Rhiza Capital

Congrats to all the Best For The World 2021 #BCorps announced today, and a special shout-out to #RhizaPortfolio companies Ethelo and FoodMesh for making the list! All of these impactful businesses show us that competing to be not only the best in the world, but the best FOR the world, can be a winning strategy! #BFTW2021

So much great insight into the state of #socialfinance here in Canada in this latest report from the Table of Impact Investment Practitioners! Thanks to all the authors that helped put this together, including the folks at New Market Funds and many others. Well done! Be sure to add this one to the summer reading list. "The report, database, and interactive mapping platform will all serve as open-source tools for broadening and deepening our understanding of the role of social finance in attracting, deploying, and multiplying capital for positive change." #ImpactInvesting #ImpInv #SocialFinanceCanada #SocialImpact

Congratulations to Heal Mary Founder Cassandra Hui for winning the $50,000 investment prize of the Campbell River Impact Investor Challenge! Heal Mary is a web application that connects patients, caregivers and doctors to worldwide clinical trials. Check out the page and connect with Cassandra to learn more about her business and to support her exciting journey ahead! We are so proud to have partnered with Spring Activator on this Campbell River Impact Investor Challenge! Spring is an important partner for us and the impact ecosystem at large. This challenge is a great example of how they're helping guide investors and impact-curious folks into the world #impactinvesting and #socialentreprenurship.

#RhizaPortfolio company ChatterHigh is now offering free #mentalhealth modules for educators to teach the importance of mental health and wellness in the classroom. So great to see resources like this available to youth! #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthAwareness

We’re excited to shine the impact spotlight on Dr. Basma Majerbi, Associate Professor of Finance at the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria (UVIC), and Fellow at the Center for Social Sustainable Innovation, UVIC. Basma teaches in The UVIC MBA in Sustainable Innovation program. Her work explores the benefits of financial system diversity for sustainable development and financial stability, impact investing and climate-related financial risks. This wo...rk has led her to Awards of Excellence in Research, Innovation, Service, and the MBA Best Professor of the Year! Since 2009, she has overseen the calculation of the annual carbon footprint of Gustavson faculty, staff and students (including travel and commuting), setting the ground for Gustavson to become the first carbon neutral business school in North America. She also leads the development of the Vancouver Island Impact Investing Hub, a platform that generates knowledge and builds capacity in impact investing and climate finance. Basma is passionate about #sustainablefinance and #impactinvesting and believes it’s crucial to integrate these themes into the education of our future leaders. We couldn’t agree more! Please help us celebrate Basma for all that she is doing for her students, community and the world at large! #PeopleofImpact

Salish Soils is doing some amazing work when it comes to #wastediversion and growing the #circulareconomy on the #SunshineCoast! Check out the video below that highlights their Organics Curbside Collection Program in the Town of Gibsons, which has diverted more than 680 tonnes of organic waste from the Sechelt Landfill... proud investors here! #RhizaPortfolio #ImpactInvesting #PlaceBasedInvesting #SocialImpact

This past quarter has been a BIG one for FoodMesh! From receiving #BCorp Certification to winning a Provincial Award via the BC Economic Development Association, to surpassing 10,000,000 meals diverted... we couldn't be more excited for this team, and so we just wanted to share some #InvestorPride! #WasteLessFeedMore #FoodWaste #ImpactInvesting #RhizaPortfolio

In episode 8 of our Impact Video Series we feature #RhizaPortfolio company Trellis.org, an all-in-one revenue driving platform that helps foundations and non-profits raise more money! Trellis is based in Kelowna, BC and first came to life in early 2019 after standing out from 45 other companies to win Okanagan Angel Summit. Since then, they’ve been on a mission to empower global collective impact, helping 100's of organizations across North America create meaningful and lasti...ng differences in their communities and the world at large. In this episode you’ll learn a little more about the Trellis story, it’s team and where it’s headed in the years to come. We’re thrilled to be supporting Justin and the team at Trellis, and we’re excited to watch them continue to grow and make their mark on the world! Interested in learning more about what other impactful companies like Trellis we’ve invested into? Visit our website https://rhizacapital.com/impact/ #SocialEnterprise #SocialImpact #ModernFundraising #Fundraising #KelownaTech #TechForGood #ImpactInvesting

Exciting opportunity to help #MetroVancouver achieve a low carbon future! The Zero Emission Innovation Centre #ZEIC is seeking diverse visionaries to form an inaugural Board to help with organizational start-up, providing leadership, and recruiting a multi-facetted Executive Director. Please help us spread the word, and visit the link below to learn more and apply! Submission deadline is May 28. https://www.renewablecities.ca/board-of-directors... #LC3 #CNDmuni #ClimateAction

Tonight is PITCH NIGHT for the Campbell River Impact Investor Challenge hosted by Spring Activator! This program aims to empower emerging #impactinvestors and purpose-driven ventures to make and seek impactful investments. Wishing the top 20 selected impact companies all the best as you deliver your pitches tonight, and kudos to Keith Ippel and the team at Spring for making this event happen and bringing place-based #impactinvesting to another corner of BC!

Today it’s our pleasure to highlight more #PeopleofImpact! This time in the spotlight Alex Boston, Brad Doff, Cheeying Ho and Don Lidstone of Low Carbon Cities Canada (LC3), Metro Vancouver. Together with our own Brian Smith, this team of top community development, impact investment, nonprofit, policy and community climate action strategists are working toward establishing a low carbon innovation center in Metro Vancouver to help accelerate urban climate solutions across th...e city through research, capacity building and innovative financial tools. Alex serves as the Project Director and Community Energy Specialist, Brad as the Project Manager and Analyst, Cheeying as the Engagement, Strategic Planning and Non-profit Start-up Specialist, Don as the Fiduciary, Legal and Governance Strategist, and Brian as the Impact Investment and Finance Specialist. Together, they are "dedicated to building a center that catalyzes policy innovation and market interest in investing in the zero emission economy." Please join us in celebrating these impactful folks for all that they’re doing to help Metro Vancouver lead the fight against #ClimateChange! More on this initiative bit.ly/PeopleOfImpact-LC3

We are actively seeking someone to replace me as Executive Director at Community Futures Sunshine Coast. What a wonderful experience this has been to lead an am...azing team, and learn more than I could have imagined about social entrepreneurship, impact investing, community lending and economic development. It's time for me to enter into a routine that offers more flexibility, freedom and time for added adventures. Maybe you've dreamed of living on the Sunshine Coast? It's time to take the leap! We moved here five years ago, and we plan to stay forever. https://www.communityfutures.org/hire/

Impact investing is at a tipping point, with more and more capital flowing toward businesses that are making the world a better place. Investors like the TELUS Pollinator Fund For Good are clear examples of this happening, in a big way, showing that purpose and profit can go hand-in-hand. Now that's something to 'bee' excited about! Our continued thanks goes out to Darren Entwistle, Jill Schnarr, Blair Miller, Leah Nguyen and the many others at TELUS for they're commitment to investing into social and environmental change. #ImpactInvesting #SocialCapitalism #SocialImpactFund

So great to see Simon Fraser University's Renewable Cities program having been selected by the City of Vancouver - Local Government, Metro Vancouver and Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) to establish the newest Low Carbon Cities Canada (LC3) Centre in the Metro Vancouver region in BC! Once established, this innovation centre will accelerate urban #climatesolutions across Metro Vancouver through research, capacity building and innovative financial tools. Rhiza is hon...ored to be a part of the core project team working to develop this fund in partnership with Simon Fraser University. We look forward to working with this LC3 Network to help identify, finance and scale up local climate solutions, while creating local jobs, reducing #GHGs, increasing energy efficiency and contributing to the local economy. More on this exciting through the link below! https://www.renewablecities.ca//metro-vancouver-low-carbon #LC3 #ClimateAction #ImpactInvesting #MetroVan

We always love sharing the amazing and impactful work that #RhizaPortfolio companies are doing. This time, Terramera is leading the Digital Technology Supercluster and it's Precision Agriculture to Improve Crop Health Project, which is combining solutions that protect the worlds' food supply, with future solutions to protect human health. Wow! Check out the video below to learn more about this incredible project. #AgTech #FutureofFood #FoodInnovation

Today we shine the impact spotlight on Erica Barbosa Vargas, Director of Social Finance at The McConnell Foundation. Erica is passionate about innovation, science, people and nature, and at McConnell, her work is about integrating multiple investment strategies to ultimately support scaling of innovations and disruption of societal systems to improve: sustainable food systems, entrepreneurship, urban resilience, energy efficiency and urban resilience. She also co-founded Educ...ating the Streets-Building Society, an award winning program for capabilities development of youth and working children in Bolivia. Thanks, Erica, for being a constant source of inspiration, and for all that you're doing within the #socialfinance space to better the world! We encourage you to connect with Erica and learn more about her work, and of course, stay tuned for more inspirational folks to come! #PeopleofImpact

A great listen here on the CanInnovate Podcast featuring our good friend Keith Ippel! The episode discusses the #buildbackbetter movement, protecting communities and #smallbusiness, #impactinvesting, raising money, and much more. Keith always has so much knowledge to share, worth a listen! #Entrepreneurship #EmpoweringEntrepreneurs

Amplifying some impressive and impacful work here by #RhizaPortfolio company, Trellis.org! Check out the link below to learn more about how they partnered with the Stay at Home Gala and Community Foundations of Canada on a national event that focused on getting individual communities to participate and raise funds ($550k+) for their community’s needs. Proud of the positive impact this team continues to have! #SocialEnterprise #SocialImpact #ModernFundraising

Imagine if all companies competed to be the best FOR the world! That's B Corporation's vision, and with the first publicly traded company becoming a B Corporation, and adoption of this certification increasing by larger public companies, the #BCorp movement shows promising signs of continued growth! #BusinessForGood #BCorporation

We have some exciting announcements deeply aligned with this article from SSIR. Stay tuned as we break out of summer and into fall. #CorporateSocialInvestor meets #ImpactInvesting.

"Once impact is a commonplace attribute of a company’s performance, the very definition of success is set to change." A great read explaining how #impactinvesting could change the #futureofcapitalism by bringing social good into the core of business and investing. #SocialImpact #SocialImpactInvesting

Well done to The McConnell Foundation on an incredible year of #impactinvesting! Thank you for supporting the Solutions Finance Accelerator, and for all that your organization is doing to mobilize investment capital to better the world. Keep up the amazing work! #ImpactInvestors #SustainableFinance #FinancialInnovation

Sharing some #InvestorPride today! We're thrilled for #RhizaPortfolio company FoodMesh for announcing their most ambitious project yet an emergency food distribution platform, funded by the Digital Technology Supercluster, and designed to get food to where it is needed most! This project is about using technology and network effects to bring stability and predictability to accessing nutritious food in a time of uncertainty, while ensuring our food suppliers are compensat...ed fairly for their work. - Jessica Regan, CEO, FoodMesh Learn more foodmesh.ca/supercluster/ #DigitalTechnology #CanadianTech #SolvingFoodWaste

"We need to build back better, and community capital is one of the key paths to drive the change we seek." Join SVX and Cutting Edge Capital on August 13th for their #placebasedfunds webinar! If you're a current or emerging place-based fund curious to learn more about #communitycapital, or an #investor interested in learning about place-based #impactinvesting funds, this webinar is for you. Learn more and register through the link below. bit.ly/PlaceBasedFundsWebinar

Wondering how your business can help tackle the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030? Here are five ways all businesses can contribute towards building a more just, sustainable and prosperous world for all. #SDGs2030 #SDGs #Sustainability #UnitingBusiness

Today we’re shining the impact spotlight on Carla Heim, Senior Advisor of Social Entrepreneurship at BDC and partner at B Corporation Canada. Carla has thirty-plus years’ experience in managing, advising and financing businesses. At the core of her work, she’s passionate about helping grow the national movement of certified #BCorps across Canada, and also helping BDC’s efforts to support more #womenentrepreneurs. We’re honoured to call Carla a friend and colleague, and want to celebrate her for her significant contribution to the social venture space here in Canada. Thank you, Carla, for all that you have done and continue to do! We encourage you to connect with Carla and learn more about the work she’s doing, and stay tuned for more inspirational folks to come! #PeopleofImpact

Our friends at Spring Activator, along with 6 other partners have recently launched BC's first online, long-term business resilience program to help enable #economicrecovery for entrepreneurs. If you’re an entrepreneur that doesn’t know where to start with your recovery efforts, hit the link below to learn more about this free program. Our Business Resilience Program goes beyond the short-term monetary relief offered, and is designed to scale provincially, nationally, and globally, to provide the crucial framework necessary for increasing levels of tailored support needed to overcome this, and future crises. - Keith Ippel, CEO & Co-Founder, Spring Activator #SmallBusiness #CanadianBusiness #BusinessResilience

Sustainability is of increasing importance to all sectors of society and this is certainly the case in the investment world. Although there is an altruistic reason for its growing popularity, sustainable investment also offers good returns. The economy can only thrive when people and the planet are healthy! Great to see momentum continuing to swing in the right direction. #SustainableFinance #Sustainability #SustainableInvesting #ESG

The federal government is reviewing how quickly it will launch the #socialfinancefund to help combat the effects that the pandemic has had on Canada's social services providers. "Speeding up and adding spending could help 10,000 social-purpose organizations adapt to the crunch COVID-19 has created for them, and maintain or create jobs targeting newcomers, youth, Black and Indigenous people." #SocialFinancing #SocialPurposeOrganizations #SocialServices

With interest surrounding #BCorp services and products continuing to rise, now is a great time to consider becoming a Certified #BCorporation! Check out the article below to learn more about what the B Corp Certification is, how to go about getting certified, and what benefits you can expect from certification. #BusinessForGood

"While 84 per cent of companies surveyed are taking action on #SDGs, only 46 per cent are embedding them into their core business and only 37 per cent are designing business models that contribute to the SDGs." Join GreenBiz.com and the United Nations Global Compact for a collaborative webcast on July 21 to learn about how businesses can prioritize opportunities for #SDGimpact, set goals in line with what is required to achieves the SDGs, and much more! Info and registration available through the link below. #SDGS2030

It's always so inspiring to see organizations stepping up to do some good in the community! Well done to all on this list, including our partners at Sunshine Coast Credit Union! Thank you for continuing to find ways to use your business as a force for good during #thenewnormal. #SupportLocal #BCBusiness #BusinessForGood

For all the 16-25 year old #changemakers out there, if you have a great idea that can help tackle environmental and social issues, then be sure to check out The 2020 Youth Impact Challenge from InvestEco Capital and Renewal Funds! The competition aims to support young people with big ideas by providing access to funding, networks, and mentorship. #ImpactChallenge2020 #ImpactEntrepreneurs #YouthEntrepreneurs #BusinessForGood

Exciting times for #RhizaPortfolio company FoodMesh as they begin rapidly growing their team to scale their programs nationwide! They’re currently hiring for a variety of roles, most immediately for a Senior Operations Manager to oversee their Retail Program. If you or someone you know is passionate about #foodsecurity and #reducingfoodwaste, more info can be found here foodmesh.ca/about/jobs/

Today we’re excited to shine the impact spotlight on Jeffrey Cyr and Paul Lacerte two leaders behind Indigenous-led and owned #socialfinance intermediary, Raven Indigenous Capital Partners. Jeffrey has provided strategic leadership for Indigenous, not-for-profit and government organizations for nearly 20 years. He’s also active in supporting Indigenous social innovation and building Indigenous social finance mechanisms in Canada, and was recently selected to be a 2019 Ashok...a Fellow. Paul has provided innovative leadership to Indigenous organizations throughout his career. He is the former Vice-Chair of the Vancouver Foundation Board of Directors, the former Board Chair for Reconciliation Canada, and a former representative to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. He was awarded the Order of BC in 2014. Together, they’re objective is to help #Indigenousentrepreneurs achieve their goals, strengthen the Indigenous economy, and have a positive and lasting impact on the ecosystem. We’re inspired by these two leaders and want to thank them for their continued commitment to impact, and for setting such a positive example in the community. We encourage you to connect with them, and learn more about the work they’re doing. #PeopleofImpact