We got Launcht!

The Flex Fund just got Launcht with the help of the William James Foundation's Sustainable Business Plan competition.  We made the first of 3 rounds of cuts in the competition and now have our own Launcht page to help raise funds and get us a vote closer to the final round of the competition.  So visit our page, donate (no amount is too small!) and help us get the word out that slow, small-scale, local investment in rural businesses can really work!

Slow Food, Slow Money, now Slow Finance

Looks like investing in local businesses over the long term has gotten some international attention. 

Slow Finance in The Economist

Only in Vermont...

Only in Vermont would you see Vermont's Governor, the Secretaries of Commerce, Agriculture and Human Services all convene in one room to talk about our agricultural renaissance and the value of agriculture and the food system to Vermont's economy!  This past Monday and Tuesday, 150 people from organizations across the State came together to help move the Farm to Plate Strategic plan - Vermont's 10 year plan to strengthen our farm and food system - forward.  It was the launching pad for the Farm to Plate Network and if you want to see what people had to say, visit VSJF's facebook page for first hand accounts from participants.

It's never too late to get involved - and participate in moving Farm to Plate forward.  Learn more at the Farm to Plate website.

Flex Fund Partners with ShadeFund

The Flex Fund has signed on to the ShadeFund's partner program!  

ShadeFund is a joint project of The Conservation Fund and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities and provides small loans to promising green entrepreneurs across America.  We're helping them get the word out about their new program.  

ShadeFund loans range between $5,000 and $50,000 and are provided to green entrepreneurs who work in sustainable forestry and forest products, sustainable or organic farming, eco-tourism, natural food and medicines, biomass, and energy efficiency project.  ShadeFund's model enables individuals, companies and foundations to help green entrepreneurs across America grow their businesses and create jobs. Tax deductible contributions to ShadeFund are pooled and lent to qualified small green businesses nationwide. As entrepreneurs repay their loans, those same dollars are recycled to help other entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

So if you're a small green business looking for capital, now you've got yet another option for funding to help grow your business. 

Vt. Investors Forum Still Taking Apps!

If you're a business looking for equity investment - and want to connect with Vermont and New England's investment folks, the Vermont Investors Forum (VIF) has extended their application deadline to 9/12.  VIF comes around once a year and offers Vermont's innovative entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their business to an audience of investors from around the region. 

Get your application in today!  More information can be found at http://vermontinvestorsforum.com/.

Slow Money is moving faster...

Nice article today from Environmental Leader on why the Slow Money movement is speeding up.  Check it out at Environmental Leader . 

Slow it down at the Slow Living Summit, June 1 - 3

If you're thinking that life (and money) in the fast lane is going too fast, then slow it down! 

 

The Slow Living Summit is coming to Brattleboro, Vermont June 1 - 3.  This event is a 2 1/2 day exploration to bring people from all over New England together to discuss ways to build healthy, thriving local economies while encouraging, mentoring and supporting a new generation of activists, entrepreneurs and engaged citizens.  

 

Hard to  imagine any of us slowing down long enough to sit for an hour, let alone 3 days - and talking about how to "slow down" to boot!  I'll be there along with fellow funders Chris Sikes (Western Massachusetts Enterprise Fund), Ryan Torres (Vermont Community Foundation), John Hamilton (Vested for Growth, NH Loan Fund) and Michael Gurau (Clear Venture Partners, Maine).  The topic?  Building a resilient New England and where can entrepreneurs go to find the money.  

 

So check out the Summit schedule at Slow Living Summit page and take time to "slow down" this June.

Peak Pitch combines raising capital with fun on the slopes

March 10, 2011 was an epic snow day at Sugarbush Ski Resort.  Vermont entrepreneurs, New England investors and business assistance providers came to pitch, listen and slide down the mountain on skis and snowboards.  The idea of peak pitch is simple - Entrepreneurs have a chairlift ride to tell their story, sell their  idea and ask for the money.  Investors have the chairlift ride to listen, ask questions and decide whether to give away their "peak pitch" bucks.  At the end, the top three entrepreneurs with the most "bucks" get to pitch their deals to the whole crowd and a winner is decided upon. It's an informal way to learn what investors are looking for, what to (and not to) say to an investor, get feedback on the pitch and learn what resources are available in Vermont.  For investors, they get to see what's new on the Vermont entrepreneurial scene.  For everyone, they get great networking and connections, good food and great skiing and snowboarding.

Make sure you keep an eye out for 2012 Peak Pitch - an event not to be missed!

See Burlington Free Press article for more.

What do you mean small business lending is high risk?!

We hear all the time that new jobs created by America's small businesses are crucial to the economic recovery.  The last two years saw a meltdown in the financial system, bailouts of big companies, and a downward spiral in real estate values.  Credit is tight if not non-existent for small business, and as a new lender we're hearing that "small business lending" is considered a high risk category when insuring loan funds and/or non-institutional / community bank lenders.  It's a real dichotomy isn't it?  Touting small business as the solution, while those same businesses struggle to grow (or even survive) because they can't finance their growth with the right match of capital. 

Perhaps we need to shift our thinking... If a small business has a good management team, is matching their source and structure of capital (short or long term; debt or equity) appropriately to their stage of growth and size of business, and has technical assistance and an advisory board to guide them, it seems the risk drops significantly.  You may be more likely to slip and fall in your bathtub than to lose your shirt to this business...