ICA Fund

???Join us for a special evening that celebrates the thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem of the Bay Area. The ICA Fund Community Showcase will be an inspiring gathering that brings together ICA’s vibrant network — all working towards building a more inclusive and equitable economy.??? Join us if you already love ICA Fund, want to learn more about how we can work with you, or want to get involved with diverse Bay Area entrepreneurship. Schedule?of?Events: ???Showcase?&?Networking:?6-7:30?PM Dive?into?interactive?experiences?while?sampling?products?and?services?from innovative companies?shaping?the?future?of?Bay?Area?business. ???Storytelling?Program:?7:30-8:30?PM Be?inspired?by?stories?of?innovation?and?impact?from?entrepreneurs?across?the region. Attendees will also get to experience Oakland Museum of California's current exhibition, Calli: The Art of Xicanx Peoples, shop local businesses from the ICA Community, and engage in a creative craft project with ICA Portfolio company, Maker Studio Kidz. ????Tickets?are?free.?Don’t?miss?out — register now and brings your friends and family! https://lnkd.in/gQM9Berj Let’s?shape?the?future?together.??? #ICACommunity?#FutureofBayAreaBusiness?#Entrepreneurship?#Sustainability #ICAShowcase #oaklandmuseumofca

ICA Fund is hiring an Accelerator Coordinator to join our Direct Services team and help lead our 2025 Accelerator program. More details and specific application instructions are in the link below ?? https://lnkd.in/g8WRN7ua

ICA Fund is hiring an Accelerator Coordinator to join our Direct Services team and help lead our 2025 Accelerator program. More details and specific application instructions are in the link below ?? https://lnkd.in/g8WRN7ua

ICA Fund is in San Diego this week for our annual convening of California's #SCALEnetwork, led by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) and CAMEO Network. Alongside a myriad of small business partners, we're building a deep alliance of technical assistance and investment partners to support California small businesses. We are grateful for this partnership with the state of California to continue to create an inclusive and prosperous economy for all. To learn more about SCALE, visit?Director Tara Lynn Gray’s LinkedIn Post: https://lnkd.in/g2BuRes7. P.S. Director Gray will also be a keynote speaker at the ICA Fund Community Showcase this Thursday, so if you are a registered attendee, don't forget to come out for this special evening! (left to right) Viola M., Cynthia Billops, Emily Gasner

ICA Fund alumni and portfolio founders attended TechCrunch Disrupt 2024! Tony Martínez, founder of negozee?? Ana Jones, founder of Phlex65 Roberto Angulo and Daniel Fabian Hernandez of Fonda James Norman, founder of Pilotly ICA was excited to be able to offer this market access opportunity for founders to dive into the latest tech insights and connect with industry leaders and collaborators. We are committed to supporting local businesses like these in the tech sector who are building good jobs for their community. #TechCrunchDisrupt #ICAFund #TechInnovation #Community

With a lack of non-carbonated, low-sugar alcoholic beverages, Holly Paul and Chris Tran were inspired to create MIZO—a ready-made hard lemonade in a juice pouch. Infused with flavors thoughtfully inspired by their Asian heritage and containing just 4 grams of sugar per pouch, MIZO is one-of-a-kind — not to mention the functional and nostalgic packaging that it comes in: “Nostalgic moments will never fail to make you smile. MIZO is a hard lemonade, but more than that, we are a social beverage company creating new nostalgic moments for our consumers.” - Holly Paul, co-founder of MIZO ICA Fund recently invested in MIZO after they graduated from the Accelerator, and it was a no-brainer: MIZO is an AAPI and woman co-owned brand, and Holly and Chris are committed to creating robust benefits for future employees as they build out their team in the South Bay community. MIZO is a featured pitching company at this year’s ICA Fund Community Showcase. You can learn more about how Holly and Chris got inspired to start MIZO on our blog: https://lnkd.in/gykc2uwy #entrepreneurship #businessowners #bayarea #costco #walmart #nostalgia #ICAshowcase #thefutureofbayareabusiness

With the election fast approaching, we’re all feeling the weight of what’s at stake for our nation. There are countless critical issues before us this year, and here at ICA, we’re focused on one that’s vital to our mission and values: the future of small business. The past few years have brought economic strides worth celebrating. Under the Biden Administration, we’ve seen over 13 million jobs added and record growth in new small businesses with over 10 million applications filed in 2021 and 2022. These achievements reflect resilience and opportunity across communities nationwide. But the work is far from done. We know our economy still isn’t working for everyone, small business owners, especially women and people of color, face structural challenges that hinder growth. In my recent article, I share four bipartisan steps the next Administration should take to support small businesses and strengthen our economic foundation. #ImpactInvesting #SmallBusiness #EconomicOpportunity #OpportunityEconomy #ICA

?? Fruit contains up to 95% water. What if we could harness that pure H20 and all the nutrients, without all the sugar? Chris Oates asked himself this very question — and realized that juice suppliers already do it, they just end up discarding the water from fruit while making juice concentrate. An idea too unique to ignore, Chris founded WAJU Water, taking the discarded WAter from JUice to create a hydrating and tasty sparkling beverage with tons of antioxidants and no added sugar. “WAJU Water is the only brand that’s saving and harnessing the naturally occurring water in real fruit to create a refreshing beverage, giving people a natural hydration option that they can feel good about drinking. We stand out with what our liquid is made of and how we source it, which offers transparency that shoppers are looking for. We are shifting the conversation from what is added to your water to where it comes from and how that impacts your health and our planet.” - Chris Oates. ICA Fund recently invested in WAJU Water from our Seed Capital Fund. We are deeply aligned with their commitment to sustainability and hiring a diverse team. On top of that, we believe in their unique overall vision of WAJU Water being a proof-of-concept as an ingredient provider for the greater beverage industry - providing an exclusive, unique natural water source for any drink you can think of. ?? Learn more about what inspired Chris to start WAJU Water: https://lnkd.in/gk7YvTQs #feature?#capital?#entrepreneurship?#Fund?#icafund #WaterfromFruit

Appreciate the ?? Ryan Armistead, and we are honored to be a part of the Happy Moose Juice journey!

Last week at #OFN40, our team went in person to the Entrepreneurs of Color Loan Fund (EOCF) Reception. This event marked an important milestone: EOCF surpassed their goal of deploying $500 million to small businesses — 2 years ahead of their goal. This initiative is helping close capital gaps in communities of color through loans and technical assistance, directly supporting the growth of 9,500 businesses across 10 metro areas. ICA Fund is a participant in the Entrepreneurs of Color Fund, and we are so grateful to their team for the essential support they have provided as we continue investing in great Bay Area businesses. Thank you to our partners JPMorganChase and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) for their support in spearheading and sustaining this deeply important work. Shoutout to the other EOCF funders who made this work possible: W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, Prudential Financial, The Rockefeller Foundation?and?U.S. Bank. ?? Opportunity Finance Network Annual Conference in Los Angeles, CA