When Co-ops and Venture Capital Meet
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
11-12:00 a.m. Mountain Time
Webinar
View the video recording of the event here.
It is a common assumption that cooperative business and venture capital financing don't mix. And there is good reason for this. Venture capital uses investor ownership to drive companies toward a quick, value-maximizing exit. Co-ops, in contrast, are designed to be owned by their participants rather than outside investors, prioritizing social value over the long term. But that assumption may be worth reconsidering. In April, Savvy Cooperative announced that it had struck an investment deal with Indie.vc, a pioneering venture firm. Both Savvy and Indie.vc pushed the boundaries of their respective structures to make this happen, while keeping those structures intact. This webinar will feature Savvy's CEO and legal counsel, explaining how the deal came about and what it means for the future of finance for economic democracy.
This webinar is a joint project of MEDLab and Zebras Unite, made possible with support from the Open Society Foundations, which is not responsible for the content.
Speakers
- Jen Horonjeff (Savvy Cooperative)
- Jason Wiener (Jason Wiener | p.c., MEDLab community fellow)
- Moderator: Astrid Scholz (Sphaera, Zebras Unite)
Resources
- Jason Wiener, "Limited Cooperative Associations and Early Stage Financing" (June 8, 2018)