We are thrilled to have Ashley Robinson as VFC’s 2023 Summer Associate!
Ashley is heading into her final year at Oregon State University majoring in finance with a concentration in international business. She is a member of the Oregon State Investment Group and previously worked at OSU’s Sport Program office. Her interest in business/finance was sparked from working in her aunt’s credit union and meeting other financial professionals.
VFC is proud to be part of a community and ‘Village’ that stays true to their values & authenticity despite the backlash that we are seeing around the country. VFC celebrates diversity and will continue to support those that are marginalized – just like so many of our peers do! 🌈 #Pride
THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR VFC’s FIRST A VILLAGE GATHERING OF 2023!
VFC and AVG guests were hosted by BUILT OREGON at CENTRL Office in the Pearl and shared in a discussion with Brian Gonsalves with NETRUSH.
The event followed our usual programming and kicked off with networking. Then A Village Gathering guests got to learn more about two different Built Bridges companies: Si Bei Ho and Dtocs.
After the presentations, we heard from Kate Benedict, the Executive Director of Financial Beginnings Oregon and to wrap up the night, we had a round table discussion with Netrush to talk about DTC and Amazon sales strategy. Companies had the opportunity to ask questions and learn from Brian and share in similar / differing experiences.
To see the one pager provided by Brian, click here.
Thanks to everyone for coming, sharing your product, and your input about the covered topic!
We are proud to be a supporter and friend to Bend Outdoor Worx!
Please join us for their upcoming educational sessions or pitch event - or both!
BootCamp Series (9am-2:15pm, series of 3)
VFC hosted our First “A Village Day”!
We started the day with a volunteer service and contributed over 200 hours of volunteer time within the community, supporting the following organizations; KairosPDX, Portland PaRks & Recreation, Adopt One Block and Blanchet house. We theN held our Annual Investor Meeting and Department meetings, and ended the day with a happy Hour at Killer Burger’s Downtown location. Thanks to everyone for their participation. It was a great day for the village!
Check out this episode on The Irresistible Factor: Interview with Eric Koppelman – Ruby Jewel CEO. During the interview Eric discusses many significant elements for brand growth including the importance of packaging and branding, expanding distribution channels, and creating strong teams. Eric has successfully built multiple brands across a wide range of categories and has spent a lot of time in the food and beverage industry.
We hope that you enjoy IT!
The Irresistible Factor Podcast with Kristi Bridges focuses on brands in the health and wellness space that want to become irresistible to consumers, investors and retailers.
THANKS TO ALL WHO WERE ABLE TO JOIN US FOR A VILLAGE GATHERING ON JUNE 29TH, 2022!
WE HAD A LIVELY VILLAGE GATHERING IN JUNE, GRACIOUSLY HOSTED BY THE FACTOR BUILDING, WITH A DISCUSSION LED BY WHITE SUMMERS.
THE EVENT KICKED OFF WITH NETWORKING, A TIME FOR ENTREPRENEURS TO MEET, DISCUSS THEIR BUSINESSES, AND SHARE PRODUCT. A VILLAGE GATHERING GUESTS ALSO GOT TO SAMPLE AND LEARN MORE ABOUT TWO DIFFERENT BIPOC AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES:
ICE QUEEN – A PLANT-BASED, HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS NOVELTY BAR THAT OPERATES AS AN ETHICAL AND SUSTAINABLE COMPANY, WHILE BRINGING JOY TO PEOPLE AND THE COMMUNITY IN THE FORM OF A HEALTHIER DESSERT OPTION.
HIBISBLOOM – A PREMIUM HIBISCUS BASED BEVERAGE AND COCKTAIL MIXER. CREATED AS AN INTERPRETATION OF THE TRADITIONAL WEST AFRICAN HIBISCUS FLOWER TEA–BISSAP. ALL PRODUCTS ARE ETHICALLY SOURCED AND MADE WITH THE HIGHEST INGREDIENTS, ALL WHILE INFUSING TRADITION AND COMMUNITY INTO EVERY RECIPE.
FOLLOWING THE PRESENTATIONS, WHITE SUMMERS’ SCOTT DAVIDSON LED AN INFORMATIONAL DISCUSSION ON THE VARIOUS FORMS OF CAPITAL RAISING, ANSWERING QUESTIONS ENTREPRENEURS POSED.
PLEASE SEE THE ONE PAGER BELOW FOR MORE DETAILS.
WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO WHITE SUMMERS FOR THEIR PRESENTATION AND OUR HIGHLIGHTED NON-PROFIT FACT OREGON, AND ALL OF THOSE WHO BROUGHT PRODUCT TO SHARE!
We are excited to share that Sarah Jenkins is VFC’s 2022 Summer Associate!
Sarah is heading into her junior year at the University of Oregon majoring in Finance. She is very interested in business and supporting women in business, and she is also a current member of Women in Business at U of O. Sarah chose to focus on finance because it interests her and she saw that very few women chose that as a major and she wants to help change the demographic in that field.
Happy Juneteenth from VFC
! We hope everyone had fun celebrating this weekend.
Juneteenth is a holiday in the US commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and it marks the anniversary of the announcement on June 19, 1865, proclaiming freedom for enslaved people and celebrates African-American history and culture.
VFC is committed to ESG initiatives to drive impact.
Mary attended the Private Equity US ESG Summit in NY* last week, joining with thought leaders to listen, learn, and discuss topics like ESG priorities, regulatory changes, expectations of investors, and roadmapping for the future.
*Carbon Offsets were purchased for air travel.
Join VFC in supporting Tribes and Tribal people!
Visit Indigenize, a business - movement to redistribute wealth back to tribal nations & people, and purchase a custom box today.
Thanks to all who were able to join us for our first AVG since 2020! We’d especially like to thank Sam Adams for his discussion on Portland’s post-Covid challenges and ways to recover, our highlighted non-profit Solve Oregon, and those who brought product to share!
Are you an entrepreneur or small business looking for helpful resources? Check out Prosper Portland’s Inclusive Business Resource Network.
We are proud to announce that Brandon Medrano joined VFC as our 2021 Summer Intern!
Brandon is a student-athlete at Warner Pacific University majoring in accounting and captains the men’s soccer team. He and a business partner are also making a one-of-a-kind protein bar containing a natural herbomineral known as Shilajit.
Check out the recent article in the PBJ about VFC and the exciting announcement regarding the closing of our fund.
Congratulations to Monica Nassif, a former Board Member of the Village, for being nominated to the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame!
VFC was proud to support De La Salle North Catholic by providing a donation to their 16th Annual Changing Destinies Luncheon. Our donation will provide a high-quality education to students, helping to empower young people within the community change their destinies.
Looking for something fun to do?
Here’s an opportunity to support over 50 local brands. Click here to get your tickets to the Local Love Pop-Up Market.
Don’t miss out on this interesting New York Times article: “Lauren Fleshman’s Feminist Approach to Coaching”
Lauren poses some interesting questions that athletes are facing due to the pandemic, but it also addresses how female athletes are viewed, including the longtime issues relating to appearance and body size. Fleshman took her experience as a female athlete faced with those challenges, restricting her from reaching her full potential (not to mention all the health problems that followed), and developed a women-centered approach to coaching, focusing on the athlete’s physical, mental and emotional health. She recognizes that athletes need supportive training environments that also allows them to train on their own terms. She says “If you strip away a narrow view of an athlete, what’s left is the freedom to be yourself. That’s where the power lies.”
It’s definitely worth the read!
Village Family Capital’s Community Partner Built Oregon has developed an online Marketplace to support Oregon founders, their companies, and communities. The Marketplace will enable consumers and trade to discover and shop Oregon products by region, category, and featured collections - including Seller’s own dedicated Shop. Customers products are shipped directly from the sellers or store pickup.
Visit builtoregon.shop for more information.
No cost to join. Built Oregon receives 10% commission, inclusive of all transaction fees, on items sold through the marketplace.
Private equity firm Village Family Capital makes first two investments from new fund
We are excited to share the recent article published in the Portland Business Journal. The article highlights our history and hard work as a differentiated type of PE firm, one that focuses on both financial capital and human capital.
It also references our upcoming partnership with Empress Rules for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training. We are committed to breaking down inequities and working to build a world where DEI is a priority. While this work is very much about creating a better world, there is also a business element to it, and we will remain focused on generating at or above market returns while also improving our impact within our community.
From impact to business, all that we do supports our Vision, Purpose and Values and as an organization that supports local businesses, we recognize, that in order to change our “village,” we have to change ourselves and how we work with businesses.
Check out Sunset Magazine’s Water of the West Digital Issue (Fall, 2020) featuring the Founder, Ben Jacobsen’s essay on Farming the Waters.
In the current environment, The benefits of building video into a sales process are critical and client-facing teams must learn how to sell effectively via live video. Our friends at pelotonRPM are Now offering Video Sales Education to help companies pivot quickly to learn the art of engaging and selling via video. They offer an online course called Fundamental Video Sales Skills. The program is engaging and very cost-effective and Most importantly, it allows client-facing teams to build real skills and confidence as they incorporate video into their sales process. For more information and to request a demo, please visit: www.pelotonrpm.com.
We are excited to announce that Sean Edwards has been nominated and selected to be part of the American Leadership Forum (ALF) of Oregon’s Fellows Program.
ALF of Oregon is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that brings a diverse range of corporate, public and non-profit leaders together to build effective networks of collaboration, service and community throughout the state. By creating a network of leaders with established bonds of trust and mutual support, ALF strengthens the commitment of leaders to utilize collaborative approaches to dealing with often complex community and statewide issues.
Refueling on the go.
@pickybars @eclipticbrewing
#happypride
Village Family Capital is now a Certified Diverse Business! #nglcc
We joined @jacobsensaltco for their IG live stream and learned about their Infused Black Garlic Salt and Infused Rosemary Salt. Ben Jacobsen recommends using the Black Garlic Salt on eggs, veggies, and popcorn - and added to homemade stock. The Rosemary Salt pairs well with roasted new potatoes, focaccia, and lamb.
Doing our part to support local businesses!
@killerburger @jacobsensaltco @benniefromportland
#portlandoregon
#supportlocalbusiness
Jake & Bennie at Killer Burger
Village Family Capital is proud to work with Community Partners to further our vision to make our region the leading incubator for growth stage consumer companies. We are currently working as mentors with the following organizations:
Built Oregon is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization with a mission to become the conduit for a diverse, sustainable and impactful consumer product ecosystem in Oregon. Composed of a passionate collection of community leaders, entrepreneurs, storytellers, investors, mentors, and organizers, Built believes that the support and growth of Oregon's consumer product industries will create sustainable, inclusive, and innovative job growth throughout the state. With a distinct focus on consumer products industries, we see the power in “owning our backyard.”
XXcelerate is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization built by women entrepreneurs for women entrepreneurs. They support these entrepreneurs by providing financial education, mentorship, and peer support necessary to build strong, profitable Oregon-based businesses. Their goal is to encourage and support women-owned businesses that are bankable, investable, or profitable and independent. They “imagine a world where funding women entrepreneurs is the norm, not the exception.”
check their crowdcast website periodically for upcoming sessions.
Built Oregon has organized a series of virtual community education sessions designed to help Oregon consumer product companies and retailers who carry their products through the challenges businesses face due to Coronavirus.
On March 4th, 2020 our Founder – Jake Kindrachuk – had the opportunity to speak at the Elevate Business 2020 – Where Capital Meets Heart conference. Jake partnered with Matt Mylet of Beneficial State Bank to share their insights on access to capital as a triple-bottom line business.
Here’s a peek into what he had to say:
We will be hosting A Village Gathering
In COVID times, date and location are still TBD…
Thanks to all that joined our Village Gathering on February 18th, 2020!
For those who could not join, here's a quick recap:
We had an exciting Village Gathering in February, hosted at Autodesk Portland, with a discussion led by the Center for Equity and Inclusion.
The event opened with networking, a time for entrepreneurs to meet and discuss their businesses and share product. Products represented included Reverend Nat's Hard Cider, ROONS, Ruby Jewel, Sizzle Pie, Killer Burger, Water Avenue Coffee, Empower Body Care, and Wild Roots. (though Autodesk would not allow hard alcohol so guests were not permitted to sample the Wild Roots Vodka – so you'll have to go to their recently opened tasting room: Open daily 12–6 p.m. located at 77 NE Grand Ave. Suite F Portland, OR 97232. Due to COVID, they are temporarily closed. please visit their website for further details.)
A Village Gathering guests got the special opportunity to sample Water Avenue Coffee's new line of canned beverages:
Top Shelf Cold Brew — made with WAC's Boxcar blend, this cold brew has tasting notes of milk chocolate, caramel, and black cherry.
Two Brew — a collaboration with Smith Teamaker, WAC created a delicious beverage that is light and mildly energizing by combining their cold brew with a steeping of fragrant cardamom, pink rose petals, and sarsaparilla.
Cascara Soda — a crisp and uplifting drink made with sparkling water, cascara, hibiscus, lime, cassia (Chinese cinnamon), and ginger. Perfect by itself or as a part of your new favorite cocktail (try Wild Roots vodka)!
After the time allocated to networking, CEI's Tobias Sherwood presented on diversity, equity and inclusion - leading an engaging discussion with VFC's guests and posing some challenging questions for the group to get engaged.
Please see the one pager below for more details as well as a reading list provided by CEI which can be found here.
click here for a downloadable/printable link.
Click on the links below to see our past Village Gathering reading materials.
