Western NY Impact Investment Fund

The Western New York Impact Investment Fund is an innovative, for- profit fund that seeks to support our region’s economic resurgence. By leveraging collaboration between corporate, private, and philanthropic investors, the fund seeks to drive both commercial success and social impact. Our firm has been recognized on a national scale as a pioneer in place-based impact investing.

The fund seeks to generate financial returns for its partners through equity and debt deals. Investments typically range between $250,000 to $1 million. The WNY Impact Investment Fund is also committed to making investments that improve the community. Two due diligence committees, one for business impact and the other for social impact, perform separate analyses before deals are put in front of the board for a vote. The fund has developed its own rigorous processes to guide those committees and systemize its impact investment ideals.

The firm invests in the eight counties of Western New York, which includes the cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls, and their surrounding communities. In our first five years, the fund has made nearly 20 investments that have supported the creation of hundreds of jobs. Our investments have revitalized empty factories, supported minority founding teams and injected growth capital into projects that will meaningfully improve the lives of Western New Yorkers.

Stage of capital: Convertible debt, Subordinated debt, Seed, Series A, Series B

Location: Buffalo, NY

Fund manager diversity: Woman-led, Black and African American led, Hispanic-Latino led, Asian American and Pacific Islander led

Diversity focus: Women, Black and African American, Hispanic-Latino, Native American

Industry focus: Environmental Sustainability, General Tech- and Tech-Enabled, Healthcare and Wellness (incl. FemTech), Future of Work and Living (incl. Education/EdTech), Food and Agriculture

Min and max capital: $250,000 - $1,000,000

https://wnyimpact.com