As any innovative entrepreneur or operator knows well, there comes a time every so often when it is appropriate to adapt, evolve, and demonstrate new colors and abilities. With that in mind, today I am announcing the retooling of the “Higher Purpose Venture Capital Blog” as “The Higher Purpose SmörgåsBlog.”
When I decided at the beginning of 2022 that I wanted to share the stories of impact-driven VC-backed companies and the founders who lead them, I wasn’t necessarily expecting that I’d end up profiling around 100 companies that each have a novel approach to solving problems related to social and wealth inequality. I have come to view the intersection of capitalism and social justice as a critical component to fighting for the needs of those who have not been born into a life of privilege or had many opportunities for wealth creation open to them. For an encapsulated view, please refer to my recent book, Higher Purpose Venture Capital.
While I have been privileged to amplify such incredible stories of making the world a better place (per the Hebrew Tikkun Olam), writing this blog has been a learning journey for me personally in a number of ways:
There are countless clever entrepreneurial solutions to massive challenges that I was initially skeptical of, but I have come to realize that disruption of the old order is part of finding meaningful solutions. For instance, initially not understanding how Accessory Dwelling Units would be publicly accepted as a means of creating affordable housing or how insurers would be willing to pay for healthy meals for those most in need (see EatWell).
I have learned from incredible founders who are solving problems that were admittedly not top of mind for me, such as in disability technology (such as Daivergent and Inclusively), but hopefully better late than never.
I felt it was courageous for entrepreneurs in emerging markets to take on governments and traditional institutions such as banks with radically new approaches to democratizing access to capital, but companies such as Fido and Carbon are doing just that while also building viable, scalable businesses.
A humbling discovery, but we need to be on the lookout for bad actors everywhere. Even impact-driven businesses are not immune to bankruptcy and allegations of fraud. I was duped by Bitwise Industries (Google the company, if you’re so inclined), and have since taken down my blog profile. In hindsight, it was also a mistake for me to accept written answers to my questions from their PR team rather than speaking directly with the founders, as I have for all of my other profiles.
Podcasting - I’ve experimented with a few podcast interviews with changemakers, but am still finding my groove with this. Likely more to come.
From here on out, this blog will have a little of this and a little of that. I’ll mix it up with some familiar profiles of venture-backed startups that are tackling wealth inequality and other social challenges. However, I may also throw in some non-VC backed companies and potentially even some non-profit entities. I will also discuss other impact ventures that address issues like climate change, security, and general education, health, and wellness. I may do some more podcasts from time to time as well. I will likely go even further and share ideas, experiences, and recommendations based on my time wearing various professional hats as well as living in four European cities and traveling the world (140 countries, all 50 states, and counting)... I’ll dive more into VC, investing, entrepreneurship, small business ownership, social enterprise, and even some occasional travel tips along the lines of hidden gems and surprise discoveries. It will indeed be a smörgåsbord, but all with the intent of inspiring, empowering, and informing with what I hope will be useful and constructive content that makes the world a better place in some way. Expect to see a new post roughly every two weeks, but that too may change as we go.
Thank you for your continued interest and I’m glad to have you ridin’ along with me!