lizsweig on Nostr: Capping off a great week Down Under visiting with Cameron Neil of Red Hat Impact over ...

Capping off a great week Down Under visiting with Cameron Neil of Red Hat Impact over coffee and cake in St. Kilda. In addition to catching up, we chatted about opportunities to address the "missing middle" in capital deployment. There's a critical gap between the two most prevalent funding models: venture capital, which can lead to extractive and exploitative practices, and charity, which can unintentionally infantilize entrepreneurs, inhibiting their ability to build sustainable, revenue-generating businesses. We need innovative approaches to capital that support founders dedicated to creating value for the commons and the benefit of all, rather than solely focusing on the pursuit of "unicorn" startups. Organizations like Red Hat Impact are stepping into this breach, proposing new models of investment that empower entrepreneurs to develop enterprises with both social impact and financial sustainability. These efforts aim to catalyze a shift towards a more inclusive and equitable economic landscape, where capital serves as a tool for broad-based prosperity and societal well-being, rather than as a means for narrow, short-term gains.