Inclusive Investing™ is a market-backed discipline that allows us to cast a targeted, yet wide net when sourcing companies, while keeping outsized returns and impact front and center in our investment decisions.
There’s a lot of talk about demographics and a lack of diversity in venture capital. Inclusive investing is a strategy that proactively addresses this problem.
While we’re pioneering this strategy, the data supporting our thesis is on our side: diverse fund managers earn better returns, and companies with diverse leadership outperform their peers. Inclusive Investing™ goes beyond diversity - it’s a new investment discipline that can transform the way we source, invest in, and scale businesses, and in doing so, create new pathways to prosperity for individuals, businesses, and communities at scale.
Inclusive Investing™ levels the playing field so the best businesses and most talented teams succeed.
A Five-Pronged Approach
Implemented cohesively, these five areas of practice yield an Inclusive Investing™ discipline Zeal is spearheading in the venture world across private markets.
- Diverse Fund Managers: Fund managers and the broader team are diverse with complementary backgrounds and skill sets.
- Diverse Management Teams: Companies proactively source diverse management teams with complementary skill sets and backgrounds that help portfolio companies outperform.
- Geographic Inclusivity: Funds source from a wide range of geographies across the U.S., not just traditional geographic VC “hotbeds”.
- Investment Focus: Investment allocation is directed to sectors where fund managers expect continued innovation and opportunity for disruption.
- Impact Lens: Investments seek to achieve top tier financial and social returns that impact low-wealth communities and small businesses.