Closing Equity Gaps: AmFam Institute Firm & Portfolio News – October 2023
American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact
Working to close equity gaps across America. We invest in visionary entrepreneurs making a measurable social impact.
Newsletter Highlights: Our 5-year anniversary video, recapping Climate week, exciting portfolio news, and upcoming events. Dive into the full newsletter for all the details and opportunities to connect!
?? Opening Note: Our 5-Year Anniversary
We are thrilled to celebrate the five-year anniversary of the AmFam Institute. We have so much to celebrate, and so much more to look forward to. Since we are still a relatively new organization, it seems like a good time to re-introduce ourselves in case you find yourself wondering, “What exactly is the Institute?”
Let’s start at the beginning. The AmFam Institute is a unique corporate initiative, focused on investing in and promoting innovation to solve long-term inequities in our communities in the U.S. Our corporate parent, AmFam Group, created the Institute five years ago as a different approach to investing in the communities that our customers, employees, and agency owners call home. At the time of our founding, former American Family CEO Jack Salzwedel desired influence in our communities “beyond philanthropy.” He said, “We envision the Institute supporting the formation and growth of social and classic entrepreneurs who create living-wage jobs and contribute to the overall societal good.”
Please read the full blog we wrote to celebrate the anniversary and watch our 5-year recap video below:
?? Climate Week Recap
The AmFam Institute team recently returned from spending the week at #ClimateWeekNYC 2023. It was buzzing and full of energy with many fruitful discussions on transitioning to clean energy and closing equity gaps in access to climate solutions.?
In attending the Third Sphere event, we applauded their commitment to investing in hardware solutions for the energy transition. It is no secret that a lot of tech advancements are needed for this and while there is a compelling case for VCs to support this development, it is also imperative for founders to look at various sources of funding. Hardware developments are more capital-intensive, and VC is not one-size fits all. With the plethora of funding from the government, debt holders, etc., hardware founders and VCs alike must embrace alternate sources of funding.
Along with Aligned Climate Capital and Obsidian Investment Partners , we hosted a happy hour for investors, founders, and ecosystem builders in the climate space. It was a great opportunity to meet with old friends and to make new ones!
We left New York feeling optimistic about seeing more people interested in solving climate issues. At the Institute, we are deeply committed to this and understand the work is at the early stages to create a clean and equitable energy system. If you are a founder working towards this goal, please reach out to Chaarvi Badani or Cliff Bartholomew . We’d love to hear from you.
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?? Portfolio Company Spotlight: Paladin
Paladin helps lawyers like Amy Harriman at Quarles & Brady LLP perform needed pro bono work in her community. Pro Bono Week is Oct. 22-28, 2023.
?? AmFam Institute Portfolio News
Babbly released new independent study results –?Babbly's AI algorithm accurately identifies infant babbling patterns
Damayanti Dipayana, co-founder of Manatee at HLTH –?Founders: Eerie Day They’re Hustlin’ (And Burning Out)
?? Events & Opportunities to Connect
Money20/20 | Oct 22-25 – We invest in economic opportunity for all. Our Senior Associate Amber H. H. Porter, MBA is headed to Money 2020 in Las Vegas to speak about the intersection of health and wealth on Sunday, Oct 22.
SOCAP | Oct 23-26 – Our Head of Platform Jenna Borowski is headed to San Francisco for SOCAP23 to connect with fellow impact investors and mission-driven entrepreneurs from across the country. Will we see you there?
If you missed our first newsletter, you can see it here!?
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The information contained in this presentation has been prepared solely for informational purposes and is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase an interest in any entity managed by the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact (the “Institute”). This document does not constitute an offer, solicitation or recommendation to sell or an offer to buy any securities, investment products or investment advisory services. Any offer or solicitation will be made only pursuant to the partnership agreement, commitment documents, or other similar materials and will be subject to the terms and conditions contained in such materials. The information published and the opinions expressed herein are provided for informational purposes only. This document has been prepared solely for the information of the intended recipient and may not be reproduced, distributed or used for any other purpose. Reproduction and distribution of these materials may constitute a violation of federal or state securities laws.