Flexible Capital for Sustainable Businesses Webinar

Flexible Capital for Sustainable Businesses: Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund and their Flexible Capital Fund

Webinar Speaker:
Janice St. Onge, Deputy Director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund and President of the VSJF Flexible Capital FundVSJF Logo

Date and Time:
Tuesday, August 2 at 10am PT
(11am MT / 12pm CT / 1pm ET)

About the topic:
Janice will first introduce the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, the parent organization for the Flexible Capital Fund. She will then explore the Flexible Capital Fund with an eye toward what other communities would need to know in order to replicate some of this approach.
The discussion will touch on why and how the Fund was created, how the Fund works, and who has access to the capital and services of the Fund. Janice will give an overview of who has benefited from the Fund to date and review what's worked well, what could be working more effectively, and what the goals for the future are.

About the Fund:
The VSJF Flexible Capital Fund recognizes that companies in rural areas like Vermont tend to be smaller and work on a less-than global scale, offering a return on investment that does not always meet venture capital levels.
These rural companies may need a form of “equity” to fuel growth but need it in lesser amounts and perhaps at lower returns than traditional venture capital requires. That’s why the Fund will balance equity features and returns with the reality of small business in Vermont, offering flexible risk capital and technical assistance to fit Vermont’s early and growth stage companies’ needs.
The Fund is the first of its kind in Vermont to be strategically focused on unique, and often, neglected group of growth companies in Vermont. These businesses are on the forefront of accelerating the development of healthy food systems, renewable energy, vibrant economies and resilient communities, while also protecting the environment in Vermont.


Space is limited -- register now! This series is open to the public.

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About the Speaker

Janice St. Onge is the deputy director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund and the Peer to Peer Collaborative’s CEO advisory program, and president of the VSJF Flexible Capital Fund, L3C. The VSJF is a not-for-profit whose mission is to accelerate theJanice St Onge development of Vermont’s green economy by providing grants, loans and technical assistance to Vermont’s natural resource, agricultural and clean technology businesses.

Janice brings economic development and financial expertise to the VSJF, having served in the technology and banking industries, higher education and state government sectors during her 25-year career. Janice is on the board of the Vermont Investors Forum, advisory boards for both the Vt. Small Business Development Center and True Body Products, and is a founding member of the Stowe Energy and Climate Action Network.

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