RevHubOC Hosts Inaugural Women in Impact Investing Panel Focused on Expanding Female Representation in Investment Sectors
May 15 2024 - 5:06PM
RevHubOC, Orange County’s first incubator and catalytic capital
fund for social enterprises, hosted its inaugural Women in Impact
Investing Panel, featuring top female executives and experts from
the world of equity and philanthropic impact investment. Hosting
over 100 attendees at the University of California Irvine, Beall
Applied Innovation, this panel shed light on the need for increased
female representation in key investment sectors. While the number
of women-owned businesses has continued to grow over the past
decade – increasing 1.2% from 2021 to 2022 in Orange County (First
5 Orange County) – women-founded ventures in the U.S. still only
receive 1.9% of venture capital funds, according to McKinsey.
In an effort to address this inequity and amplify female voices
in the investment space, RevHubOC’s Women in Impact Investing Panel
offered valuable insights on the current impact landscape, panelist
investment theses and the future of funding for impact ventures. As
an organization dedicated to incubating social enterprise, the
panel specifically discussed the impact investment sector, which
focuses on investments made with the intention of achieving
positive social and environmental impact in addition to financial
return.
“While Southern California and the entire country have made
great strides providing equitable opportunity for all
entrepreneurs, there is still much work to be done,” said Julie
Cranston, executive director of RevHub’s Investment Fund. “As an
organization dedicated to creating social impact through for-profit
ventures and eliminating systemic barriers to entrepreneurship,
RevHub is proud to host events like the Women in Impact Investing
Panel that not only elevate voices of women who are the leading
experts in the emerging investment space, but also inspire the
business community to join us in our mission to prioritize a more
regenerative and interconnected view of business, capital and
impact.”
Panelists for RevHubOC’s Women in Impact Investing Panel
included:
- Moderator - Katie Kalvoda, Founder and
CEO, G3 Ventures: Katie Kalvoda is the founder and CEO of
G3 Ventures, a social enterprise specializing in impact
investments, innovative philanthropy and community advocacy. Prior
to this, Ms. Kalvoda worked in the investment management industry
as Chief Investment Officer of Newport Wealth Management. In that
role, she managed a portfolio comprised of commercial real estate,
private equity and liquid investments. Her achievements earned her
many national and international awards including Angel Investor of
the Year and Best Business Leader in Real Estate Investments. In
2018 and 2021, Katie chaired the Impact Investing Conference for
Campden Wealth in San Diego and Palm Springs.
- Shannon F. Eusey, Founder and CEO, Beacon Pointe
Advisors: Beacon Pointe is one of the largest Registered
Investment Advisory (RIA) firms specializing in full-service
financial planning and research-driven investments, partnering with
institutions, retirement-sponsored plans, and private clients. As
of YE2023, the firm has more than $30 billion in assets under
advisement, with more than 50 offices and 470+ employees
nationwide. Shannon is also a founding member of the Beacon Pointe
Women’s Advisory Institute, and Beacon Pointe Advisors is proudly
the largest female-led RIA in the nation. She also co-authored Your
Dollars, Our Sense, an International Best Seller, having ranked #1
in six business and finance categories.
- Laruen Grattan, Co-Founder and Chief Community Officer,
Mission Driven Finance: Lauren’s background in nonprofit
development made her eager to activate more capital for social
change, leading her to co-found Mission Driven Finance, an impact
asset management firm and Certified B Corporation that designs,
develops, and manages capital vehicles to advance inclusive
economic opportunity. As Chief Community Officer, she leads the
design of community-based strategy, providing a frame for both
internal culture & partner relationships. Lauren’s blended
heritage—Irish, Chinese, and Native Hawaiian—informs her approach
to reconnecting capital and community. Prior to building Mission
Driven Finance, she spent nearly 10 years fundraising for a wide
variety of nonprofits—from large universities to small,
volunteer-run initiatives.
- Rama Chakaki, Partner, Transform VC:
Syrian-American Impact Tech Entrepreneur, Investor and
philanthropist. Rama is a partner in Transform VC, a Silicon Valley
firm enabling 1000 tech founders to impact a billion and make a
billion by investing in deep tech with climate and social impact.
Rama was instrumental in building the social entrepreneurship
ecosystem in the Middle East. In addition to her corporate roles,
Rama runs an edTech nonprofit (VIP.fund) supporting youth impacted
by conflict. Rama has been featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, the
Monitor, Arab Women Rising, a Wharton School of Business
Publication and The power of presence, a book by Joy Moore.
- Katie LaFleur, Partner, Full Cycle Climate
Partners: Katie LaFleur is a serial entrepreneur and
Partner at FullCycle Climate Partners, investing in
commercial-scale, climate-critical technologies. Committed to
driving global change, Katie champions environmental protection
initiatives, sitting on the board of the conservation journalism
outlet, Mongabay, and serving as a Nexus Global ambassador.
To learn more about RevHub, its Impact Fund and its Social
Enterprise Incubation tracks, click here.
About RevHubOC: RevHubOC
coalesces Orange County’s social enterprise ecosystem for greater
innovation and impact. Founded in 2019, RevHub is a community of
investors, entrepreneurs, mentors, and partners which has incubated
23 social enterprises and established RevHubOC Social Innovation
Fund, Orange County’s first social impact investment fund (RevFund
I). In 2022, RevHub joined several partners in establishing the
NorthSTAR (Systems To Access Resources) OC Collaborative to build
the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Orange County. Most recently,
RevHub has announced its development of Orange County’s first
Climate Action Business Incubator (CABI). For more information,
please visit the RevHub website.
Sophie Boothsophie@ideahall.com(562) 230-3051
A photo accompanying this announcement is available
at:https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8d8c553e-6649-48ed-8966-663f995a9373