WEPOWER Capital
Capital That Works for Companies and Communities
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.
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 collective prosperity. 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.
- Traditional Capital Denied: Black and Latinx entrepreneurs are more likely to be denied bank loans, offered less capital when approved, and charged higher interest rates.
- Soaring Racial Wealth Disparities: Given the massive racial wealth gap -- white families have 10-20x the wealth of Black families --most Black and Latinx entrepreneurs do not have access to anyone who will make an early investment of $30,000, let alone $100,000.
- Pandemic Hits Harder: Nationwide, the number of Black owned businesses dropped by 41% between February 2020 and April 2020.
It Is Time to Reimagine The Role of Capital
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.
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.
WEPOWER 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, based on business profile
- Revenue share: ~2-10% of monthly revenue
- Collateral: Not required
- Credit Score: Not required
For Fast Growing,
Black and Latinx
Owned Companies
We are looking for:
- Black and Latinx owned companies
- Anywhere between $5,000-100,000/month (or more) in revenue
- Strong growth trajectory (or evidence of strong growth potential with investment)
- Companies committed to hiring at or above a living wage or, at minimum, putting workers on a path to a living wage
- Companies committed to hiring in and/or locating in priority neighborhoods, St. Louis city wards 3 and 21, that have experienced generations of disinvestment
Building Community Wealth Triples Impact
A percentage of the returns will be owned and managed by the surrounding community and the rest will be invested in future.
With this innovative model, the impact is three-fold. WEPOWER Capital catalyzes Black and Latinx owned businesses to:
- Anchor neighborhoods
- Build the tax base
- Accelerate community owned shared wealth generation that disrupts generational divestment
Join Us!
Our Founding Partners
Updates
On the Right Side of History
December 20, 2023 So I don’t bury the lead; this is a fundraising letter and then some. 🙂 As I close out 2023, like many of you, I am reflecting on what I learned, how I showed up as a leader, what we accomplished, what seeds we planted for future harvests, and the larger…
We Pull Up for Our Babies
As a mother of two beautiful boys in North City, St. Louis, I wake up each morning to advocate for my babies. It goes beyond the two born during a global pandemic – I fight for the thousands of babies in St. Louis lacking adequate childcare, including the under-resourced facilities and teachers crucial for women…
Cherly’s Herbs Heads to Vegas with Eye on Expansion
Friday, August 18th at Missouri’s Botanical Garden, WEPOWER hosted their second ever Garden Party. Charli shared some reflections and also presented investment checks to two entrepreneurs leading businesses that WEPOWER Capital has recently invested in. October 23, 2023 Cherly’s Herbs Heads to Vegas with Eye on Expansion One of the largest trade shows of its…
Charli Cooksey | We Can Do This
Friday, August 18th at Missouri’s Botanical Garden, WEPOWER hosted their second ever Garden Party. Charli shared some reflections and also presented investment checks to two entrepreneurs leading businesses that WEPOWER Capital has recently invested in. August 18, 2023 Charli Cooksey | We Can Do This Friday, August 18th at Missouri’s Botanical Garden, WEPOWER hosted…
Nyara Williams | WEOUTSIDE
Friday, August 18th at Missouri’s Botanical Garden, WEPOWER hosted their second ever Garden Party. Filmmaker Nyara Williams premiered a documentary on behalf of WEPOWER and shared some reflections ahead of its previewing. This touched all of our hearts and we wanted to also share with you. August 18, 2023 Nyara Williams | WEOUTSIDE Blooming …
Paula Vickers | Grandma’s Plan
Friday, August 18th at Missouri’s Botanical Garden, WEPOWER hosted their second ever Garden Party. Paula Vickers shared her journey with WEPOWER and what’s to come. Paula is a graduate of the 2023 cohort of WEPOWER’s Chisholm’s Chair Fellowship and serves as WEPOWER’s fulltime Early Childhood Community Organizer. August 18, 2023 Paula Vickers | Grandma’s Plan…