My Path to Investing in Vital Neighborhoods

What I’m investing in and why

After a two+ year journey, my work life is taking an exciting turn. I’m investing in purpose-driven entrepreneurs with a fantastic family office. I’m also an advisor to two groups working on neighbourhood vitality. My work feels meaningful and natural. Every step I took when transitioning out of my start-up led me here, but it didn’t always feel like it at the time.

Read on to learn what I’m up to, and for some musings on following a winding path.

Roots

I started my career at Blue Ridge Commons, a 500-unit public housing project in Virginia. It was founded by some cool, green architects to upgrade our nation’s affordable housing. My work involved transforming our community into a better place to live. Things like tending community gardens and hosting financial literacy programs for kids. We were trying to make a business case for investing in the neighbourhood. Our work, we would prove, could reduce costly evictions and vandalism for property management.

It was here that I gained a nuanced understanding of poverty and place in America. I saw how socioeconomic factors, often determined by geographic boundaries like zip codes, impact not only access to services but the very fabric of our daily lives.