SJF Institute (SJFI) and Investors' Circle (IC) today announced a merger. Effective July 1, 2011, SJFI has taken over management and governance roles for Investors' Circle. Bonny Moellenbrock, Executive Director of SJF Institute, has also assumed executive leadership of Investors' Circle. Two of IC's board members will join SJFI's board, and Suzanne Biegel – IC's Acting CEO and longtime IC member – will transition to serve on IC's Advisory Board.
Since 1992 Investors' Circle has built a network of over 150 angel investors, professional venture capitalists, foundations and family offices who are using private capital to promote the transition to a sustainable economy. During that time Investors' Circle has facilitated the flow of over $145 million into more than 220 companies and small funds addressing social and environmental issues.
SJF Institute was founded in 2001 as an independent nonprofit affiliate of SJF Ventures, a leading national impact investment venture capital fund. SJFI develops national and regional programs to connect, inspire and accelerate impact entrepreneurs and the fields that support them. SJFI has provided direct technical assistance to over 1,500 impact entrepreneurs and has helped hundreds of others through its programs, including Getting Ready for Equity, CleanLinks networking events, the SJF Cleantech Mentorship Program, the Green Jobs Award, and reports such as Employees Matter: Maximizing Company Value Through Workforce Engagement.
"IC and SJF Institute are completely mission aligned – we believe that entrepreneurship is key to addressing the world's greatest social and environmental challenges and supporting the economy," said Suzanne Biegel of Investors' Circle. "Early stage impact investors are looking for investment-ready companies led by passionate, capable entrepreneurs, and to align their investments with their values."
"We see a great deal of synergy in bringing together our entrepreneur and venture networks with the IC investment network," said Bonny Moellenbrock of SJF Institute. "We want to build a vibrant capital marketplace to put more impact entrepreneurs on a clear path to strong financial growth and measurable social and environmental impact. We know this is the pipeline that later stage institutional investors are seeking. When this happens, everyone wins: the entrepreneurs, the investors, communities, and the planet."