SJF Ventures
North Carolina, United States
April 2011
Equity investing - Developed Markets
Service with Minor Environmental Footprint
United States
SJF Ventures invests in high-growth companies creating a healthier, smarter, and cleaner future, dedicated to its mission of catalyzing the development of highly successful businesses driving lasting, positive changes. SJF Ventures was first established in 1999, making it one of the longest standing impact investing funds in the United States. With this history comes a track record of over 70 investments in high growth, positive impact companies. SJF has had significant time to learn, grow, evolve, and develop a strong investment practice across multiple sectors, both environmentally and socially focused, led by an experienced team. The SJF Investment Committee has worked together for well over a decade, with each member bringing extensive investment, impact, and sector expertise to the firm. In addition to investing in impactful business models, SJF seeks to accelerate impact through deep engagement with each company. SJF serves as a thought and industry leader and helped catalyze the initial formation of the Impact Capital Managers network; SJF remains actively involved with ICM today as Co-Chair of its Steering Committee.
Overall B Impact Score
Governance 18.1
Governance evaluates a company's overall mission, engagement around its social/environmental impact, ethics, and transparency. This section also evaluates the ability of a company to protect their mission and formally consider stakeholders in decision making through their corporate structure (e.g. benefit corporation) or corporate governing documents.
What is this? A company with an Impact Business Model is intentionally designed to create a specific positive outcome for one of its stakeholders - such as workers, community, environment, or customers.
Workers 26.7
Workers evaluates a company’s contributions to its employees’ financial security, health & safety, wellness, career development, and engagement & satisfaction. In addition, this section recognizes business models designed to benefit workers, such as companies that are at least 40% owned by non-executive employees and those that have workforce development programs to support individuals with barriers to employment.
Community 11.2
Community evaluates a company’s engagement with and impact on the communities in which it operates, hires from, and sources from. Topics include diversity, equity & inclusion, economic impact, civic engagement, charitable giving, and supply chain management. In addition, this section recognizes business models that are designed to address specific community-oriented problems, such as poverty alleviation through fair trade sourcing or distribution via microenterprises, producer cooperative models, locally focused economic development, and formal charitable giving commitments.
Environment 7.0
Environment evaluates a company’s overall environmental management practices as well as its impact on the air, climate, water, land, and biodiversity. This includes the direct impact of a company’s operations and, when applicable its supply chain and distribution channels. This section also recognizes companies with environmentally innovative production processes and those that sell products or services that have a positive environmental impact. Some examples might include products and services that create renewable energy, reduce consumption or waste, conserve land or wildlife, provide less toxic alternatives to the market, or educate people about environmental problems.
Customers 27.9
Customers evaluates a company’s stewardship of its customers through the quality of its products and services, ethical marketing, data privacy and security, and feedback channels. In addition, this section recognizes products or services that are designed to address a particular social problem for or through its customers, such as health or educational products, arts & media products, serving underserved customers/clients, and services that improve the social impact of other businesses or organizations.
What is this? A company with an Impact Business Model is intentionally designed to create a specific positive outcome for one of its stakeholders - such as workers, community, environment, or customers.