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
A Whole Different Vibration
MARCH 15, 2021 A Whole Different Vibration by Fatimah Muhammad with Joey Saunders Entrepreneurialism is in my blood, passed down by my parents and grandparents. My fascination with bees, on the other hand, came about suddenly, almost like I’ve heard poets describe the moment inspiration strikes only, instead of scribbling down rhymes, I found…
Justice Is My Favorite Word
FEBRUARY 26, 2021 Justice Is My Favorite Word by Councilwoman and Inaugural Chisholm’s Chair Fellow Nicole Greer with Joey Saunders Justice is my favorite word, but I want it to be more. I want to see it leap from the pages of books, protest signs and my dreams for the future until justice is…
Help Select Our Next Cohort of Black and Latinx Founders
FEBRUARY 22, 2021 Help Select Our Next Cohort of Black and Latinx Founders WEPOWER friends, Happy Black History Month! This month is as much about our history as it is about staying awake together, reimagining a safer and more dignified future for all Black people. WEPOWER imagines a future where Black and Latinx…
Our Dreams Hold Hands
JANUARY 29, 2021 Our Dreams Hold Hands by Tiffany Wesley with Joey Saunders I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the interconnectedness of dreams. How our ancestors’ dreams reach out and hold onto, a grandmother’s, a father’s, his daughter’s. I feel so grateful as my dream – starting my business, Pure Vibes, and seeing…
2020 Reflections | The Audacity to Confront Audacious Injustice
JANUARY 1, 2021 2020 Reflections | The Audacity to Confront Audacious Injustice This December, I have especially appreciated both the small and big things in my life: the taste of my favorite dessert, the smell of Christmas trees, the never-ending laughter of a single meme, my health, the health of those around me, and…
Reflecting on 2020: One Good Thing
JANUARY 1, 2021 Reflecting on 2020: One Good Thing As 2020 comes to a close, we asked members of the WEPOWER team to reflect on their year and describe one good thing that came out of the incredibly challenging year we all just experienced. We chose to end the year reflecting on what we…