Building An Impact Investment Cooperative with Blake Jones

Blake Jones is a founder of several cooperative enterprises, including Namaste Solar and Kachuwa Impact Fund. He’s a pioneer in his marrying of the cooperative model and impact investing. Kachuwa Impact Fund is democratically owned and operated by its members. They invest in companies that have a positive impact on the environment and society, and real estate that does the same—such as organic farms and affordable housing. They invest in Main Street as opposed to Wall Street, and impact is their number one priority with financial return being second. 

In this episode, Blake and show host Neal discuss Blake’s journey from working in the oil and gas industry to shifting his interest to renewable energy, and eventually becoming fascinated by the cooperative enterprise model. They dive into the concept of impact cooperative investment funds, discussing how these funds differ from traditional investment models and why they are essential for supporting mission-driven enterprises and real estate. It’s a fairly new concept and Blake shares details of how the fund works in practice—how they vet potential investments and investors, how they approach liquidity and patience, and how members’ voting power is not tied to their investment amount. Blake shares valuable insights from his experience with Kachuwa and other cooperative enterprise, as well as some valuable tips for anyone interested in impact investing cooperatives. For more information about Blake and his work, visit Kachuwa Impact Fund. 

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