SustainVC

Last week, our team had the pleasure of attending Impact Capital Managers Spring Convening and their Impact Awards Gala in DC. Our own Kendall Bedford was honored as one of the awardees at the Gala: Emerging Leader of the Year! We are very proud of her, and in awe of the extraordinary contributions made to the field by the other honorees: Brian Trelstad and Cynthia Muller. As per usual, the week's programming, discussions, and connections made were fantastic. We are grateful to the awesome team at ICM, and looking forward to the next event that brings our community together!

Excited to announce SmartInsights, our AI-powered predictive maintenance tool, available to all Idle Smart subscription customers—at no additional cost. Fleets can now spot problems days or even weeks before they turn into costly breakdowns, keeping trucks on the road and out of the shop. With technicians in short supply, SmartInsights helps ease their workload by identifying the most critical repairs first, making maintenance more efficient and manageable. And less downtime means happier drivers, lower turnover, and a smoother operation overall. Fleets now get even more value from their Idle Smart subscription. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e4khpv5N #IdleSmart #SmartInsights #PredictiveMaintenance #FleetManagement

Join Upswing CEO Melvin Hines, Quinta Essentia Ventures LLC Founder Dr. Adrian K. Haugabrook, and Single Stop CEO Steven Williams for an essential discussion on supporting non-traditional and historically marginalized students through basic needs and emergency funding. In this solution-oriented webinar, we’ll explore: ?? The unique challenges faced by students, including financial instability, food insecurity, and housing instability ?? Best practices for leveraging resources like emergency grants, campus food pantries, and mental health support ?? How prioritizing basic needs can drive student retention and success Don’t miss this opportunity to learn strategies that can transform student outcomes and create an inclusive, supportive environment for all. Register now: https://hubs.ly/Q039HJqk0 #Upswing #SingleStop #StudentSuccess #HigherEd #StudentSupport #Retention #BasicNeeds

Meet Kendall Bedford of SustainVC, the winner of this year's ICM Emerging Leader Award. As our executive director, Marieke Beeuwkes Spence, highlights: "Kendall Bedford has established herself as a skilled investor with strong analytical expertise. From conducting regression analysis on diversity at ICM member funds to contributing to the Paths to Partner report, she has applied data-driven insights to advance the field. Kendall's focus on impact is evident not only in her past academic work and the ICM Mosaic Fellowship, but also in her role at SustainVC, where she leverages her background in environmental sciences and the energy industry to manage a diverse portfolio of impact investments that drive sustainability and expand access and opportunity." Learn more about this year's three award recipients, and don't forget to sign up for our Impact Awards Gala this month in Washington, DC: https://lu.ma/bb6fvd30

If you're going to NYATCP in Saratoga Springs this week, stop by and chat with #SeanShea and #GaryGovel! They can show you how Reconnect can help you overcome your biggest everyday challenges with technology that increases efficiency and makes it easier for participants to stay on track with their programs. Have Sean or Gary tell you about the impact Reconnect had in 2024 on over 400 programs in 40 states; like 1.7M technical violations avoided ?? . Can’t make the conference? No problem. Set up a demo: https://bit.ly/3KZtw5U #Reconnect #MakeAnImpact #NYATCP

What an incredible week at the NAHB International Builders' Show! ?? We were thrilled to be selected to make a Startup Zone pitch presentation, sharing our vision for high-performance, sustainable building solutions, and the feedback was phenomenal! ?? We were also overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and interest at our booth. We had fantastic conversations with builders, distributors, and industry leaders, and we’re so excited about the connections we made. A massive thank you to National Association of Home Builders and D.R. Horton for their incredible support and for providing this platform for innovative startups to shine. ? #CleanFiber #IBSStartupZone #IBS2025 #PitchPresentation #NAHB #DRHorton #SustainableBuilding #BuildingInnovation #ThankYou

Highlighting Justin Desrosiers' role yesterday on an exciting panel about the critical role of investment in the climate space at the Duke University - The Fuqua School of Business' 20th Sustainable Business and Social Innovation Conference! Justin Desrosiers also had a lot of fun serving as a judge for the SBSI pitch competition that highlighted some promising startups working towards a better future for all. Thank you to everyone who participated and who put this event together! We're proud to continue participating in meaningful conversations with other professionals contributing to the space. #DukeUniversity #Fuqua #SBSI2025

Join us on Thursday, February 27th at 1 PM ET for an in-depth look at Upswing’s latest case study featuring Ana, our SMS assistant. In this webinar, Melvin Hines will explore key findings on how Ana supports student engagement, academic success, and retention at HBCUs through personalized, real-time communication. Learn best practices and discover how Ana’s data-driven insights can help your institution drive success for all students. Register now: https://hubs.ly/Q0378Rjn0 #HBCU #HigherEd #StudentSuccess #Retention #AI #VirtualAssistants #Upswing

"The most important thing that I would advocate for right now is that we all keep on keeping on, doing the work that we're proud of and we believe in.” - Kendall Bedford, in today's ImpactAlpha. We are so proud of our own team member, Kendall Bedford for winning this year's Emerging Leader Award! Congrats as well to Brian Trelstad and Cynthia Muller for your fantastic contributions to the space. Thank you Impact Capital Managers team for uplifting all of these professionals in our network.

What does the world that we want to live in and age into look like? #empathy #aging #agingcare #XR #embodiment #immersive #action #diversity #training