Rendel: It’s great to be here, Spiffy! The television show Shark Tank popularized venture capital (VC). VC is the business of buying pieces (shares) of companies. When a VC investor buys a piece of a company, the entrepreneur can grow the business while the investor shares in future profits and value. The problem is that the decision-makers and firms that manage the capital do not accurately reflect the demographic makeup of the United States. There are very few women and very few people of color who are in a position to make these types of investments in companies. At VC Include, we work with aspiring fund managers (people who do what the sharks on Shark Tank do), to help them gain access to this industry.
Ben: Thanks for having me, Spiffy. At Oncology Ventures, we invest in companies that improve the way we research and treat cancer. At the moment, cancer care is a complicated puzzle. There's not enough teamwork, we don’t use the best technology, and often people don’t get the best treatments. This means that people are unnecessarily in pain and sometimes pass away when it is preventable. Plus, treating complex cancer cases can be very costly. Even though we have great cancer treatments, not everyone who needs them gets them. By finding companies solving the puzzle, we can help people get better, faster.
Eva: It’s great to be here, Spiffy! Through our investments, we solve for three key areas: economic inclusion, climate change, and healthcare. We specifically focus on East Africa and India, two areas in the world that are going to see enormous population growth that will transform our world. Consumers who benefit from our platforms earn less than $15 a day. We believe that investing in purpose-driven companies in East Africa and India will create greater value for underrepresented groups and a net benefit to society over time. We believe that doing good and doing well can—and should—coexist.
