Podcasts about rsf social finance

An interview with Mekdim Tesfaye, founder and CEO of Oasis Orbital Systems, an aerospace startup based in Christchurch focusing on development of an innovative orbital live streaming platform. He is also a marketing specialist for Aerospace New Zealand.Mekdim has a Bachelors of Commerce from the University of Canterbury, and a level 3 Certificate in Astronautical and Aeronautical Engineering from the Air New Zealand Aviation Institute.Today we'll talk to him about his journey into the space industry through combining his aeronautical and business experience, as well as his vision for virtual space tourism through Oasis Orbital.ResourcesSample video of Orbital Oasis baloon flight: The Diary of a CEO by Steven BartlettZero to One by Peter ThieleElon Musk by Ashlee VanceAerosopace New ZealandAerospace Summit 2023Startme Up Mentorship Programme (applications for this year closing in April 2023)Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account. Or be a SpaceBase Patreon sponsor!Support the show

An interview with Jess Covich, founder  and CEO of Engineering Dreams, an aerospace consultancy based in Auckland focusing on providing professional services with top tier resources to the space industry.  Jess has  more than 15 years experience in senior level technology consulting and business development roles in New Zealand. In this interview, we talk to her about her business and sales experience being critical elements for pivoting into the space industry, and why she thinks it's the industry to be involved in today.ResourcesEngineering DreamsSpace Base NZ Space DirectoryDirectory of space related organizatons within NZHosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account. Or be a SpaceBase Patreon sponsor!Support the show

An interview with Nelson Smith, co-founder of Aquila, a tech company based in Auckland focused on wireless energy infrastructure for terrestrial and space applications.  Nelson did his bachelor's degree in Engineering in Mechatronics and Product Development at the University of Auckland and Massey University.  He has worked as a Guidance,Navigation and Control Engineer for Rocketlab and has been involved in multiple engineering, software, and automated projects in the past decade. In this interview we learn from Nelson how developing a portfolio of engineering projects, coupled with some startup smarts can accelerate your career in the space industry.Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account. Or be a SpaceBase Patreon sponsor!Support the show

An interview with the host, Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom.Emeline is Co-Founder and CEO of SpaceBase based in New Zealand.  Emeline is also part of the Ceres Robotics team and a Co-Founder of International Space Consultants.  She is an Institute of Space Commerce Fellow, an Edmund Hillary Fellow, and is a member of the Associate Editorial Board for the New Space Journal. Emeline has BS and MS degrees in Physics and Earth and Space Science.  She is an alumni of the International Space University.  She has worked for space startups including Space Adventures, Odyssey Moon, Moon Express and Orbital Astronautics.  Emeline is co-author of the book “Realizing Tomorrow: The Path to Private Space Flight”. In this interview Emeline talks about the motivation for moving to New Zealand and creating SpaceBase Limited to help catalyse space innovation ecosystems in developing and emerging countries from New Zealand.Resources:Cosmos by Carl SaganSpace for Planet Earth  Challenge competitionsNext challege kicks off on 18 May 2023.  More info coming soon!Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account. Or be a SpaceBase Patreon sponsor!Support the show

An interview with Christian Thaler-Wolski,  a startup advisor, business developer, and angel investor focused on Spacetech. Previously, Christian worked in venture capital in Europe. Prior to his investor role he had a five-year career in technical product sales and key account management at ORACLE, a global leader in enterprise software. Christian is a native of Germany and graduated from the International Space University's Souther Hemisphere Space Studies program in 2020. He has degrees in Economics and also a graduated with an MBA degree at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, in 2006. Christian moved to Adelaide in 2019 and subsepquently co-founded the ISU alumni association for Australia and New Zealand as well as the ISU Adelaide Conference, held every year online for the whole Indo-Pacific region. In this interview we will hear from Christian what it takes to become a space investor , and why investing in the space industry is at an inflection point and growth phase today.  He will also talk about how the ISU programme has changed his career and his current initiatives to help grow the space industry in the region through conferences. Resources:ISU Adelaide Space Conference - 3-4 February, 2023An Indo Pacific region conference focused this year on Challenges and Opportunities in Commercial Space.  RSVP today!Internationa Space University Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Programme (SHSSP23).   A 5-week multidisciplinary space programme delivered in Adelaide, Australia (16 Jan - 17 February 2023). Podcast:Space Business Podcast - hosted by Raphael RoettgenHosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account. Or be a SpaceBase Patreon sponsor!Support the show

An interview with Dr. Yvette Perrott, Senior Lecturer at the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences at University of Victoria Wellington.  Yvette has degrees in BA, BSc and BSc( with Hons)majoring in Physics, Italian and Spanish. She completed her PhD in the Cavendish Astrophysics Group in 2013 on a Rutherford PhD Scholarship and was awarded a Trinity College Junior Research Fellowship in the same year. She was also awarded a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship in 2017. Her area of research is on galaxy clusters as cosmological probes for the origins of the universe.In this interview we will learn about how her research in galaxy clusters could unlock the origins of the universe.  She also talks about a new multidisciplinary space undergraduate degree programme at University of Victoria starting up next year.Resources:Open Stax astronomy - extensive repository of astronomy topicsNASA Skyview - SkyView is a Virtual Observatory on the Net generating images of any part of the sky at wavelengths in all regimes from Radio to Gamma-Ray.Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account. Or be a SpaceBase Patreon sponsor!Support the showSupport the show

An interview with Rahul Rughani,  systems engineer for Arkisys, a company building an autonomous research outpost in low Earth orbit.  Rahul has a Bachelor's of Engineering degree in Mechanical engineering from McGill University, with a concentration in Aeronautics. He also holds both PhD and Master of Science degrees in Astronautical engineering from the University of Southern California. His specialization is on orbital optimization techniques for spacecraft swarms. The focus of his research is to enable in-orbit manufacturing, satellite aggregation, and close-quarters robotic inspection of spacecraft, using swarms of small and medium sized satellites in Earth orbit. He has worked as a systems engineer on CubeSat projects and has performed in-depth analysis of past, present, and future methods of spacecraft Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) through funding provided by DARPA. In this interview we will learn about how swarm technologies can someday build huge infrastructures in space, help with space debris, and create factories on orbit, the Moon and Mars.Resources:Space Mission Analysis and Design by Wiley LarsonOrbital Mechanics for Engineering Students by Howard Curtis.SpaceNews, space news websiteScience Fiction Books:Dune by Frank HerbertThe Expanse Book Series by James S. Corey (Also a TV series on Amazon)Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account. Or be a SpaceBase Patreon sponsor!Support the show

An interview with Daniel Mackisack. Founder of Celestial Commons - a network devoted to improving public interest and representation in space - ensuring that the journey and the benefits of development are shared by all.  Daniel is a kiwi presently living in Berlin.  A writer, researcher, diplomat, and serial founder, He holds a Bachelors degree in Political Science, and a Masters in Anthropology and Sociology.  In this interview we will learn how Daniel 's passion for science fiction and his experience building social movements and development projects has led to his current activities and projects in the space sector.Resources:An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything by Chris HadfieldHosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account. Or be a SpaceBase Patreon sponsor!Support the show

An interview with Randy Pollock, Chief Scientist and Engineer for Space at the Robertson Research Institute at Victoria University,Wellington,  where he is working to adapt high temperature superconductor technologies for space applications.  Prior to moving to New Zealand, he was an Instrument Manager and Systems Engineer for NASA Jet Propulsion Laborary.  He had worked on numerous payload missions and spacecraft for NASA for over two decades including EMIT, CloudSat, and SHERLOC for the Mars Perseverance rover.   Resources:von Karman Lecture Series - aims to bring the excitement of JPL's missions, instruments and other technologiesHosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account. Or be a SpaceBase Patreon sponsor!Support the show

An interview with Dr. Sarita Dara, an Aerospace physician and a space medicine and human factors consultant and occupational medicine physician for Humane Factors Exponential Limited.  She currently also works as a Senior Medical Officer with Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand.Her training, qualifications and experience span Aviation and Space Medicine, Occupational Medicine, Public Health Medicine and Human Factors Engineering. She graduated with a Master of Space Sciences from the International Space University, in Strasbourg, France and has an MD in Aerospace Medicine and a PhD in Human Factors Engineering from the school of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She has worked in various capacities as a physician, educator and researcher in India, USA, Singapore and New Zealand. Prior to coming to New Zealand, she worked as Head, Aerospace Physiology and Human Factors at Singapore Aeromedical Centre where she was actively involved in aeromedical education and simulator training for aircrew and was also a medical examiner for Civil Aviation Authorities of Singapore, New Zealand and Australia.  In this interview, we are going to learn how Sarita's passion for medicine and human factors engineering has led her to a career at the intersection of commercial human spaceflight and safety needs Resources:Kings College Aerospace Medicine -Aerospace Medicine ProgrammeSpace.com - News outletSpacebase.co - social enterprise catalizing UNOOSA - United Nations Office of Outer Space AffairsWorld Space WeekNASAESARocket LabWomen in space AotearoaInternational Space UniversityHosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.Support the show

An interview with Hugh Reynolds, Co-Founder and Technical Director of Fabrum, a world leader in cryogenic systems.  Their cryocoolers, composite storage tanks and liquid gas generation systems are used in wide range of applications that include industrial cryogenics, animal husbandry, lightweight space applications, copper & superconducting electric motors, and hydrogen fuel systems.  These have vast space related applications.In the past Hugh has worked in metal processing industries and composites manufacturing. He holds a B.E. in Mechanical engineering from the University of Canterbury.  In this interview, we are going to learn about Hugh's career co-founding Fabrum along with fellow Electrical engineer Christopher Boyle, and the many applications of its pioneering technology that can open up long term, sustainable operations in space and other planets.  Fabrum's pioneering cryogenic solutions is on a critical path for laying out the foundation for producing clean energy such as green hydrogen for sustainable living on Earth, and off planet.Resources:Fabrum The World's Fastest Indian MovieHosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.Support the show

An interview with Udit Shah, Chief aerospace engineer for Ceres Robotics, a company building landers, rovers and tools to enable affordable surface operations on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.  Udit has a MS in Aeronautical and Space Engineering from Virginia Tech, and a Bachelors of Technology in Aeronautics and Space from UPE in India .  In the past, he has also worked for different lunar space startup companies such as Team Indus  and Orbit Beyond.  In this interview, we are going to explore how Udit's career choices had given him the  incredible opportunity to work on pioneering startups working to establish a permanent lunar presence for humanity in the not so distant future. Resources:Age of AerospaceEight Part Video Mini Series Flight: My Life in Mission Control, by Christopher KraftHosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.Support the show

An interview with Jennifer Blackburne, a mechanical engineer on the propulsion team at Dawn Aerospace working on rocket propulsion and engine testing.  She has a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of South Dakota in the US, followed by joint degrees in turbomachinery and aeromechanics from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece.  She has worked on jet packs to wind turbines, and the automotive  and aero industries in Germany and New Zealand.In this interview, we are going to explore how Jennifer's experiences  led her to a dream job as space propulsion specialist working on a revolutionary space plane here in Aotearoa.Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=64782763&fan_landing=true )Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=64782763&fan_landing=true )

An interview with  Prof Guglielmo Aglietti or known mostly as Prof G. who heads the Auckland Space Institute – Tepunaha Atea at the University of Auckland.  Prof G was the Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in Space Engineering, and the Center Director for Surrey Space Center in the UK. He worked on a range of topics from space missions design and delivery, to hardware development,  downstream applications, and educational & knowledge transfer activities.His technical background is in aerospace structures and mechanisms.  He holds a Bachelors and PhD degrees in Aerospace Engineering.His work  ranges from academic research and consultancy activities for the ISS, the Space Shuttle programme, and numerous applications in various industrial developments and satellite systems in the UK space industry and internationally most notably on space debris and space situational awareness.  His academic work is described in over 200 publications, and has been presented at major conferences. In this interview, we learn about the plethora of pioneering activities and experience Prof G has done over the past several decades  notably his cost effective space debris demonstration "Remove Debris" mission,  and his role in capacity building  and growing the space ecosystem in New Zealand through the Auckland Space Institute.Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=64782763&fan_landing=true )

Relationships are a critical element of business. It is crucial to choose a financial partner who has a deeper understanding of social businesses instead of primarily transactional ones. If you want a sustainable, responsible business, you need financial partners who understand and believe in your vision. In this episode, Caroline Duell discusses how she built her green business — and why she needed the right financial partner to do it. She also discusses how to develop responsible enterprises and bring profit while minimizing negative consequences. Finally, we discuss why — and when — you should get a CFO for your business.If you're wondering how a financial partner helps your company grow without compromising your values, this episode is for you!3 reasons why you should listen to the full episode:Learn the benefits of social capital financing in growing your business Recognize the significance of selecting financial partners who share your company's goalDiscover the value of bringing a chief financial officer to your businessEpisode Highlights[06:30] From an herb garden to a multi-million-dollar business[10:10] Building a business without compromising values[14:09] On becoming carbon neutral[20:04] Aligning value and authenticity with capital financing [22:24] All Good's capital financing journey[26:02] RSF Social Finance vs. RSF[33:26] Community Pricing Gathering: RSF Social Finance vs. RSF[37:16] When to hire a Chief Financial Officer Enjoyed This Podcast?Write a review and share this with your friends.Connect With the Profit Reimagined™  TeamReady to transform your purpose into an impactful business financial story, profit, and joy? Schedule a chat with our team.

Jasper van Brakel is CEO of RSF Social Finance, a lending, giving and investing innovator based in San Francisco --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thekampsolutionseries/support

Starting a business is daunting enough. Add a mission to it and it becomes all the more challenging. Mission-driven businesses often have a hard time finding partners, whether lenders or investors, that understand their mission. If they don't, it can lead to drastic results for their business and those they want to serve. Finding people who understand your mission will help you find a community that will support you and helps you thrive. In this episode, Caryl Levine shares her journey with Lotus Foods and how they partnered with RSF Social Finance. With the right partnerships, they were able to make the change they wanted to see in the world. You can create your own social impact — you just need to find people who are aligned with your mission and committed to helping you push it forward.If you want to find partners that will help you elevate your business and spread your mission, then this episode is for you!3 reasons why you should listen to the full episode:Learn how Lotus Foods is changing how the world grows rice.Discover why choosing the right lenders is beneficial for your mission.Find out why businesses need both patient capital and debt.Episode Highlights[05:18] How Lotus Foods Started[08:40] Introducing Black Rice to the American Market[10:10] More Crop per Drop[13:11] Reaching Small Scale Farmers[16:47] Economic Impacts[19:03] Bootstrapping Lotus Foods[21:27] Working with RSF[24:42] How RSF Has Helped Lotus Foods[29:48] On Capital and Community Pricing[33:48] Ken's Insights as a Financial Planner[35:15] Working with a Fractional CFO[35:54] Caryl's Final AdviceResourcesHer CEO Journey™ Patient Capital Series:The Ins and Outs of a Venture Capital Fund Part 1 & Part 2Investing in Social ImpactThe Value of Capital for Mission-Driven BusinessImpact Investing and Investment CooperativesHow to Heal the Planet and Create Shared Value for People with Regenerative FinanceConnect with Caryl: LinkedIn | WebsiteEnjoyed This Podcast?Write us a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into the show, then do not hesitate to leave us a review. You can also share this episode with the women you know so they can find financial empowerment and get their ideas into the world.Have any questions about business finance? You can contact our team through LinkedIn or schedule a discovery call with our Profit Reimagined™ experts. You can also suggest topics you're curious about for future episodes to help your business grow. Thanks for listening!For more episode updates, feel free to visit our website. 

An interview with Priyanka Dhopade, Lecturer at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University of Auckland. Priyanka's research expertise is in aerospace thermodynamics and fluid mechanics.  Previously she held a senior research position at the Oxford Thermofluids Institute based at University of Oxford. where she developed computational models for cooling systems in modern jet engines.Priyanka has a bachelors in Aerospace Engineering from Toronto Canada, and a Masters and Phd from University NSW in Canberra, Australia.In this interview, we learn about Priyanka's career journey transitioning from jet propulsion engineer to space industry specialist focusing on reusable rockets and the environmental impact of space missions. We'll also learn about her passion for diversity and sustainable engineering practice in technology ecosystem for Maori and Pasifika communities.ResourcesSpaceBase NZ Aerospace DirectoryWomen in Space Aotearoa New ZealandUniversity of Auckland, Master of Aerospace EngineeringBooksDr. Space Junk vs. The Universe, Alice GormanHosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=64782763&fan_landing=true )

An interview with Jamal Olatunji.  Jamal is a Research Engineer at the Robinson Research Institute at Victoria University of Wellington.  He has degrees in Chemical Engineering, chemistry and nanotechnology from Massey University. He is developing mathematical models of superconducting magnets and machines, and researching applications of high-temperature superconductivity to develop plasma rockets for  interstellar space. In this interview, we learn about Jamal's journey from working in the agritech industry as a mathematical modeler to  working on cutting edge projects on novel electric propulsion systems for space transportation.Resources:Robinson Research InstituteWellington UniventuresEmerging Innovator ProgrammeHosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=64782763&fan_landing=true )

ASBN's NEXT Economy Showcase is an opportunity to hear from high-impact, innovative businesses and investment solutions to building an economy that works for all. From early stage companies, to innovative funds, and more, the NEXT Economy Showcase features 11 investable opportunities that can accelerate our shared work towards creating a sustainable economy that is stakeholder-driven, regenerative, just, and prosperous .Presenters:1. Amalgamated Bank 2. Black Farmer Fund 3. Potlikker Capital 4. Brown Venture Group 5. Mission-Driven Finance 6. Uhusiano Capital 7. RSF Social Finance 8. Opportunity Main Street 9. SmokeFire Media 10. Angels of Impact 11. Downtown Crenshaw In this episode, you will also hear from the following ASBN investor-led initiatives:Restorative InvestingMain Street Lending: CDFIs & Community BanksTransforming Ownership for Social Justice

An interview with Mark Rocket, founder and CEO of KEA Aerospace, developing a solar-powered, unmanned aircraft that will fly continuously in the stratosphere for months at a time to collect frequent high-resolution aerial images. Mark was also a co-founder of Rocket Lab, and the President of Aerospace Christchurch, a group of individuals and organisations that want to grow the economic wealth and aerospace capability of Christchurch.Mark is the very first kiwi to hold a suborbital flight ticket on Virgin Galactic and is just waiting for his turn to fly in space.   In this interview, we are going to ask him about his journey from software guru to one of the most prominent space innovators in New Zealand.Resources:Kea AerospaceAerospace ChristchurchUpcoming events:New Zealand Aerospace Summit 2022Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=64782763&fan_landing=true )

An interview with Jessica Tucker. Jessica  is a senior associate in systems engineering at Beca Applied Technologies, a consulting company focused on high-assurance systems and software engineering in defence and aerospace.Jessica has BS and MS degrees in Physics and has almost twenty years experience in aerospace. Prior to arriving in New Zealand she spent a long career working on compliance and certification at the Aerospace Corporation in California, USA. In this interview, we are going to ask her about her career trajectory as a physicist turned systems engineer, and the fascinating space missions and projects she has been involved in for almost two decades from the Delta Rocket Series to working with Beca .Resources:Upcoming events:Royal Aeronautical Society Symposium - 18 Feb 2022New Zealand Aerospace Summit 2022International Council on Systems EngineeringInternational Council Systems Engineering Handbook  (INCOSE)Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.Support the show through Patreon.  Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=64782763&fan_landing=true )

An interview  with Fia Jones. Fia is CEO of Astrix Astronautics. Astrix is a satellite startup that aims at inventing an alternate power generation system, which produces more power without compromising functionality of a satellite.  In 2019, her team won the New Venture Category Prize at the  Velocity's $100K Challenge.  Fia is pursuing a Physics degree at the University of Auckland when she founded Astrix.  Today, Astrix has received funding from companies like Rocket Lab, K1W1 Ventures  and Icehouse to further its development and is closely advised by Peter Beck.  Astrix is getting ready to launch their first space system from an electron rocket in December!In this interview, Fia talks about her journey so far from space fanatic to scrapy enterpreneur at Astrix . Listen to the incredible story of how she became a CEO at such an early age, and her team's ingenuity, passion, and guts landing them a close relationship with Rocket Lab's CEO. Resources:Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If your Life Depended on it by Chris Voss Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas EriksonY Combinator PodcastNotable space websites:Kindred PartnersWomen in Space Aotearoa New Zealand Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

On this episode, host Alex Kravitz is joined by Jasper van Brakel, the President and CEO of RSF Social Finance. Since the 1980s, RSF has been driving capital to social enterprises supporting a more just and regenerative world. As an intermediary, RSF has long supported direct relationships between transactional partners, which led to the launch of their innovative Community Pricing Gatherings in 2009. These meetings bring together investors in their flagship Social Investment Fund, borrowers from the fund, and RSF staff to set interest rates each quarter. Instead of relying on invisible market forces to dictate interest rates, these meetings create direct relationships between investor and borrower and have proven to be a risk mitigant for investors. During the conversation, Alex and Jasper discuss the Community Pricing Gatherings, other forms of stakeholder governance, RSF's new Racial Justice Collaborative, and much more.

An interview with Thomas Gardner,  Director of Engineering for Advanced Space, a space company supporting the sustainable exploration, development, and settlement of space.Prior to joining Advanced Space, he had experience as the Chief Engineer/Principal Mission Systems Engineer at Moon Express, as a Senior Principal Space Systems Engineer with the Raytheon Missile Systems  NASA/Space Applications Group, and as a senior engineer at Lockheed Martin. He is an expert in spacecraft systems engineering with over 35 years of experience in the field supporting a wide variety of programs including NASA robotic missions, launch vehicles, and the Space Shuttle.  Tom holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, and an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering and M.E. in Engineering Management from the University of Colorado. This interview talks about his career, his extensive experience working in the space industry, and his exciting work on the  CAPstone mission, the first NASA Artemis mission back to the Moon launching this year on a Rocket Lab electron and photon spacecraft.Resources:Advance Space NASA Artemis Return to the Moon Programmehttps://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/CAPSTONE Mission Riding on Rocket Labhttps://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/small_spacecraft/capstoneNotable space websites:LeonardDavid.comSpaceflight.comNASA WatchSpace Policy Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

Sponsored by Tierra Farm | Music by Aaron DessnerIn this episode Hawthorne Valley's Executive Director Martin Ping enjoys a wide ranging conversation with John  Bloom, General Secretary of The Anthroposophical Society in America and former Vice President of Organizational Culture at RSF Social Finance, about the role of money and philanthropy in the creative process, and how money can serve human destiny and foster creativity. In the course of their conversation. You'll hear John mention Free Columbia and now independent 501c3 art and social change initiative that was incubated at Hawthorne Valley, and whose pedagogy is inspired by contemplative inquiry, aesthetic education and action research.

An interview with  Rafael Kargren.  Rafael has extensive background and career in the space industry spanning from ground communication systems to earth observation applications. He has been working closely on many space related projects with space agencies around the world including NASA, ESA, JAXA ISRO, Australian Space Agency, and a number of commercial companies such as SpaceX, RocketLab, Planet, Airbus and Maxar. Rafael has also been playing critical roles in developing and shaping space strategy in countries as Sweden, Luxemburg, Australia, UK, Canada, UAE, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia and New Zealand. He was one of the main contributors in the development of the Australian space strategy and founded Aerospace Christchurch in 2018. He has been involved in implementation of national earth observation data centres and information management systems and has been involved in many international initiatives to improve humanitarian actions and disaster response in the Pasific. He provides active mentoring, coaching and support to several space start-ups and students in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. In this interview, we are going to ask him more about his career path, his extensive experience in the global space industry, and his work to leverage space technologies for the benefit of the planet.Resources:Pacific GIS and Remote Sensing Councilhttp://www.picgisrs.org/ Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

An interview with Kate Breach, an aerospace technical specialist at the New Zealand Space Agency.  Kate is an aeronautical engineer who has worked on military fighter jets and helicopters in New Zealand and the UK, led a team of UN military armistice inspectors in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, represented New Zealand  at international space meetings including the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and regulatesd space rockets and satellites launched from New Zealand. In her current role, Kate engages with New Zealand space companies, universities, international space companies and other national space agencies to help further develop the New Zealand space sector, providing technical input and advice to the New Zealand Space Agency. Kate graduated from University of Canterbury with a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) with Honours before working as an Engineering Officer in both the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Royal Air Force in the UK, where she led a team of engineers working on Eurofighter fighter jets.  She holds a Master of International Relations and has worked in corporate business development and project management roles and in foreign policy for New Zealand, before joining the New Zealand Space Agency.In this interview, we are going to talk about Kate's career journey and how her engineering background, combined with international relations, policy, and business has led her to working for the NZ Space Agency.Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.ResourcesNZ Space Agency NZSA Careers In Space

An interview with Nicholas Borroz, founder of space sector-focused consultancy Rotoiti and Filling Space, a social enterprise that democratices engagement with space. Nicholas is completing his doctoral studies in international business at the University of Auckland. Before moving to New Zealand, he worked as a business intelligence consultant in Washington, DC, and before that as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand. Nicholas studied International Relations at Macalester College and International Economics at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at the Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, USA.In this interview, we are going to talk about his career journey and how he managed to take the leap from business intelligence to space consultant in New Zealand.Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.ResourcesFilling Space  - Democratising Engagement with SpaceRotoiti - Intelligence for the Space Sector

An interview with Dr. Craig Rodger, professor of space physics at the Department of Physics at University of Otago.  Craig has a BSc(Hons) in Physics, and a PhD degree in Space Physics.  His areas of research are in space weather, atmospheric electricity, and most recently carbon emissions in transport. He has won numerous awards including the University of Otago Excellence in Teaching Award, Fullbright New Zealand Scholar Award, and the Inaugural Hatherton Award from the Royal Society of New Zealand. In this interview, we are going to talk about Prof Rodger’s career journey and his passion and research interest in space.Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.ResourcesThe World Wide Lightning Location Network

An interview with Miranda Satterthwaite, Antarctic Academy Director at the International Antarctic Centre.  Miranda has multiple degrees in Physical and Biological Sciences, Psychology and Political Science,  and Masters degrees in Business Administration and Education. In the past she has worked for the Centre for Earth Space Science Technology (Xerra), Lincoln University, and ARA Institute of Technology.In this interview, we are going to learn about Miranda’s career journey from ski instructor to space and STEM specialist, and her passion to educate the future generation of kiwis working towards a successful NZ aerospace industry of the future.Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

An interview with Robin McNeil,  Engineering and Ground segment Manager at Great South where he oversees the space programmes.  Robin is called the "Dish Master" at the Awarua Ground Stations located in Invercargill.  In the past he has worked for Thermo Cell and the International Telecommunications Union. Robin has an honours degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Canterbury and a  BA in English from Massey University. He is a Fellow of IPENZ (Interprofessional Education NZ), Senior Member of IEEE, and a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.In this interview, we are going to talk about Robin’s career journey and the importance of his ground station work at the bottom of the world in support of international space missions around the globe.Additional Resources:Spacecraft Operations by Uhlig, Thomas, Sellmaier, Florian, Schmidhuber, Michael (Eds.)Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBase Music: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0) If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

Joel Solomon is a Founding Partner of Renewal Funds, Canada's largest mission venture capital firm, at $240 million assets under management. Investing in organic food and climate tech in Canada and the USA, Renewal Funds is GIIRS-rated, a founding Canadian B Corp (5x “Best for the World”), a “1% for the Planet” member, recognized as Impact Assets “Top 50 impact fund managers.” Joel is a frequent public speaker, board member of the University of British Columbia, co-producer of the Integrated Capital Institute with RSF Social Finance, and co-author of The Clean Money Revolution: Re-Inventing Power, Purpose & Capitalism.

An interview with Sarah Blyde, Manufacturing Data Administrator at Rocket Lab. Sarah has a Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland, and a Masters of Space Studies from the International Space University. She volunteers for Rocket Women, an international organization working to inspire the next generation of young women to pursue careers in STEM. In addition, Sarah is one of two National Points of Contact in New Zealand for the Space Generation Advisory Council, a global non-profit organization and network which aims to represent university students and young space professionals to the United Nations, space agencies, industry, and academia.In this interview, we talk about Sarah’s personal journey from NZ to the world and back in pursuit of her space career, and how she is helping grow the space community in New Zealand now that she is back.Additional Resources:Rocket Lab Careers - career positions and job opportunities at Rocket LabInternational Space University - is dedicated to the discovery, research, and development of outer space and its applications for peaceful purposes, through international and multidisciplinary education and research programs.Rocket Women -aims to empower diverse young women to choose a career in STEMSpace Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) - is a global non-governmental, non-profit organisation and network which aims to represent university students and young space professionals to the United Nations, space agencies, industry, and academia.People Sarah Follow:Kirsten Banks is an astrophysicist and science communicator who loves to share her love for space and astronomy.Tim Dodd, also known as The Everyday Astronaut, is a science communicator, photographer, and musicianHosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBase Music: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0) If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

Joel Solomon is a Founding Partner of Renewal Funds, Canada's largest mission venture capital firm, at $240 million assets under management. Investing in organic food and climate tech in Canada and the USA, Renewal Funds is GIIRS-rated. Joel is a frequent public speaker, board member of the University of British Columbia, co-producer of the Integrated Capital Institute with RSF Social Finance, and co-author of “The Clean Money Revolution: Re-Inventing Power, Purpose & Capitalism.”

An interview with Gary Freedman, founder and CEO of ElectricAir, a clean aviation company bringing electric flight to New Zealand. He’s worked for green energy companies in the UK. like Ecotricity, the very first green energy company in the world, and with Meridian in New Zealand who only generate from renewable energy sources. His Pipistrel Alpha Electro is the first electric plane in NZ.In this interview, we talked about Gary’s personal journey from clean and sustainable energy to sustainable aviation, and his role in bringing the first electric airplane to New Zealand. From his vision to create a fleet of electric training planes, to catalyzing a domestic electric-driven aviation economy in New Zealand, his moonshot is inspirational and brings us closer to a sustainable future in transportation.Additional Resources:For information on how to fly with ElectricAir or arrange a visit, go to the website or send an email to info@electricair.com.Fully Charged - show on everything about electric vehiclesHosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBase Music: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0) If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

An interview with Chelsea Robinson, a serial impact founder with a background in complex problem solving. She cofounded Generation Zero, a movement of young kiwis aiming to build cross party political support for net zero emissions by 2050. She is an Edmund Hillary Fellow from New Zealand currently based in San Francisco. Chelsea is the COO of Open Lunar, an organization seeking to catalyse a peaceful, cooperative lunar settlement on the Moon. In this interview, we talked to Chelsea’s about her journey birthing an environmental movement for zero net emissions in NZ, to ensuring a sustainable future for humanity on the Moon.Additional Resources:Enspiral.comLoomio.orgOpen Lunar Open Mission Design Repository"Why Should Humans Explore Space" by Larry LemkeHosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBase Music: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0) If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

An interview with Max Arshavsky, CEO and Co-Founder of Zenno Astronautics, a satellite propulsion and software company based in Auckland with an aim to make space exploration commercially compelling and sustainable. Max has degrees in Engineering Science and Biomedical Engineering from the University of Auckland. He studied Mathematics and Physics at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute in Russia. In this interview, we talked to Max’s about his personal journey towards a career in the space industry, and how his cutting edge work on Zenno astronautics could have the potential to revolutionize satellite constellation propulsion, and on-orbit servicing - dramatically simplifying how we explore space.Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBase Music: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0) If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

An interview with Dr. Allan Scott, Associate Professor at the University of Canterbury, College of Engineering. Allan has a masters of Science in Engineering and a Doctor of Philosophy from Cape Town. HIs primary research is related to understanding the influence of material properties and environmental conditions on the durability of reinforced concrete structures, and the development of durability models to assist in the prediction of service life and the optimization of repair strategies.Most recently, he is the co-founder of Aspiring Materials, a research service on the industrialization and implementation of strategies and materials that will reduce global industrial carbon dioxide emissions and provide 'boutique' answers for critical/unusual problems whether on Earth, Mars, or the Moon.In this interview, we are going to learn about Alan’s work in material science and how new innovation in developing carbon neutral cement can be leveraged to buld critical components like space habitats and landing pads on the Moon, Mars and beyond.Additional Resources:Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBase Music: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0) If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

The pandemic crisis has provided an opportunity to rebuild a better economy using a deeper systemic approach The post From Crisis to New Economic Models: Jasper van Brakel of RSF Social Finance appeared first on SEE Change Magazine.

An interview with Mahima Seth, currently a science student at the University of Auckland, majoring in physics and geophysics. Mahima served as an Avionics Technician in the Royal New Zealand Airforce and for Rocket Lab. She led the winning team of the 2018 Act In Space Hackathon, presenting the team's idea for "Autonomous Robotics system for in orbit repairs" at the International Space Festival in Tolouse, France. She was part of the 3rd Auckland Programme for Space Systems mission - a cubesat design project competition slated to go up in space via Rocket Lab's electron rocket. Mahima has given presentations for schools around the country talking about space and astronauts. She is excited about sharing her passion for space, becoming an astronaut, and showcasing what New Zealand has to offer to the global space community.In this interview, we are going to talk about Mahima's experience working towards her ultimate goal of becoming an astronaut, and proving that the first step is to muster the courage to know what you want, and have the perseverance to follow it through.Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBase Music: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0) If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

An interview with Julia Rothman, a kiwi with two decades of experience designing and launching space systems for the US Government. She worked as the Missile Defence Agency’s first Space Flight Test Engineer. She helped fund the development of new weather models and an Antarctic receiver site doubling the advance warning time for Category 5 hurricanes after Hurricane Katrina. Julia has spent the last 5 years designing a system tracking space debris. She has degrees in Physics, Engieering and Business Administration. In this interview, we are going to talk about Julia’s career from NZ to the US then back again, her experience working on defense space and understanding the challenges, benefits, and roles that space technology play for national and global security. Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBase Music: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0) If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

An interview with James Parr, Founder and CEO of Trillium Technologies – specializing in the application of merging technologies to grand challenges. He is the Director of NASA’s Frontier Development Lab, an AI research accelerator based in Silicon Valley and FDL Europe in partnership with ESA. He also co founded Open Space Agency – dedicated to the democratisation of space exploration through citizen science and open hardware.James is also pioneering a new Data Quest accelerator program in Australia and New Zealand focused on mitigating bushfire challenges in the region using AI, machine learning and space technologies. The new week long sprint is set to debut on 7 August 2020. In this interview, we are going to talk about James’ journey from New Zealand to Europe and the U.S., establishing international space initiatives around the world, and his passion on leveraging space and technology to solve hard problems for the benefit of humanity. Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

An interview with Philipp Sueltrop ,the Chief Technology officer for Kea Aerospace- a company working on a range of aerospace projects including a design of a high altitude pseudo satellite in partnership with the University of Canterbury. Philipp has a BS in Mechanical Engineering, a Masters in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, and a Ph.D. on Rocket flight mechanics and control from the University of Canterbury.In this interview, we are going to talk about Philipp’s journey to New Zealand in search of the perfect space R&D environment, his work on rockets and high altitude platforms, and his focus to commercialise the stratosphere.Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

Financial capital is a critical ingredient in any economic development effort, and groups that lack access to capital face a significant barrier to participation and prosperity. Often those with the least are charged the most for access, a reality known as the “poverty premium.” Community Credit Lab is a social enterprise non-profit organization working to provide access to capital for those who have difficulty securing financing. Community Credit Lab co-founders Sandhya Nakhasi and Ryan Glasgo join to talk about their work to eliminate the “poverty premium”, why no interest lending is realistic, and how affordable credit can be a powerful tool in communities. Notes: Community Credit Lab: www.communitycreditlab.org To support Community Credit Lab: https://www.patreon.com/communitycreditlab Community Credit Lab Twitter: https://twitter.com/affordcredit Community Credit Lab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/23768710 Mission Asset Fund: https://missionassetfund.org/ Boston Impact Initiative: https://bostonimpact.org/ Boston Ujima: https://www.ujimaboston.com/ RSF Social Finance: https://rsfsocialfinance.org/

Financial capital is a critical ingredient in any economic development effort, and groups that lack access to capital face a significant barrier to participation and prosperity. Often those with the least are charged the most for access, a reality known as the “poverty premium.” Community Credit Lab is a social enterprise non-profit organization working to provide access to capital for those who have difficulty securing financing. Community Credit Lab co-founders Sandhya Nakhasi and Ryan Glasgo join to talk about their work to eliminate the “poverty premium”, why no interest lending is realistic, and how affordable credit can be a powerful tool in communities. Notes: Community Credit Lab: www.communitycreditlab.org To support Community Credit Lab: https://www.patreon.com/communitycreditlab Community Credit Lab Twitter: https://twitter.com/affordcredit Community Credit Lab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/23768710 Mission Asset Fund: https://missionassetfund.org/ Boston Impact Initiative: https://bostonimpact.org/ Boston Ujima: https://www.ujimaboston.com/ RSF Social Finance: https://rsfsocialfinance.org/

An interview with Jim Hefkey, the director of the Auckland Programme for Space Systems – an undergraduate program that challenges students to solve problems using satellites. He currently holds the position of Professional Teaching Fellow at the University of Auckland and has been part of a team working with University and Government to establish the Space Systems Institute for NZ. He also lectures in Engineering Systems, Technology Management and Engineering Management. He is the POC for UNISEC in NZ, a global space organization created to build a world where space science and technology is used by individuals and institutions in every country.He holds an M.E. in Manufacturing Systems, a postgraduate Business Qualification in Engineering Management and a postgraduate Teaching Qualification in Academic Practice. He has forty years’ engineering experience in manufacturing, automation and machine design. In this interview, JIm talks about the educational programs and opportunities available today for anyone interested in starting a career in space - from joining high powered rocketry clubs, to learning about building cubesats. He talks about different educational programs and university space related courses on the horizon to help grow the space industry in New Zealand.Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

An interview with Dr. Sian Proctor, CEO of Flight Ready systems. Sian is a geoscientist, STEM communicator, and analog astronaut, who gets to travel and participate in unique learning experiences around the world. She was a PolarTREC teacher in Alaska, an astronomy educator ambassador to Chile, and a NOAA Teacher at Sea in Alaska. She has participated in the HI-SEAS program, a NASA funded analog habitat for living on Mars in Hawaii. Sian has a B.S. in Environmental Science, an M.S. in Geology and a PHd in Curriculum and Instruction on Science Education. She is a geology, sustainability and planetary science professor at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2009, she was short listed to the top 50 candidates for the NASA astronaut selection program out of 3,500 applicants. She’s been featured on numerous tv shows including the Discovery Channel show The Colony. She devotes a lot of her time in STEM communication and inspiring the next generation of space explorers.In this interview, Sian talks about how life trows curve balls at us and brings abundant opportunities. She talks about her experience as an astronaut candidate, to a four time participant of analog missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as exotic trips to the ends of the Earth in the name of environmental science and sustainability.Hostd by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

I talk with two incredible economic thinkers and activists, John Bloom (of RSF Social Finance) and Conor McCabe (his second appearance on the show, his first was on AEWCH 76!) in plain language about how we need to think about the economy as we emerge from global crisis.

An interview with Haritina Mogosanu, Executive Director of the New Zealand Astrobiology Network and a research scientist for the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science. She is the Senior Science Communicator at Space Place at Carter Observatory and is also a founding board member of Kiwispace and New Zealand Mars Society. Haritina was educated in Romania, in horticultural engineering and has Master degrees in Environmental Management and International Security in Intelligence. She was nominated for the Wellingtonian of the year award in 2015, and awarded the International Year of Astronomy 2009 certificate of appreciation. She holds the honour of having Asteroid 7101 Haritina named after her. In this interview, we are going to talk about Haritina’s personal journey and influence in the growing space industry in New Zealand and her passion to educate and inspire everyone about space, astronomy and science. For more info on Haritina:LinkedInNZ Astrobiology NetworkCurious MindsResourcesNASAESANew ScientistMilky Way KiwiCheck out Carl Sagan, Neil De-Grasse Tyson and Seth SiostakHostd by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

An interview with Dr. Sarah Kessans, a US-born New Zealand scientist and biochemist, a multi-national champion in rowing and was in the top 50 applicants—out of over 18,000—in the NASA's 2017 Astronaut Candidate Selection.She’s earned degrees in plant and molecular biologies, worked on a plant-based HIV vaccine, and is now working at the cutting edge of synthetic biology solutions to combat climate change, facilitate space settlements, and advance innovations in medicine and agriculture. Most recently, she got a $500,000 Catalyst grant from MBIE to support her proposal to develop nanosatellites for protein crystallisation over the next three years.In this interview, she talks about her passion for biology and adventure, both of which have yielded incredible experiences. She talks about her perspectives on how biology can create humanity's sustainable pathway to future space settlements and how her work can lead to a thriving space synthetic biology research hub in the region.For more info on Sarah:LinkedinUniversity of CanterburyHer resource recommendations:NASA.govThe Martian by Andy WeirHostd by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

An interview with Stefan Powell, Chief Technology Officer of Dawn Aerospace. Stefan earned degrees in aerospace, astronautical and space systems engineering at Delft University in the Netherlands. He has worked for space companies like Hyperion Technologies and was on the Rocket Lab team testing the first firings of the electron rocket. Today he works at Dawn aerospace looking to be the first company to launch a space plane twice within a day and developing green propulsion for rockets and spacecraft. In this interview, Stefan talks about founding Dawn Aerospace and how it is literally at the dawn of a new era of space transportation - resuable, sustainable, and making the world a better place. Listen to how his own perseverance, experience and undying motivation has brought him to the cusp of launching a true, reusable spaceplane from New Zealand.For more info on Stefan:LinkedinDawn AerospaceOffer:Paint our Spaceplane Design CompetitionDeadline: 30 April 30 2020Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

An interview with Glen WIlloughby, Chief Digital Information Officer for Nilo Consulting and Director for ISB. He is currently an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow (Faculty of Health) at Victoria University of Wellington and Advising Fellow (IT Digital) at NASA Jet Population Laboratory.Glen has over twenty-five years’ experience in the digital technology and management consulting field, spanning health, engineering, manufacturing, tertiary education, and finance/consulting sectors across New Zealand, Australia and US. In 2018 he was ranked in the top ten digital innovation CIOs in New Zealand by CIO publication Top 100 and is a regular international keynote conference speaker on digital leadership, transformation, and innovation. In this interview, Glen shares his experience and work involvement at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He also talks about the kiwi culture of ingenuity, and "can do attitude", coupled with today's exponential technologies is creating new opportunities for New Zealand.For more info on Glen:LinkedinISB ProfileResourcesNASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryHostd by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

(Re) Humans Series ReHumans are inspiring leaders committed to understanding what it means to be human in the 2020s and beyond, as our times are complexifying and our spirit is uniting. Together we are reimagining the new narrative and redefining what success means. What does the world require most these days ? A conversation with Sandy Wiggins. Read more below about Sandy's practice, training and overall creations. About Sandy Wiggins: Statement of Practice: Each of us has the capacity to be fully awake and fully alive. In fact, this is what we are called to be from the moment of our first breath. It is our destiny. It is also what is most needed in the world. The stories that dominate our lives, our unconscious beliefs, childhood relationships with care givers, cultural conditioning, and physical and emotional trauma are some of the barriers that keep us from this destiny. Breath is a portal through which we can heal and transcend all of that, enabling us to access our innate capacity to be fully awake and fully alive. As a practitioner, I work with individuals and groups using breath to activate this capacity that we all possess. Inspiration Training: I completed the entire Inspiration curriculum and spent many years under the guidance of Inspiration’s founder and principal teacher, Jessica Dibb, and other Inspiration practitioners training as a breathworker. I am certified as an Integrative Breathwork Practitioner by Inspiration and the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance. I continue to be an active member of the Inspiration Community as a learner, guide and part of an ongoing Bodhisattva circle. Other Training: In addition to Integrative Breathwork, I have studied Therapeutic Breathwork, Holotropic Breathwork, and Coherent Breathing. I began my adult life in a monastery, followed by a classical education in Physics and Philosophy. I have been a lifelong student of Eastern and Western philosophies and wisdom traditions and have studied and practiced numerous meditation and transformational techniques over 40 years, including Contemplative Prayer, Vipassana, Transcendental Mediation, TM advanced techniques and the TM-Sidhi program, Zen and Kriya yoga. I have studied Archetypal Patterns at the Assisi Institute, studied the Enneagram extensively including coursework on the Enneagram for Healing Practitioners, and completed the Landmark Curriculum for Living. I have also engaged in a variety of coursework on systems theory with Fritjof Capra and Margaret Wheatley. I spent many years as a business executive before realizing the damage that was being wrought on life by our current economy, at which point I redirected my life energy toward changing that. I went on to chair the U.S. Green Building Council and helped to develop the LEED rating system and move it out into the world. I also chaired the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), an organization that is working to create economies that work for all, and have worked extensively as a Sr. Advisor to RSF Social Finance to redirect capital flows in ways that support life. As a student of process and systems, I became an NCI certified Charrette Manager and Facilitator and have worked across the U.S. to help communities in their efforts to become socially just and environmentally sustainable. In addition to my breathwork practice, I also facilitate workshops, communities of practice and retreats focussed on personal transformation, equitable economies, environmental sustainability and culture change.

"If you've got a supply chain that is literally killing people or giving them bad diseases, you've got a problem with employment. You need a social license, and for every actions that you take there are responsibilities for those actions." Episode #62 of Season 2 of The Social Impactors Podcast features #SocialImpactor Joel Solomon, Joel Solomon is a Founding Partner of Renewal Funds, Canada's largest mission venture capital firm, at $240 million assets under management. Investing in organics and climate tech in Canada and the USA, Renewal Funds is GIIRS-rated, a founding Canadian B Corp (5x “Best for the World”), a “1% for the Planet” member, recognized as ImpactAssets “Top 50 impact fund managers”. Joel is also a frequent public speaker, co-producer of the Integrated Capital Institute with RSF Social Finance, and co-author of The Clean Money Revolution: Re-Inventing Power, Purpose & Capitalism. Joel and I talk about the importance of having a social license in your business, why and how businesses can make money while benefiting a safe and secure future, and how we can work together to build a better future through investing in clean tech, climate tech, and organic food tech. Leave a #iTunes review to help new people find it! Link: https://apple.co/2WI5Ckn Email me if you have a special guest in mind that you want me to host on the podcast! Link: thesocialimpactors@gmail.com #SocialImpactEverywhere --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theimpactorspodcast/support

An interview with Dr. Duncan Steel, space scientist, astronomer, and world reknown author. Over the past thirty years Duncan has worked on space projects in the US, UK, Australia, Sweden, Canada and NZ. His research has focussed largely on asteroids, comets and meteors, but he has also been involved in planning missions to Mars and the search for life elsewhere. Additionally he is an expert on the history and astronomical basis of calendars. Duncan is the author of four books, over 140 research papers, and more than a thousand articles in newspapers and magazines published around the globe. He has appeared in dozens of TV documentaries, and hundreds of radio interviews. Asteroid 4713 Steel is named for him, as is a lunar-roving robot in one of Arthur C. Clarke’s science-fiction novels. In this interview, he talks about his extensive work on interstellar particles detection (a first in the world), writing the book that inspired the movies Armageddon and Deep Impact, his work at Xerra, and the practical ways you can get involved in the NZ space community. For more info on Duncan:Duncan SteelHis Books and Publications His resource recommendations:Space.comSpace CampNASA Internships for New ZealandHostd by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

An interview with Dr. Maria Pozza, Founder and Director of Gravity Lawyers. Maria is New Zealand's first space lawyer specialising in international space law. She has a PhD in international law and policy in outer space, and a Masters in International Studies with distinction. In 2013 Maria secured a visiting fellowship at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at the University of Cambridge. She was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in 2014. She has also worked for notable companies such as Govett & Quilliam, TSB Bank and Flick Energy Co.In this interview, she talks about her journey as a space lawyer and the challenges and opportunities of opening up the space frontier in New Zealand and beyond.For more info on Maria:LinkedinGravity LawyersHostd by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

Joel is a Founding Partner of Renewal Funds, Canada's largest mission venture capital firm at over $200m, investing in Organics and EnviroTech. He is a Senior Advisor with RSF Social Finance and Co-Producer of their Integrated Capital Institute, a Founding Member of Social Venture Network, Business for Social Responsibility, Board Chair of Hollyhock and serves on the University of British Columbia Board of Governors. Joel’s book, The Clean Money Revolution, is a call to action to move trillions of dollars from damage to regeneration. #consciouscapitalism #impactinvestment #investmentstrategy #investing #powerlunchlive #linkedinlive #dogood www.powerlunch.live    

An interview with Peter Toth, CEO of Extraterrestrial Power. Originally from Hungary, Peter has a Masters in Computer Science from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. He has worked on embedded devices such as marine VHF, digital satellite news gathering units for Ericsson, and cupboard size computers for Endace.Later, he branched out to producing silicon solar cells in the lab, and developed his passion towards green technologies - solar, wind and electric vehicles. This became the inspiration for making solar cells out of Moon soil which lead to Extraterrestrial Power. In this interview, he talks about his career and his startup, focusing on creating power and electricity using lunar soil for the wave of space missions settling the Moon and the solar system.For more info on Peter:LinkedinExtraterrestrial PowerHostd by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

An interview with Alex Fleming, Co-founder and CTO of iMetalX Group and an Edmund Hillary Fellow. He’s worked for companies like Lockheed Martin and General Electric, was a researcher for NASA, and served as CTO for companies such as Dehlsen Associates and SkyBase here in New Zealand. He graduated with a Bachelors of Aerospace from Georgia Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon with an MBA sponsored by Lockheed Martin.This interview focuses on Alex's long history of building aircraft, jet engines and robotic vehicles, a passion born since childhood through learning by experience. He talks about his learning experience and perspective on the benefits of building and testing aerospace technologies in New Zealand and how there's no limit to the possibilities of engaging in this new industry.For more info on Alex:LinkedinIMetalXBook Recommendation:Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond. Hostd by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

An interview with Kelly Snook, Professor of Media Arts Technology at the University of Brighton in the U.K. with a background in aerospace engineering, music production, audio engineering, and data sonification research. She holds a PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University and studied at the International Space University were we both met a long time ago. She spent two decades as a NASA Research Scientist, with a focus on Mars and the moon, before turning her attention to music full-time. She is now also an Edmund Hillary Fellowship Fellow.The interview focuses on her multi-disciplinary projects such as Kepler Concordia and the Mimugloves , her experiences working for NASA, her passion for music, and her life philosophy on how people and technology can make a better a world.For more info on Kelly:LinkedinKellySnook.comKepler ConcordiaMimuglovesHostd by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through The Gift Trust or RSF Social Finance (for US charitable donations) and indicate "SpaceBase" gift account.

“Why not have money be more life-giving? Let’s use our money to create conditions for more hope, inspiration, and love, because beneath it all, love is the true nutrient.” – Joel Solomon Joel Solomon is founding partner of Renewal Funds, Canada’s largest mission venture capital firm at over $98m, investing in Organics and EnviroTech in North America. Committed to investing in early growth stage companies in Canada and the United States, Renewal Funds delivers above-market returns while catalyzing positive social and environmental change. Joel also serves as a Senior Advisor with RSF Social Finance and is now co-leading their “Integrated Capital Fellowship Program” for social change investment leaders. Joel was featured as a 2012 TEDxVancouver Speaker, where he spoke about the transformational journey that led him to discover his life’s purpose. “I believe that we’re on a massive renewal in how we understand money,” he said. “No matter how much or how little each of us has, what we do with it is somewhere an expression of what we care about and our beliefs about the world. Naturally, and understandably, all of us want to have enough. My suggestion, and something that I make myself do is on a regular basis, a periodic basis, is to remember to consider how much is enough.” A Founding Member of Social Venture Circle, Business for Social Responsibility, and Tides Canada Foundation, Joel believes in investing in companies and communities that are dedicated to solving the key economic, environmental, and social issues of our time. Joel is also the co-author of The Clean Money Revolution, a book that calls for the reinvention of power, purpose, and capitalism. A must-read for investors, wealth advisors, aspiring entrepreneurs, and all who want their values and money to work together to transform the future, Joel implores readers to take actions to align their dollars with their values. “If we think long-term and we get the best lines that there are to consider how we might reverse some of the trends that we’ve set in motion as humans, just innocently in many ways, just going about without knowing, we’ve created some messes. There’s enough, there’s more than enough money on the planet to solve all of it. But it requires will and some thoughtfulness about the steps and some fair sharing of resources.” Joel serves on the University of British Columbia Board of Governors, and as Chair of Hollyhock, a nonprofit organization situated in the traditional territories of the Klahoose, Tla’amin, Homalco Nations; on what is currently called Cortes Island. Offering over 80 programs and conferences each year, Hollyhock serves to inspire, nourish and support people making the world better. Join us in conversation with this transformational change-maker!

Deb Nelson looks after clients and community engagement at RSF Social Finance, she’s based in the bay Area, and I was lucky to get a chance to sit down with her during my week in San Francisco. The SOCAP conference is all about people and relationships. And business deals are simply another form of a relationship. It’s a profound concept, because it flips the idea of a negotiation being a battle, and it turns it into a much more intimate interaction between two people, and likely between two communities. Follow all the stories at www.johntreadgold.com Enjoy

Deb Nelson is the Vice President of Client & Community Engagement at RSF Social Finance. At RSF Social Finance they envision a world in which money serves the highest intentions of the human spirit and contributes to an economy based on generosity and interconnectedness. Learn Deb’s thoughts about how money can be used to heal the world around us. Deb is passionate about economic justice, women’s rights/human rights, environmental sustainability, hiking amidst redwood forests, and courageous leadership.   Key Takeaways: [:01] Carley Hauck — founder of Living Well Awake and the Shine podcast — introduces the sponsor for this episode: RSF Social Finance. [2:15] Carley reflects on the need for hospicing old ways in our beautiful world, and introduces Deb Nelson, VP of Client and Community Engagement, who has come onto today’s podcast to share a new financial system that can better support all people and our planet. [5:52] Deb outlines the experiences from her childhood and winding career path that helped shape her views of money and the need to reinvent its place in our world today. [9:14] The questions everyone should take time to answer in order to identify their relationship with money and ways money can be used to support values. [11:48] An overview of the work and initiative of RSF Social Finance, its investors and donors. [13:02] A spotlight on Jessica Norwood, social entrepreneur and founder of The Runway Project, who tackled the racial wealth gap issue in the US head-on and has created an immensely successful company as a result. [17:29] A look at the social investment fund at RSF Finance and the kind of people that are working to create an economy based on connection rather than separation. [23:01] Deb’s recipe for resilience as she juggles her many roles as a mother, a career woman and a deliberate leader starts with humility and persistence. [26:29] Feeling all of the emotions that live in our bodies without getting stuck in the story that accompanies them is a far more healthy and productive way to face the hard realities of today’s world. [35:33] A spotlight on Sallie Calhoun of the #NoRegrets initiative who used her wealth to focus on fighting climate changes and regenerative agriculture and soil health solutions. [38:43] Deb closes with the call to question assumptions about money and reject the belief that you can’t move money for good. [39:54] Carley encourages listeners to learn more about RSF Finance and offers an overview of the free coaching sessions that she is offering her through the Womens Conscious Leadership program.   This Episode Sponsored By: RSF Social Finance   Resources: Living Well Awake Website Living Well Awake newsletter www.livingwellawake.com/developing-people Carley Hauck on Instagram Carley Hauck on LinkedIn Lead From Light Daily Rituals Womens Conscious Leadership Program RSF Social Finance The Runway Project #NoRegrets Initiative  

Meghan French Dunbar is the founder of Conscious Company Magazine. Meghan saw the importance of making a difference in the lives of others. She discovered the power of business to be a force for good in the world through her work at the Environmental Defense Fund and then deepened her sense of purpose at the Presidio Graduate School. Megan will share how to be a world-changing woman connected to purpose, planet, all while holding the roles of wife, entrepreneur, and motherhood.   Key Takeaways: [:01] Carley Hauck introduces herself as the founder of Living Well Awake, the new Shine podcast, and the sponsor of this episode, RSF Social Finance [2:08] Carley reflects on the 40,000 acres of Amazon rainforests that are on fire and the current state of the world ecosystem and offers encouragement for the future. [4:28] Carley introduces Meghan French Dunbar, CEO of Conscious Company Media, which focuses on sustainability, careers, and business. [6:25] Meghan shares the path that led her to starting a company that produces a magazine for the next generation that focuses on sustainable, conscious, purpose driven business. [8:12] TRU Colors Brewery is one company that has inspired Meghan by their efforts to change a community for the better by working with local gangs. [12:36] Bravery, vulnerability, and authenticity are three words that Carley uses to describe Meghan, and they discuss how any leader can cultivate these characteristics to be true to themselves and more effective in their leadership. [20:01] New leaders and emerging entrepreneurs can learn from the mistakes Meghan made, including telling yourself a different story when things get hard, taking care of yourself, spending time in nature, and nurturing relationships. [26:10] Meghan’s recipe for resilience in light of motherhood starts with strengthening her family relationships and setting intentions for what you want an experience to be. [32:57] Meghan’s values including expressing and receiving love and valuing exploration and lifelong learning. [34:58] Surrounding yourself with like minded people and giving yourself permission to take time off from your work will strengthen your ability to lead effectively and with love. [40:41] Meghan’s excitement about motherhood centers around her opportunity to help shape a better world for the future of her son. [45:39] All about Spectrum — the premier gathering of multicultural changemakers creating an inclusive impact economy. [50:10] The capabilities of the up and coming generation gives Meghan hope about the future of the world and business. [52:43] Carley encourages listeners to connect with her and to leave a review for her podcast so that it can inspire even more listeners.   This Episode Sponsored By: RSF Social Finance   Resources: Living Well Awake Website Living Well Awake newsletter www.livingwellawake.com/developing-people www.livingwellawake.com/executive-coaching Carley Hauck on Instagram Carley Hauck on LinkedIn Lead From Light Daily Rituals Conscious Company Media World Changing Women Podcast TRU Colors Brewery Spectrum

Episode 104: Joel Solomon, founding partner of Renewal Funds and co-author of The Clean Money Revolution, talks about his changing relationship with money and how we can use our money for the greater good. Guest Biography Joel Solomon is a Founding Partner of Renewal Funds, Canada's largest mission venture capital firm, at over $98m assets under management. Investing in Organics and EnviroTech in Canada and the USA, Renewal Funds is GIIRS-rated, a founding Canadian B Corp (5x “Best for the World”), a “1% for the Planet” member, recognized as ImpactAssets “Top 50 impact fund managers.” Joel serves as a Senior Advisor with RSF Social Finance and speaks frequently throughout North America, including a 2012 TEDxVancouver talk. He is a founding member of Social Venture Network (SVN), Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), the Tides Canada Foundation, and is board chair of Hollyhock. From 1993 to 2008, Joel managed the Family Office activities of Carol Newell. Together, they pioneered an integrated use of capital for social impact that is now growing as a strategy for deep mission investors. Joel has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from SVN and was recently inducted with Carol Newell into the SVN Hall of Fame. Joel is Co-Author with Tyee Bridge of Clean Money Revolution, a call to action to know where your money is and what it is doing to whom right now, and to move trillions of dollars from damage to regeneration. In this episode, you'll learn: About Joel's shift from a negative to positive relationship with money The long-term importance of aligning your investing with your values We'll learn about ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Investing and how your desired legacy can shape your priorities. Show notes: http://www.inspiredmoney.fm/104 Find more from our guest: joelsolomon.org facebook.com Twitter LinkedIn Instagram Mentioned in this episode: renewalfunds.com Jim Crow The Clean Money Revolution: Reinventing Power, Purpose, and Capitalism by Joel Solomon and Tyee Bridge Runnymede Tip of the Week: Wants vs. Needs Thanks for Listening! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter or Facebook. Join us at the Inspired Money Makers groups at facebook and LinkedIn To help out the show: Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Your ratings and reviews really help, and I read each one. Email me your address, and I'll mail you an autographed copy of Kimo West and Ken Emerson's CD, Slackers in Paradise. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Special thanks to Jim Kimo West for the music.

Shownotes Joel Solomon is Founding Partner of Renewal Funds, Canada’s largest mission venture capital firm at over $98M, investing in Organics and EnviroTech in Canada and the USA. With Founder/Funder Carol Newell, he spent 14 years implementing a “whole portfolio to mission” strategy as leader of her activist Family Office. As Executive Director of Endswell Foundation, Joel guided the spend down of a $20M endowment, leaving Tides Canada Foundation and Hollyhock as legacy charities, while supporting the success of the renowned BC environmental community. As President of Carol’s Renewal Partners seed capital fund, he placed $10M+ into dozens of values driven companies in BC and through their networks across the continent. Joel was active in the launch of the municipal political party Vision Vancouver, led by close friend, Mayor Gregor Robertson, the longest serving Mayor in Vancouver, and co-founder of Happy Planet Foods, where Joel served on the board for 10 years. He is co-producer of RSF Social Finance’s “Integrated Capital Fellows” program for social change investment leaders, a 2012 TEDxVancouver Speaker, a Founding Member of Social Venture Network (SVN), Business for Social Responsibility, and the Tides Canada Foundation, and recently retired Board Chair of Hollyhock. Joel is a member of the University of British Columbia Board of Governors, and Co-Author of The Clean Money Revolution, a call to action to move trillions of dollars from damage to regeneration. Joel Solomon website Joel’s mission: “Do everything we can so people who come next have blessings we had and can do even better.” Joel’s one-line message to the world: “Know where your money is and what it is doing to people and places. Do less harm. Do more good with it.” The SUE Speaks Blog Post about Joel Solomon Talking points from this episode The biggest transfer of wealth in history will occur during the next 20 years The Clean Money Revolution is us being conscious with what gets supported by that 40-100 trillion dollars. A little history of money The perils of late-stage capitalism - the system must change How much is enough? Then, what am I going to do with more money? Every single part of society is going to go through transformation economically Becoming conscious of how your money is invested Assets should be moved into the emerging, clean economy The need for government to regulate us The necessity of a shift of consciousness Ideas for how to turn the world around The power of the individual to change the world Joel's path of experimentation and discovery The need to find our calling that's bigger than ourselves Young people are getting inspired to more intelligent financial choices The brilliance of what we've created and the loss of our ethical core The growth of ethical investing (impact investing) Universal Basic Income Joel's speculation of how 100 trillion dollars could be invested to change the world Joel puts fair taxation as the most impacting change we can make The most significant issue to deal with is global warming Whoever does the most good wins – a campaign Joel's inspirations: the Chicago riots, working with Jimmy Carter, Rex Weyler as a mentor, Save the Whale Foundation, Pacific Killer Whale Foundation (Orca Lab), Joel's mother. Joel's sister, Linda Solomon Recommended books: Rex Weyler's books, "Real Impact" by Morgan Simon (Joel called it "Real Money" on the podcast), "Drawdown" by Paul Hawkins Women needing to be properly empowered - "Make it more fair on the planet and we can solve anything." Joel's TED talk References: Rex Weyler David Korton John Fullerton Warren Buffet Universal Basic Income Hollyhock Robert Reich

Eve Picker: Hey, everyone, this is Eve Picker, and if you listen to this podcast series, you're going to learn how to make some change. Thanks so much for joining us on this podcast. I'm Eve Picker, and my life revolves around cities, real estate, and crowdfunding. In this podcast series, we'll be digging deep to discover how we can build better cities by building better buildings. BE SURE TO LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE ON THE SHOWNOTES PAGE RIGHT HERE. Eve Picker: Brian Beckon is my guest today. Brian is an attorney with over 25 years of experience working for nonprofits, startups, and publicly traded companies. Now he owns Cutting Edge Counsel, which focuses on strategies, and raising capital for communities to help build a more equitable economy.   Eve Picker: If you want to know more about Brian, after you've listened to this podcast, please visit EvePicker.com, where you'll find links, and other goodies on the show notes page, and where you can subscribe to my newsletter on all things real-estate impact.   Eve Picker: Brian, let's talk a little bit about you. I'm just wondering how your background as an attorney led you to where you are today?   Brian Beckon: Well, first of all, thanks, Eve. This is really an honor to be on your podcast, so I really appreciate it. Let's see, it's a long journey ... There were a lot of steps along the way that led me to where I am now, with Cutting Edge Counsel.   Brian Beckon: I guess the short version of that is I went to law school back in the '80s, with the idea, a rather vague idea, that I wanted to do something to make the world a better place, and didn't have a very clear idea of what that would mean; just that I figured studying law was the way to get there.   Brian Beckon: After law school, I did a lot of different things, trying to find my way, and into the kind of work that would allow me to make the world a better place. It took a few years, because I landed in a law firm that was just sort of a traditional law firm.   Brian Beckon: Then, I was in-house counsel for a couple of different companies; one of which was a large publicly traded real-estate-development company, called Catellus Development Corporation, so I got some early background into the whole real-estate world.   Brian Beckon: I found myself at RSF Social Finance, a nonprofit-finance organization based in San Francisco, which was really a transformative experience, because that's where I came to see that there were ways of democratizing [inaudible] providing finance. That got me thinking about all the possible ways of doing things in a more impactful way, not just based on what you do with the money, but on how you raise it.   Brian Beckon: Then, after leaving RSF, about- well, I guess it was about 10 years ago, I started working on a couple of crowdfunding projects, that is to say crowdfunding portals, that were in some stage of development. One of which, again, was a real-estate-crowdfunding company. Again, I kind of had ... There's always been this sort of gravity that brought me back around to real estate, in some way.   Brian Beckon: Even though that portal didn't get off the ground, in my work, now, at Cutting Edge Counsel, where I've been for about five years, there are ways ... There are things that we're exploring that you can do that are fairly innovative, and really allow everybody to participate in real-estate investing. Anyway, perhaps too long an answer to your question, but hopefully that gives you some flavor for how I got here.   Eve Picker: Well, that's kind of interesting ... I'd actually really like to hear about those things that let everyone participate. Do you want to tell us about those, the things that you're exploring?   Brian Beckon: Well, sure. In the conventional wisdom ... Eve, you, and probably a lot of your listeners on the podcast already know a lot of this, but in the conventional wisdom, a venture that wants to raise capital needs to do so privately.   Brian Beckon: You have to go out and find angel investors, those rich folks that have a lot of money, or the institutions, or the private equity, or venture capital, whatever it is. You've got to find those people with a lot of money; those deep pockets, and persuade them to invest in your project. That's really the only option available to you. That's the way students are taught in law school, and I assume that's the same way students are taught in the business school.   Brian Beckon: That's really your only option, up until you get big enough to do a full-blown IPO, until you get big enough to go public, which, you know, these days, with the cost of going public, we're talking about something in the perhaps hundreds of millions before it makes sense to do that.   Brian Beckon: In that space between startup, and going public, you're stuck raising capital privately from wealthy investors. Well, what happens? If that's the paradigm that everybody follows, and that means all the good investment opportunities [inaudible] course, because it's the folks who get in on investments before they go public; those are the really profitable investments.   Brian Beckon: In that paradigm, all the good opportunities are exclusively available to the folks who are already wealthy. The wealthy can grow their money rapidly, but non-wealthy are relegated to those publicly traded stocks, where the companies have already experienced their high growth, or the projects have already- they've already generated the fat returns for the wealthy investors. Then, once they go public, the returns are just not that good.   Brian Beckon: You have this dichotomy, where the wealthy get the good, high-margin, or I should say high-return investment opportunities, but the non-wealthy get stuck with the low-return investment opportunities. Naturally, what happens? The rich get richer, and everyone else can barely keep up with inflation. It's a formula that contributes to a greater wealth gap. That's part of the problem, and I won't go into detail about that ... A lot's been written about the destabilizing effect of that.   Brian Beckon: The solution, or I should say a solution, one of the solutions to create a more equitable society, is to make sure that everybody can invest. What we want to do is turn that paradigm upside down, and say, "No, everybody should be able to invest in something that's in their community, and something that's meaningful to them, personally, and something that they believe in." Those good investment opportunities should not be available only to the wealthy.   Brian Beckon: Then, the challenge is what are those strategies that allow you to raise what we now call community capital - through community capital, meaning from anybody in the community? Community can be a broad concept. It can be more than just a geographic community; it can mean a community of interest, or something that pulls people together.   Brian Beckon: The point is, bringing it back around to your question, there are a number of ways that you can defy the conventional wisdom, and raise capital in what would be a truly public way, without doing the traditional IPO.   Brian Beckon: That's where sites like Small Change come in, and other crowdfunding sites. There are other strategies, too - direct public offerings, and so on - that you can use to raise capital from your community that a lot of folks don't know about.   Brian Beckon: In some cases, they have been around for a long time, but haven't gotten much attention. I think we're seeing a major shift now in the level of consciousness about these strategies. Small Change is certainly a big part of that shift.   Eve Picker: Be sure to go to EvePicker.com, and sign up for my free educational newsletter about impact real-estate investing. You'll be among the first to hear about new projects you can invest in. That's EvePicker.com. Thanks so much.   Eve Picker: Well, thank you, but I'm as excited as you are about the potential that it holds. Do you think people are really aware of these opportunities yet? I feel like investor education is really not there. It is a very small segment of the world that understand that they can invest in this way, and even know about what is happening.   Brian Beckon: Yeah, you're right, because what we're trying to do, really, is change the culture in a profound way. Yes, education is key, and education, in a very broad, and deep way. I mean, consider that most people do not think of themselves as investors. For decades, people have been told that if you're not wealthy, you're not qualified to invest, so people just don't even see themselves as investors.   Brian Beckon: We see ourselves as consumers. We see ourselves as workers. Workers, and consumers basically feed the machine. We're feeding the machine. That machine was designed by, and for investors, and most of us don't think we're qualified to get in on the game.   Brian Beckon: There's really a cultural shift that we need to make. Thinking broadly, it's about empowerment; to empower everybody to feel like they can be a full participant in the economy; be fully engaged in what's going on, as investors. It's such a profound cultural shift, we've got a long ways to go. Even though all the legal tools are there, they're very underutilized.   Brian Beckon: You're right, not many people - regular folks who aren't part of this sector we're in - regular folks just don't know about these. They may have heard about crowdfunding, but they may be a little skeptical, and they may have heard that that's really risky. It is, and that is an issue, but the point is they generally ... They don't know what their options are, and if they have heard of some things, they are, perhaps- I wouldn't say the word 'scared away,' but aren't enthusiastic enough about it [cross talk]  really gotten engaged in it.   Eve Picker: I think they are scared away. I go to [cross talk] some of these crowdfunding platforms ... I'm a pretty experienced developer, and investor, and yet I find myself going to some platforms,  looking at the presentations, and feeling a little scared, because they present towards a very, very sophisticated investor who understands a special lingo that's only for them, right?   Brian Beckon: Yes.   Eve Picker: It is absolutely scary, and that's, perhaps ... You might know, but people listening to this probably don't, that one of the securities rules that came out of the JOBS Act - Regulation Crowdfunding, which really permits everyone to invest - one of the things I like about that rule is that it requires everything about the offering to be in plain English.   Eve Picker: I think that was a pretty meaningful thing for the SEC to add, because when people like myself are scared at trying to unravel an offering, well, imagine someone who's never done anything like it before.   Brian Beckon: Yeah, you're right, and frankly, at the risk of sounding perhaps too skeptical, frankly, I've seen a lot of bad deals out there on some crowdfunding sites. By 'bad deals,' I mean ... It's not that they're ...   Eve Picker: Yes.   Brian Beckon: I've seen deals, where a company is raising money with an assumed valuation that's just astronomical - $30 million - and if you really dig into it, they don't hardly have anything. They have some good ideas, but the company probably isn't worth more than $1 million; maybe even less.  When people invest in a $30-million valuation, they're buying stock that's grossly overvalued ... Perhaps the reverse way of saying that: they're not going to get as much back as they think they're going to get.   Brian Beckon: I see a lot of these deals, and they do make me nervous. I do worry that there are going to be a lot of losses. That makes me nervous, and that's actually one solid reason why, for those investors who don't have a lot of sophistication in picking good investments, real estate still remains a pretty solid- I should say relatively safe way to invest, because you're not going to lose as much. You're probably not going to lose as much money on a real-estate investment, as you would get a startup company that values itself at $30 million.   Eve Picker: Yeah, I think that's right. That's right. You can at least hop on to Zillow, and check out the comps yourself, and really snoop around a little bit, in an everyday manner, and feel comfortable with what you're investing in. I agree. I personally feel less threatened by investing in real estate than in companies I don't really understand.   Brian Beckon: Yeah.   Eve Picker: That's equity investing at large ... It becomes even a little more difficult, when we bring impact, and social responsibility into it, doesn't it? I'm just wondering, I suppose, how you feel about ... I don't even know how to say this. What level of additional difficulty does that add to a real-estate deal? What sort of things are you seeing in community capital-raising that makes it different than going to a crowdfunding platform that lets you invest in a very traditional Walmart, or Target, or something like that?   Brian Beckon: Good question. It raises this whole question about what does it mean to make impact? Much has been said, and written; we're not going to solve that right now, perhaps. Let me give you my take on this question of impact, starting with the premise that we all want to invest our money in a way that, again, is, in some sense, making the world a better place.   Brian Beckon: How do we do that? I kind of see impact as happening in two broadly speaking, and this is over-generalization, but broadly two ways of making impact. One is by making sure that your money is doing something good in the world, whatever that may be. Housing the poor; building a hospital, or a school, or something like that. The money is being used in a beneficial way.   Brian Beckon: There's another way of making impact that isn't often discussed, and that is really by focusing on the process. If you're raising money for an impactful project, and only the very wealthy can invest in it - and let's assume that it's a profitable project ...   Brian Beckon: These wealthy people invest, and they make 10-percent return on their investment, and they're richer, and happier. Yes, the project does have some positive impact; it does some good, whatever it is - you're building some housing, or something.   Brian Beckon: That's one kind of impact, but I have to admit, I'm a little skeptical of what often passes for impact, because I think a lot of impact investing, frankly, does more harm than good. Why? Because you're still concentrating wealth. As long as you're concentrating the wealth in the hands of the wealthy, how impactful can you be?   Brian Beckon: Yeah, you're building a hospital, or housing, or whatever it may be, but ultimately, it's really the wealthy investor who wins. When an investor is making high returns ... You can make the argument, and maybe I won't push that point too far, but you could make the argument that anyone making high returns is extracting wealth from this system. You're leaving someone else less well-off, because you're making a higher return.   Brian Beckon: That brings me to the other way of having an impact, which is via the process. If you're raising money for a profitable project, whatever it may be - and I would argue it almost doesn't matter what you're actually doing with the money - but if it's a profitable project, and you're raising it in a truly democratic way so that everybody of any wealth can participate fully, now you're not concentrating wealth in the hands of the wealthy. Now you're actually sharing the wealth in an equitable and fair way.   Brian Beckon: That process, itself, is impactful because now you're creating wealth-building opportunities for those that otherwise would not have had wealth-building opportunities. This can help to shrink the wealth gap, and, along the way, when regular folks who haven't had an opportunity to invest in projects now do, that can contribute to a greater sense of empowerment, and lower community engagement. You can follow out the chain of causation there.   Brian Beckon: I think that has broad implications beyond just profits going into their pockets. I really see that the process of community capital, as I like to call it - this idea that you're opening up an opportunity for anybody to invest, regardless of their economic status - that process is, itself, more impactful than just about anything you can do with the money, if you see what I'm saying. It's about the process.   Eve Picker: Definitely do. I do. That's a really interesting thought, but you know, in real estate, there are still so many hindrances with regards to that process that most people don't think about.   Eve Picker: I'll give you just a couple of examples that maybe ... I'm sure you have more. One is, in talking to one developer about presenting a side-by-side offering, which is using two securities rules - one in which anyone can invest, and the other which permits accredited investors to invest with large amounts - that developer suggested that the accredited investors get a higher return.   Eve Picker: I was a little shocked by that. I'm thinking, just because you haven't reached the accredited bar, why does that make your money less valuable to the developer? I really- I don't understand the thinking behind that. Yet, I think that thinking is pretty prevalent just in the way you described.   Brian Beckon: Yes, I have seen the same phenomenon, and it just- I find it very disturbing. All things being equal, the same degree of risk, but we're going to give greater reward to the wealthy, than we give the non-wealthy. Somehow, we think they deserve it because they have more money, or maybe they simply demand it, because they have more leverage. Whatever the reason is, it's fundamentally inequitable-   Eve Picker: It is inequitable.   Brian Beckon: -and I think we need to resist that.   Eve Picker: Further, for someone who has less money, it's an even bigger risk, so it's even more inequitable, if you want to think of it that way.   Brian Beckon: Right, right, right.   Eve Picker: I find that very disturbing, but then there are other issues that pop up in real estate. For example, banks always want to have a 20-percent partner, or shareholder, or member of a real-estate project guarantee the project.   Eve Picker: In one crowdfunding offering that we did, the investors actually held 90-percent ownership, and that really confused the bank. They didn't ... I mean the 90-percent ownership was a whole crowd of investors, so they really didn't know what to do with it. There are some structural problems in the way that we finance things that crowdfunding is kind of bashing up against.   Eve Picker: Another example is the new micro tax credit world, where I have seen, time and time again, really convoluted financial structures, so that those big investors don't have to invest side by side with the little ones. That's exactly the way they talk about it.   Eve Picker: I think we're pretty far off from everyone ... From really getting to the end goal, which is that the money that comes through crowdfunding, or community capital-raising is treated in exactly the same way as everyone else's money.   Brian Beckon: Yeah, I think you're right. We are a ways off from that. I think there are some things that we can do to get closer to that goal of a truly level playing field, where it doesn't matter how much money you have; you should be able to get the same return on investment.   Brian Beckon: I think one of those strategies that we can use to get toward that goal is to use what we might call community investment funds, where ... Because part of the problem is the small investors who can put $1,000 or $2,000 into a project really don't have- probably don't have the bandwidth to do the kind of due diligence on individual projects that someone putting in large amounts would do on the project.   Brian Beckon: You do have that imbalance of information, when you have investors who aren't doing the due diligence. They're more likely to make the wrong choice than those who have more time, and resources to put it into the diligence.   Brian Beckon: I think the way to get around that is to set up an intermediary fund that can do the due diligence, but aggregate capital from many, many investors; and then is careful to do the kind of due diligence on every investor- on every investment that anyone with deeper pockets might do.   Brian Beckon: I'm a big fan of community investment funds, in general. Real estate, again, is one of those areas where a community investment fund can be particularly impactful. There are a variety of different kinds of community investment funds that can be built.   Eve Picker: Well, I'm going to shift the conversation a bit to real estate, and I'm wondering whether you think socially responsible real estate is necessary in today's development landscape, and if you do, why?   Brian Beckon: Well, yes, I do. We can talk about what constitutes socially responsible real estate, but, yes, you definitely can see where projects are rather extractive, and are designed to maximize profits for investors, versus projects that are really designed to serve communities. We don't need the former; we do need the latter, so I do think that's an important distinction.   Brian Beckon: For example, I live in the city of Concord, here in California. There are projects being proposed to build all these, what are euphemistically referred to as market-rate housing projects; what really are the top-dollar, more luxury apartment complexes.   Brian Beckon: Does the city need those? No. No, we don't need those, but that's what developers want to build, because they know that there are high profit margins, and that's what investors want to invest in, even though that's not what the city needs. What the city need is more moderate-income housing, but that's not as profitable, and no one's interested in building that, except for one or two nonprofit developers.   Brian Beckon: We do have the problem that the wrong kind of development is going into, particularly, lower-income communities that cause gentrification. What we need is more community driven real estate, where the communities can say, "Here's what we want; here's what meets our needs." I think that would- that probably fits into that category of socially responsible investment, perhaps, among other things.   Eve Picker: Right. Have you noticed any trends, or projects out there that you think can solve those sorts of problems?   Brian Beckon: Well, yeah ... Let's take Opportunity Funds, for example. Opportunity Funds, as a lot of folks know by now, because it's been in the news a lot in the last year or two, are a type of fund created to encourage investment into low-income communities. That encouragement comes in the form of a tax break for investors.   Brian Beckon: The conventional wisdom, and, as you probably can tell, I tend to be cynical about conventional wisdom, but-   Eve Picker: I'm going to join you on that.   Brian Beckon: -but the conventional wisdom says that only wealthy investors can get those tax benefits, because they have to do it with rolled-over capital gains, and who has all the rolled-over capital gains? Well, the wealthy.   Brian Beckon: These Opportunity Funds are basically almost always set up for the wealthy to invest. Just as I suggested a moment ago, when it's the wealthy who are investing in real estate, in low-income communities, what do they want to do? They want to build high-end housing, which ...   Brian Beckon: Does that serve the community's needs? No, it doesn't. It drives out the local residents. It forces them to move to some other more affordable community. It increases the prices.   Brian Beckon: In fact, since the Opportunity Fund law came into existence about a year and a half ago, some studies have shown that a house- that housing costs in Opportunity Zones have risen 20 percent, compared to comparable low-income communities that were not designated as Opportunity Zones.   Brian Beckon: You have a 20-percent increase in prices, just because it was designated as an Opportunity Zone, which means that gentrification is happening in these communities, because of this investment, or at least potential for investment by, again, typically wealthy people seeking to reduce their taxes.   Brian Beckon: That's the problem, but that's not really what you're asking. You're asking what's the solution? The solution is to take this idea, and make it a true community investment fund.   Brian Beckon: Contrary to the conventional wisdom, if anybody, including non-wealthy folks, can get tax benefits from investing in an Opportunity Fund, and when you have an Opportunity Fund that is open for investment by the community, and reflects the voices of the community - so it's one that's somewhat democratically governed - now you'll have a very different kind of thing.   Brian Beckon: Now you have a true community driven investment fund, where they're going to build the kind of housing - if it's a housing fund, or whatever it may be. They're going to do the kind of projects, or development, or housing that the community wants, and needs.   Brian Beckon: When it is profitable, those profits will circulate within the community. If that's where your investors are, that's where your profits are going. That's an important point that people sometimes forget.   Brian Beckon: Again [inaudible] wherever your investment comes from, that's where your profits are going. If you want capital to stay in a community, you've got to raise capital from the community. That's the way to solve that problem, I think.   Eve Picker: Yeah, it is, but often these communities, the communities you're talking about, and that we're interested in, are slightly depressed, and they certainly don't have strong market values. Perhaps, the people in them ... It's difficult to raise enough capital to do large, and meaningful projects.   Eve Picker: It's difficult to even finance projects, because banks don't see the value in those communities either. You're left with these yawning financing gaps that you have to fill in a number of ways, and, actually, it becomes very difficult to project any return for investors.   Eve Picker: While I agree that communities should benefit from improvements in their own communities, it's very tricky finding a community that can really happen in, I think.   Brian Beckon: Yeah, no, you're absolutely right. I don't want to minimize the challenge it is to raise significant amounts of money from a lower-income community.   Brian Beckon: Let me say a couple things there. One, almost every community has resources, even if it's a lower-income community. If the data shows that 50 percent of a community is below the poverty line, well then, that means 50 percent isn't. There is money in every community, even low-income communities.   Brian Beckon: That brings us back to the cultural challenge that we started talking about earlier, which is that the folks in that community who do have some money ... We're not talking about millionaires; what we're talking about is people who have some money to invest.   Brian Beckon: They may have- they may be able to write, not a $50,000 check, but they might be able to write a $1,000, or a $5,000 check. Yet, those people will tend to just put their money on Wall Street, because that's all they know.   Brian Beckon: It brings us back to this cultural challenge, and this educational challenge ... If you want to raise money from within a lower-income community, you've really got to do some outreach, and to talk to people about the fact that it is possible; that they are qualified; that they can invest in their local community. They don't have to send their money to Wall Street.   Brian Beckon: It is a challenge, but it can be done. We've seen examples of where it has been done. This, while not exactly a real-estate project, I think it's relevant.   Brian Beckon: We have a client at our firm called Community Foods Market, which is building a grocery store in West Oakland - a low-income, disinvested part of Oakland California. They specifically wanted to raise capital from the community, and we help them do that through a direct public offering.   Brian Beckon: The outcome was, yes, they did raise about $2.2 million dollars in this direct public offering. Now, that's just part of the capital stack [cross talk]   Eve Picker: Fantastic.   Brian Beckon: -more than that to build a grocery store. The point here is that they raised capital from about ... I think they have about 500 investors; most of them are, in fact, residents of this low-income community. Most of them, in terms of the number of investors ...   Brian Beckon: Now, to be sure, the biggest dollars came from the wealthier investors, and many of those, probably most of those wealthier investors, and institutions worked inside that community. It is true, you still probably need to raise some of your money, if not most of it, from outside the community.   Brian Beckon: The important thing is that by specifically focusing the capital-raising campaign on the community, that had a lot of benefit. The community is invested; the community is engaged in the project; they're excited about the project. When there are profits, at least a portion of those profits will go back to the residents of that community, which is exactly what he wanted to do.   Eve Picker: You know, going to have to be a little bit mercenary, because one of my frustrations with what we're trying to do is the return that most people want. I'm not yet convinced that they'll take a lesser return for impactful real estate.   Eve Picker: The question is: is that community- does that project compete for return with many of the real-estate projects we're seeing on crowdfunding platforms, which boast 20-, to 25-percent internal rate of return, or is that community project likely to return something lesser, but the people in that community get some other less-tangible return - having a supermarket in their  community, for example?   Brian Beckon: Yeah, right. You do have that challenge. All things being equal, if I'm looking at two opportunities, and neither of them is in my community, and one promises a five-percent return, and the other promises a 10-percent return, I am more likely to invest in the one that offers a 10-percent return.   Brian Beckon: Now, if you tell me that the five-percent-return project is going to be more beneficial to the community, that may affect my decision, and maybe I'll go with the five-percent, because after all, that's still better than I can get on a bank CD. It's still better than the stock market is doing. Five percent is still a good return on investment.   Brian Beckon: Now, if you change that hypothetical, and say that five-percent project is in my community, and actually can benefit my community, and contribute to local tax base; the owners have kids in the same schools that my kids go to, and they're going to contribute some of their profits to local causes, well, that that makes it a very different scenario.   Brian Beckon: Because, just as I'll donate my time, and sometimes donate my money to local things in my own community, why wouldn't I invest locally at five-percent investment, instead of 10-percent, if you have all these other things that happen that benefit my own community; that make my life, in some way, better?   Brian Beckon: I think that's part of the power of true community investment. If you can reach someone, really, in their backyard ... These are people that want projects in their backyard to succeed, so I think you have ... That can help you raise capital for projects that maybe don't promise the highest return.   Eve Picker: Yeah.   Brian Beckon: I also acknowledge that, to some degree, this is theoretical, because we haven't seen enough of these kinds of deals, perhaps, to be able to say with real evidence that people will invest for a lower rate of return, as long as it's in their community. I have not seen specific evidence of that. Intuitively ,I believe that's the case, but, have you seen that in your work at Small Change?    Eve Picker: No, not yet. Maybe a little bit. We've certainly seen on some projects that more people locally have invested, but I think ... I'm sort of interested in understanding what community engagement tools you think work, because I think we have to get better at it. It's difficult finding people in communities..   Eve Picker: Often, real-estate developers, this is not what they do. They don't market in that way. They put a deal together, and build a building. Now, you're telling them, "Well, you gotta go reach out to all these people in the community," and that's not part of their wheelhouse, right?   Brian Beckon: Yeah.   Eve Picker: I think community engagement, and finding the right tools is probably a big part of this. Do you agree?   Brian Beckon: Yeah, I totally do. For years, we have been helping organizations with various strategies of community capital. Now, with the JOBS Act, Regulation Crowdfunding, that opened up a whole new avenue for ways of raising capital from a broad cross-section of one community.   Brian Beckon: Even before that law came into being, direct public offerings have always been out there. We've been doing this for a number of years, and we have consistently found that those- the key differentiator between those that succeed in raising the capital, and those that don't succeed in raising the capital they need really boils down to marketing. It becomes a marketing campaign, when you're doing something that involves a public offering.   Brian Beckon: I think even crowdfunding portals, and I assume this is probably true of Small Change,  you can't just ... It's not one of those 'Build it and they will come' kind of thing. You still have to market the offering. The project manager, or promoter, they still need to pound the pavement, and get the word out to their network, and they need to reach out to their community. Really, it takes some effort.   Brian Beckon: Having seen some of these - over the years - seeing some of these offerings not succeed, we definitely, nowadays, almost always recommend to our clients that they get good marketing help. That may mean actually hiring a marketing and communications firm of professionals that can help in a number of ways.   Brian Beckon: Fundamentally, they do several things. One, they help you refine your message, and help you tell your story in a compelling way. Then, two, they can help you figure out who is the ideal audience - whether that is in your geographic community, or other communities of interest that maybe more dispersed. Then, three, how do you find them? How do you put the message up where they're reading, or where they are?   Brian Beckon: A marketing fir can be really invaluable for that. I would say, again, of the folks that we've helped with community capital offerings that have not succeeded, almost always, it's because of a lack of marketing, so, [cross talk] I think that it is really important.   Eve Picker: Yeah, I completely agree with you. I completely agree with you. This has been really interesting, but I've got three sign-off questions I want to ask you. The first one is what's the key factor that makes a real-estate project impactful to you?   Brian Beckon: Well, number one, as I kind of suggested earlier, is I want to see something that is offered openly on a level playing field. I want to make sure that it doesn't serve to concentrate wealth by being only available to the wealthy. I like to see projects that are open to the crowd.   Brian Beckon: Two, it's got to be non-extractive. It's got to serve the community. As someone from outside a community - let's say the project is in some town that I don't know very well - I may not have a good sense of what that community needs.   Brian Beckon: Hopefully, it'll be clear in the disclosure materials - what kind of community it is - and we'll be able to make some assessment of whether this sounds like it's actually meeting the needs of the community, or is it just an opportunistic way to extract more profits from the community? I don't want to invest in anything that's extractive. I really want to invest in something that meets the needs.   Eve Picker: Sure.   Brian Beckon: Yeah, I don't know, does that help?   Eve Picker: Yep, it does. Then, I think we know the answer to this, too, but I'm going to ask you again: other than by raising money, in what ways could involving investors through crowdfunding benefit the impact real-estate developer?   Brian Beckon: Well, yeah, one thing about raising capital from your community is - from a broad number of people - you now have a lot of people who are invested in you, and that means ... Again, it has a number of implications. They're going to be on your side. They want you to succeed, now, because they're financially invested in your success.   Brian Beckon: That really helps to build community engagement, which can be really valuable if you have projects that, say, need local government approval, or what have you. If it's the sort of project that is going to be a customer-facing project, let's say someone ...   Brian Beckon: Use a non-real-estate example, and there probably are some good real-estate examples, too, but one sort of obvious non-real-estate example is someone builds a brewery, and they raise capital from a community of people.   Brian Beckon: Now, what happens? Those investors in the brewery, if they want to find a beer, where are they going to go? They're going to go to the brewery where they're a co-owner. Of course they will. That's where they're going to send their friends.   Brian Beckon: Your investors can be your best customers. They can also be your best ambassadors. I think that also translates, or can translate into the real-estate world, too. It just helps having dozens, or perhaps even hundreds of advocates in a community that can help you be successful.   Eve Picker: That's a great answer. Finally, this is a really big one - how do you think we can improve real estate development in the United States so that it's better for everyone? Cities [cross talk]   Brian Beckon: I think we need to have real-estate development more community driven. Right now, I think the big problem is real-estate development is almost always driven ... The agenda for real-estate development is almost always driven by the wealthy investor. What do wealthy investors want? They want to increase their wealth at the highest rate possible.   Brian Beckon: Most real-estate development is not done with a view to what the community needs; it's done with a view to how can profits be most efficiently extracted out of the community, and placed into the hands of the investor?   Brian Beckon: I really think the number-one thing that we need is to change that paradigm, and have real-estate investment done in a more community driven way. The only way to do that, frankly, is the things we've been talking about - by having the community be investors; by building real-estate funds that are community driven.   Brian Beckon: Then we can talk about governance of a fund, and if a fund actually reflects the voices of the community that it's serving, then it will probably do the things that the community needs; not the things that some rich investor somewhere else wants. I think that's maybe the biggest paradigm shift that we need, in order to achieve a more equitable, and fair, and resilient society.   Eve Picker: Well, thank you very much, Brian. Thank you for having this conversation with me. We're signing off now, but I hope everyone listened all the way to the end.   Brian Beckon: Well, thank you very much, Eve. It's been a real pleasure chatting with you.   Eve Picker: That was Brian Beckon. I hope you enjoyed listening to him as much as I enjoyed talking to him. Brian gave me three great takeaways. First, that we need to share the wealth. Second, that it's possible to fund projects through communities, not just private equity, and third, that everyone deserves to invest, and get a return. What did you learn?   Eve Picker: You can read more about Brian on the show notes page for this podcast at EvePicker.com. While you're there, please consider signing up for my newsletter to find out more about how to make money in real estate, while making some change.   Eve Picker: Thank you so much for spending your time with Brian, and I today. We'll talk again soon, but for now, this is Eve Picker signing off to go make some change.  

What does the world need now from business and those funding it? We explored the possibility and the the path with Casey Johnson of RSF Social Finance, Blair Kellison of Traditional Medicinals and Esther Park Cienega Capital in this episode of Fodder, the podcast powered by Esca Bona and underwritten by 301 Inc., Giannuzzi Group, Healthy Lifestyle Brands and Whipstitch Capital.

Joel Solomon is a passionate advocate for the power of business to do good. He was a founding partner and Senior Advisor for Renewal Funds, Canada’s largest mission venture capital firm managing some $98 million. He ran an “activist family office” for 14 years deploying more than $70M. He helped found the Social Venture Network in Canada, and RSF Social Finance’s Integrated Capital Institute. He’s a member of Canada’s Advisory Board to the G8 Social Impact Investment Taskforce. He’s a governor of University of British Columbia. And… he’s written a book, it’s called the Clean Money Revolution. It only took me a few chapters before I knew I had to have Joel on the show. Joel is a really sensitive and genuine guy who has an almost spiritual connection with his investments and with the communities they support. We talk about his book and what he hoped to achieve with it, but also about the many voices and perspectives that it contains. For anyone out there looking for inspiration to either start or invest in a small business that wants to shake up a less-than-ethical industry, then this is the book. There’s a bit of finance talk in this one as Joel explains what he’s working on, but of course I’m not a financial advisor, and this ain’t financial advice. So do chat to a professional if any of this inspires you. You can jump onto the website for the show notes, at www.johntreadgold.com. Or reach out to us on Instagram www.instagram.com/goodfuturepodcast/

photo by Dean Buscher Caroline welcomes the return of Joel Soloman, author of “The Clean Money Revolution” with a 50 year plan and a 500 year vision whereby we navigate this calamitous time, protecting as much life as possible. Joel says: “May we find joyous ways forward through these mysterious chaotic times. May all species sleep well and grow strong. May future People muse about the Great Turning that surprised history with nirvanic pathways forward.” Joel Solomon is Founding Partner of Renewal Funds, Co-Founder of Happy Planet Foods, Co-Producer of RSF Social Finance's “Integrated Capital Fellows” program for social change investment leaders, a 2012 TEDxVancouver Speaker, and Board Chair of Hollyhock. www.joelsolomon.org   Support The Visionary Activist Show on Patreon for weekly Chart & Themes ($4/month) and more… *Woof*Woof*Wanna*Play?!?*   The post The Visionary Activist Show – Diving into the Dark appeared first on KPFA.

Episode #08: Mark Retzloff with Aaron William Perry (Y on Earth Podcast Series)   Mark Retzloff, founder of Horizon Organic Dairy, Director of RSF Social Finance, and on the Board of several companies and universities, discusses the arc of his career. He launched a natural food coop in Ann Arbor, MI in the late 1960s, […] The post Episode 08 – Mark Retzloff – Business Leader, Organic Food Brands & Systems first appeared on Y on Earth Community.

While the social sector and private sector operate on different playing fields, they impact our shared reality. So how can we bridge this divide to ensure the great work of social innovators has the same opportunities to scale as the next Pepsi, Facebook or GoPro? A breed of financial services firms have risen to the challenge. Through their innovative approaches, they are forwarding the future of sustainable capitalism. Join Casey Johnson of rsfsocialfinance.org and I as we explore the state and future of impact investing.

Unlikely Allies: Rockwood Leadership Institute, Renewal Funds, and RSF Social Finance are training financial activists through the new Integrated Capital Institute.

Nathaniel Williams interviews John Bloom from RSF Social Finance. Their conversation explores the many aspects of our evolving economic paradigm - the different ways we can understand an exchange ("Free Market, Fair Market, and Market Free"), the need to de-commodify human labor, and the significance of gifting in the realizing of human potential.

Caroline welcomes fellow public dreamer, Joel Solomon, author of “The Clean Money Revolution,” that money may be liberated – dedicated to collective well-being – and that “We can all do better with our relationship to money.” Let all good-hearted people release disdain for wealth, and be willing to direct its swoosh in the desirable direction, to irrigating our Best Dreams… transforming dread into dedication. Joel has a 50 year strategy and a 500 year vision. www.RenewalPartners.com Joel Solomon is President of Renewal Partners and Chairman of Renewal Funds. Joel serves as a Senior Advisor with RSF Social Finance and speaks frequently throughout North America, including a 2012 TEDxVancouver talk.  He is a founding member of Social Venture Network (SVN), Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), the Tides Canada Foundation, and is board chair of Hollyhock. Joel has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from SVN and was recently inducted with Carol Newell into the SVN Hall of Fame.   And join The Visionary Activist Show on Patreon to find today's Chart & Astro*Mytho guiding themes.  Which this week begins… “A plethora of possibilities is being generously proffered to us for our jovial customized animation by the Atmospheric Choreography of Now:All around now (and in perpetuity, by sticking all in our magic back-packs)and specifically:Saturday  December 2nd: Jupiter trines Neptune 9:22 pm“The protoplasm of reality is especially receptive to Imaginative Imprint .” All old stories, myths, fairy folk tales are available for fresh animation…Eager to be invited to bound from back-stage onto the word stage.Windfalls of Wherewithal are available to be directed by swooshing… into containers of dedicated desire, that we may be better able to “Dree our Weird” (“Play our role in destiny”).” … Continue reading by supporting the show on Patreon for $4/month *Woof*Woof*Wanna*Play?!?*   The post The Visionary Activist Show – Liberating Money appeared first on KPFA.

Interview with the author of  Clean Money Revolution: Reinventing Power, Purpose and capitalism   Joel serves as a Senior Advisor with RSF Social Finance and speaks frequently throughout North America, including a 2012 TEDxVancouver talk.  He is a founding member of Social Venture Network (SVN), Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), the Tides Canada Foundation, and is board chair of Hollyhock. From 1993 to 2008, Joel managed the Family Office activities of Carol Newell. Together, they pioneered an integrated use of capital for social impact that is now growing as a strategy for deep mission investors.  Joel has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from SVN and was recently inducted with Carol Newell into the SVN Hall of Fame.

Deb Nelson has a job at RSF Social Finance that is all about helping people align their values with their money, all while helping fund entrepreneurs for social impact businesses. As vice president of client and company engagement, Deb also works on strategic partnerships and client engagement. On top of that, she’s also the lead on a new initiative for the company – the Women’s Capital Collaborative. Pioneered with an impact investor who wanted to do more to support women entrepreneurs, the Collaborative aims to do more to support women entrepreneurs – a group routinely overlooked and underfunded. In fact, Deb points out, women entrepreneurs received only 3% of venture capital funding from 2011 to 2013. Why is this? Unconscious bias, says the Harvard Business Review. Even when a presentation is given identical word-for-word by men and women, males are 60% more likely to get funded. This Collaborative is in place to do something about that. “Our goal is to create an economy of generosity and connectedness,” Deb says. And she’s at the right organization to make that kind of impact. Since 1984, RSF Social Finance has provided social impact loans, grants and investments. It focuses on creating direct, personal and transparent financial relationships for those who fund social enterprises, as well as those who leverage the funding to create long-term social and ecological benefits via organizations in food and agriculture, education and the arts, ecological stewardship and other related fields. It also provides “holistic integrated capital” – from financial capital, loans, loan guarantees and investments, to technical assistance grants, and human and social capital. “We know it takes all kinds of capital to help an entrepreneur thrive and grow their organizations,” she says. In episode 38 of I Want Her Job: The Podcast, Host Polina Selyutin asks Deb about the story of her career path, the international travel that gave her the confidence to take on future challenges and the importance of intentionally creating “outsider experiences” for yourself.  

RSF Social Finance has an innovative approach to financing social enterprises. They bring social entrepreneurs and funders together in regional meetings where loan rates are negotiated. Entrepreneurs help funders understand the impact of higher rates, while funders help entrepreneurs understand the impact of lower returns. In the end, they set the rates. How did Mike Gabriel come to join RSF? From 1997 to 2002, Mike Gabriel was an investment banker in San Francisco. “There was the dot-com boom and bust,” Mike told me. “There was a lot of froth – a lot of greed. That took a toll on me. Like many young people do, I questioned, what is it I’m doing with my life?” He decided to travel the world for a while. First stop? The Philippines. While in the Philippines, Mike joined a micro-finance institution. “That got me on this track,” he said. This led to a 5-year stay with the Grameen Foundation. Today, Mike is with RSF Social Finance, as a manager with in the Social Enterprise lending program, specifically focused on ecological stewardship work. Social Entrepreneurship Quotes from Mike Gabriel “Our mission is to transform the way the world works with money.” “Like many young people do, I questioned, what is it I’m doing with my life?” “RSF is, at the end of the day, trying to create a much better financial system.” “We want to create financial transactions that are based on long-term relationships, based on transparency and that are direct.” “What we’re working on now at RSF is something we’re calling integrative capital.” “Build a strong network of support.” “Is your money aligned with your values?” Social Entrepreneurship Resources: RSF Social Finance: http://rsfsocialfinance.org Culture Shift Learning Academy waiting list: http://tonyloyd.com/assessment Culture Shift Learning Academy We’re moving closer to the launch of Culture Shift Learning Academy, a comprehensive system to help you flesh out your social impact idea and start achieving it. Enrollment isn’t open yet, but you can join the waiting list with other changemakers. Just go to http://tonyloyd.com/assessment and enter your email address. As a thank you, I’ll send you the Social Entrepreneur Startup Readiness Assessment. This useful tool is designed to help you to determine where you are on your startup journey and to successfully focus your development efforts.

Jordan will interview John Bloom about his work at RSF Social Finance, a non-profit financial services organization dedicated to transforming the way the world works with money, and about his recently published book, The Genius of Money – Essays and Interviews Reimagining the Financial World. John will share his experiences and insights from over a decade of work in social finance helping investors and donors to align their money with their values in support of personal and social transformation. He will explore the topic of spirit and money and how understanding their intersection is critical to addressing the social, environmental, and economic crises of our times. For more information on John Bloom and his organization go to: http://rsfsocialfinance.org .

Jordan will interview John Bloom about his work at RSF Social Finance, a non-profit financial services organization dedicated to transforming the way the world works with money, and about his recently published book, The Genius of Money – Essays and Interviews Reimagining the Financial World. John will share his experiences and insights from over a decade of work in social finance helping investors and donors to align their money with their values in support of personal and social transformation. He will explore the topic of spirit and money and how understanding their intersection is critical to addressing the social, environmental, and economic crises of our times. For more information on John Bloom and his organization go to: http://rsfsocialfinance.org .

Jordan will interview John Bloom about his work at RSF Social Finance, a non-profit financial services organization dedicated to transforming the way the world works with money, and about his recently published book, The Genius of Money – Essays and Interviews Reimagining the Financial World. John will share his experiences and insights from over a decade of work in social finance helping investors and donors to align their money with their values in support of personal and social transformation. He will explore the topic of spirit and money and how understanding their intersection is critical to addressing the social, environmental, and economic crises of our times. For more information on John Bloom and his organization go to: http://rsfsocialfinance.org.

Jordan will interview John Bloom about his work at RSF Social Finance, a non-profit financial services organization dedicated to transforming the way the world works with money, and about his recently published book, The Genius of Money – Essays and Interviews Reimagining the Financial World. John will share his experiences and insights from over a decade of work in social finance helping investors and donors to align their money with their values in support of personal and social transformation. He will explore the topic of spirit and money and how understanding their intersection is critical to addressing the social, environmental, and economic crises of our times. For more information on John Bloom and his organization go to: http://rsfsocialfinance.org.

Mark Finser Social Finance Join Michael Lerner in this conversation with socially responsible financier Mark Finser about his work with RSF Social Finance. Mark A. Finser Mark is chair of the board of RSF Social Finance. RSF Social Finance provides innovative investing, lending, and philanthropic services to catalyze the growth of organizations creating a more sustainable future. Mark grew RSF’s assets from $6,000 in 1984 to $120M today. Since 1984, RSF has made a total of $130M in mission-related loans to social enterprises. Mark brings communities of philanthropists and socially responsible investors together to further RSF’s mission: to transform the way we work with money. Mark is an advisor to the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) and Sophia House, a shelter for homeless mothers and children. He leads TBL Capital, a sustainable venture fund he founded in 2007. Mark has a lifelong interest in biodynamic agriculture, integrative medicine, and meditation. He lives with his family in Mill Valley, California. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.