On March 7th, 2017, Impact America Fund was very pleased to share their inaugural blog post for Women@Forbes
Be the Change: Five Steps To Transitioning To A Values-Aligned Career features the stories of Monique Aiken, a director at Tideline; Melissa Cheong, CIO of Zoma Capital, and Heidi Krauel Patel, a general partner at Rethink Impact, LP. It is the first of our monthly posts for Women@Forbes, geared specifically toward spreading the word about impact investing and social entrepreneurship to female millennial founders, investors—and dreamers.
These posts, along with sharing our expertise as panelists and guest lecturers at impact-oriented events and college courses, are one of the ways that Impact America Fund is working to ensure that there is a robust eco-system for future impact entrepreneurs and professionals.
We hope that you enjoy the read—and are inspired to share it widely!
Impact America Fund was founded by Kesha Cash ’10BUS
Dubbed a “Top Five Gamechanger” by Forbes and a “Power Investor” by Essence, Kesha Cash founded Impact America Fund (IAF) to harness market opportunities overlooked by traditional investors. In 2016, Stanford Graduate School of Business published a case study on IAF to teach students about the structure of an impact venture fund, and how to analyze the social and economic impact of high-growth technology investments.
Kesha’s personal mission is to transform economic livelihoods of marginalized communities in America. A Columbia MBA and applied mathematics student from UC Berkeley, Kesha spent the first decade of her career as a mergers and acquisitions analyst at Merrill Lynch in NYC, an operational consultant to inner-city small businesses in Los Angeles, and an impact investments associate at Bridges Ventures in the UK. In 2010, Kesha co-founded an initiative focused on mission-driven entrepreneurs of color, Jalia Ventures, with serial impact investor, Josh Mailman. At Jalia, Kesha deployed $5 million and built a demonstration portfolio of 10 companies. She also supported Josh with managing Serious Change, LP, at that time a $50 million global impact investment fund. Kesha took her vision to the next level by founding IAF.
Kesha grew up in economic hardship and is her family’s first college graduate. Her lived experience and abiding belief in human potential inspire her life’s work. Kesha tells Forbes her vision for the future: “We identify as one human race and deeply consider the impact of our actions on other human beings, the environment and future generations.”