What: WEPOWER Capital accelerates community owned wealth generation in North St. Louis communities that have experienced decades of divestment by investing in high growth Black and Latinx businesses.
Why: Our Region is Missing Out on a Major Opportunity to Advance Racial Equity & Build Wealth.
An investment in Black and Latinx entrepreneurs is an investment in our region’s collectiveprosperity. Black and Latinx entrepreneurs create jobs at the same rate or higher than white owned firms. However, our systems weren't designed for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs or communities to thrive.
We cannot reach our potential as a region without fully investing in Black and Latinx communities and the businesses that can drive their economic mobility. It is time to provide access to capital to Black and Latinx businesses that have the potential to spark wealth for their families and their communities.
How We Do It
How: Founder-Friendly, Flexible “Capital+” That Builds Community Wealth
This is not your run of the mill investment fund. We provide “capital+” (i.e. capital plus connections and technical assistance), with a mission to spark place-based economic prosperity. Elevate/Elevar Capital uses revenue based investing, where entrepreneurs repay a fixed percentage of their revenue until a pre-agreed total has been paid back. This model is more flexible than traditional loans, allowing us to truly share risk with entrepreneurs and only succeed when they do, without reducing their ownership in their company.
- Vehicle: Revenue share agreements & loans
- Check size: $50,000 - $200,000
- Return cap: 1.5x
- Revenue share: ~2-10% of monthly revenue
- Collateral: Not required
- Credit Score: Not required
Join Us
- Fill out this interest form.
- DONATE seed capital to help launch the fund that can be invested over and over again
- Become a founding investor (accredited investors only)
- Partner with us on the accelerator that builds part of the pipeline
To learn more, email Saida Cornejo Zuñiga at saida@wepowerstl.org
Note: This does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation of any security or any other product or service. You are solely responsible for determining whether any investment, investment strategy, security or related transaction is appropriate for you based on your personal investment objectives, financial circumstances and risk tolerance. You should consult your business advisor, attorney, or tax and accounting advisor regarding your specific business, legal or tax situation.