulnerable effectively.
Place-Based Investing and Opportunity Zones: Looking Back, and Looking Ahead
Blueprint Local, an impact-focused Opportunity Zone investor, continues to navigate challenges and opportunities, leveraging community collaboration and responsible growth in cities like Baltimore and Greenville to achieve attractive returns and meaningful impact, while monitoring potential changes under different political administrations.
Understanding The Eviction Crisis
Eviction is a traumatic and widespread issue, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with millions at risk of losing their homes, highlighting the urgent need for multifaceted solutions to housing insecurity and increased empathy towards those affected.
Know Homelessness
Homelessness is a complex, community-wide issue requiring both emergency services and preventive measures, and Access Ventures' Know Homelessness campaign aims to change public perception and increase empathy in Louisville and Southern Indiana by sharing real stories and encouraging community involvement to address housing insecurity.
Our New Render Capital Fund Announces Virtual Pitch Event
Access Ventures launched Render Capital, a $15 million regional fund to support entrepreneurs in Louisville and Southern Indiana by providing early-stage risk capital, and announced the winners of the 2020 Render Competition, with a virtual pitch event on September 25, where eight startups will each receive $100,000 investments to help them grow and scale in the Greater Louisville region.
Bringing Neighborly Love to Affordable Housing
Nesterly addresses the housing crisis by connecting empty nesters with spare bedrooms to young tenants, fostering intergenerational home-sharing, reducing housing costs for students, and allowing seniors to age in place while earning extra income.
Founder Stories: Bolt
Bolt Labs is developing zkChannels, a privacy-preserving protocol for off-chain cryptocurrency transactions, enabling users to maintain anonymity while transacting, thereby enhancing privacy and scalability for digital currencies.
Removing Barriers For Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurship in America faces a significant challenge due to a lack of access to capital, particularly in mid-American cities, but initiatives like Access Ventures’ Render Capital aim to address this by providing various funding options to support local entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Food Insecurity During A Pandemic
Many Americans, including over 11 million children, experience food insecurity, with $13 billion in unclaimed food stamp benefits annually, and mRelief helps simplify SNAP applications to ensure eligible families receive necessary assistance, especially during crises like COVID-19.
Time Is of the Essence
Time is crucial in moments of crisis, and Access Ventures, recognizing the urgency during the COVID-19 pandemic, collaborated with community partners to establish a nearly $1 million Small Business Continuity Loan Fund to quickly provide 0% loans to vulnerable businesses and support local economies.
Founder Stories: David Taliaferro
David Taliaferro, Co-Founder and CEO of Lenderfit, has focused on overcoming barriers to capital access for small businesses through innovative solutions like the Growth Loan program and the Lenderfit platform, which streamlines the loan process for both lenders and borrowers, while emphasizing the importance of local businesses in fostering community growth and economic development.
Render Capital: A New $15M Regional Fund
Access Ventures has launched Render Capital, a $15 million fund designed to provide early-stage risk capital to entrepreneurs in Louisville and Southern Indiana, addressing the regional need for startup funding and stimulating economic growth through initiatives like the Render Competition and various financing options for local businesses.
Access Ventures Announces New Regional Capital Fund
Access Ventures is launching Render Capital, a regional fund to provide $2.5 million in early-stage risk capital to support entrepreneurs in Louisville and Southern Indiana, addressing critical gaps in capital access and fostering economic growth, innovation, and inclusion in the region.
MobileServe: Helping Volunteers Tell Their Story
MobileServe is a company dedicated to streamlining volunteer tracking and fostering service-oriented company culture, which Access Ventures has supported through investment, aligning financial returns with social impact by enabling users to log over 3 million service hours with an economic impact of more than $79 million.
Celebrating Art in Community
The VSCO Voices program, supported by Access Ventures, grants artists $200,000 to create projects that amplify underrepresented stories, highlighting how art can spark dialogue, challenge stereotypes, and empower marginalized communities by showcasing and celebrating their voices through local events.
Alternatives to Equity for Entrepreneurs
During Louisville’s Startup Week, Access Ventures hosted a panel highlighting alternative funding methods like equity crowdfunding, revenue-based financing, and character-based lending, emphasizing the need for creative funding approaches that meet the diverse needs of entrepreneurs, as traditional Silicon Valley models do not fit most businesses outside that region.
The Growth Loan: Where Are They Now?
The Growth Loan, launched in 2015 by Access Ventures, provides character-based funding of up to $35,000 to small businesses in Louisville that face barriers in accessing traditional capital, and has supported 31 businesses, catalyzing growth and community impact by offering flexible financial support to local entrepreneurs.
Values In Your Public Equity Portfolio
Access Ventures uses a one-pocket investment approach to align their public equity portfolio with their organizational values, utilizing the Ethic platform to construct an index fund that outperformed the market over four years by integrating environmental, social, and governance metrics, demonstrating that value-driven investing can yield market-rate returns.
VSCO Voices – Cori Corinne
In this interview, Cori Corinne, a graphic designer and VSCO Voices grant recipient, discusses her project Dress. Code., an interactive photography exhibit exploring how women and non-binary individuals face double standards in workplace attire.