Why Blueprint Local?
At Access Ventures, we have been pioneering “one-pocket investing” in communities since the early days of our organization. In early 2018, we saw an opportunity to take these best practices and we enlisted Ross Baird as a Venture Partner to begin testing the water on interest, direction and potential partnerships. The very “street corner” thesis originated with our work in Shelby Park – Louisville.
How We Helped
In the past, early movers have mattered. We’ve seen some disappointment in past federal programs such as New Market Tax Credits – well-intentioned and in some cases used appropriately, but at the end of the day, a bill that was meant to invest in operating companies that would lead to jobs and wealth creation, devolved into another real estate investment opportunity for investors not from those communities.
In order to do something different, in the summer of 2018, we announced our plan to explore the development of such a strategy and teamed up with Ross Baird, as a Venture Partner at Access Ventures, to build on work that we have done in communities such as Louisville, Tulsa, and Columbus, as well as explore new opportunities in many more. We’ve piloted direct investments in local businesses, placed strategic capital in anchor community real estate, and backed national growing companies that we think have the potential to strengthen communities across America.
We are proud to have financed it’s genesis from thesis to what are now multiple community-based Opportunity Zone funds and to now be a GP alongside other great partners in this effort.
