Blog Archives

We Re-Brand, Go National

1/18/2019

Today we launch our latest website, and with it broaden our geographical focus from Central Texas to the entire US; introduce "Advisory Services"; launch our Podcast; and launch the "Everyone Network".

We've expanded from "Austin Foodshed Investors" to simply "Foodshed Investors" as our experience helping sustainable food...

The Foodshed Investors Podcast: E1 w/ Curt, Eric, and Jarred

1/17/2019

At the intersection of food, money, and people you’ll find The Foodshed Investors Podcast. This month, Austin Foodshed Investors Founders and Partners, Jarred Maxwell, Curt Nelson and Eric de Valpine join host Evan Driscoll (also with AFI) to talk about why, exactly, we're doing this podcast and why we think it's important. Also discussed: Angel Investing, Venture Capital, raising the right capital for your company, AFI portfolio case studies, and what makes for good financials.

The Alpha in Impact

1/17/2019

Foodshed Investors friend Amy Bell co-authored this report, which "offers a new way of thinking about the relationship between financial returns and social and environmental impact. Instead of debating whether impact objectives detract from the financial performance of a fund, it identifies the ways in which impact objectives enhance financial performance, based on transactions in the portfolios of market-rate investment managers. This concept is known as “impact alpha".

Read the full report here.

The Perfect Elevator Pitch Infographic

1/17/2019

7 Key Components of a Perfect Elevator Pitch, from bPlan via HubSpot Blogs.

Capital Evolving: Alternative Investment Strategies to Drive Inclusive Innovation

1/16/2019

2018 report from Village Capital details gaps in equity and geographical distribution of innovation capital, with suggested solutions including Revenue Share Structures, Place-Based Multi-Asset-Class Funds, and Peer-Based Decision Making.

Says author and VilCap President Ross Baird: "Our current capital structures – particularly the most well-publicized options of venture capital and bank loans – reward the few and leave the many on the sidelines. Billion-dollar tech “unicorns” distort our view of a successful startup economy. Most startup capital goes to just a few people, in a few places, and a few industries. Half of the world’s venture capital goes to just three US states...

Case Study: Still Austin

1/16/2019

Still Austin Whiskey Co. is a small, craft distillery located in Austin, TX. Still Austin is Austin's first bourbon distillery and is committed to creating grain-to-glass Texas whiskeys sourced 100% from Texas farmers. They distill the highest quality whiskey, made from scratch by hand, by attending to every detail in every step in the process.

Elgin Local Food Center Receives Kick Off Funding

1/15/2019

Our friends over at Texas Center for Local Foods and Elgin Local Food Center will receive funding to get their commercial kitchen off the ground. We couldn't be more excited for them - check out the press release!

Still Celebrates 1,000th Barrel of Whiskey

1/15/2019

AFI Portfolio company Still Austin Whiskey just put their 1,000th barrel of whiskey up for aging, on the way to becoming fine local bourbon.In this 3 minute video we get an overview of their production process, and hear about using Heritage Texas Grains.
http://stillaustin.com

Generic One Page Business Plan

1/15/2019

We saw another business plan pitch deck today, from a pitch competition, that after 30 slides had us scratching our heads, again. It was a cool idea, maybe, but echoing a complaint we've heard from potential investors and pitchfest judges again and again, at the end we didn't know what is *was*.

Carbon as Value Added

1/15/2019

FI friend and Investor Network member H.C. Clark published this article in the February 2018 issue of Stockman Grass Farmer.

Read how good grass farming captures carbon and improves your business.

Food Justice & Sustainable Business

1/15/2019

Do community-based grassroots approaches and economically sustainable business models have to be mutually exclusive?

Garret Broad answers: "I think that social justice movements in general don’t engage enough with market ideas... If we don’t engage actively and think critically about how we can make capitalism work, or new kinds of capitalism work, there are other people and institutions that are going to do a much better job of it without the kind of social and political commitments that we have."

Austin Foodshed Investors Highlighted in Edible Austin

1/15/2019

We're excited about our new write up in Edible Austin! Find it in the July/August Wellness Issue currently on newsstands. Happy to see AFI Portfolio company Cat Springs Yaupon Tea highlighted in this article, as well as one of our investors. In separate articles, EA also featured AFI's first Portfolio company, Bola Pizza, and speaks with friends of AFI, Rain Lily Farm and Barton Springs Mill

Case Study: Eden's Organic CSA Farm

1/14/2019

Eden's Organic CSA Farm and Garden Center is located just southeast of Dallas, TX, where they grow a diversity of fruits and vegetables and also sell a number of amenities for the garden. Founded in 2008, Owner Marie Tedei, has been growing this business and cultivating a strong community around the food she grows.

Case Study: Seal the Seasons

1/14/2019

AFI invests in Seal the Seasons, a frozen fruit and vegetable company in North Carolina. Their product is source identified and regionally grown and distributed. We are excited to see them grow their positive impact on sustainable farms.

National Geographic Profiles Sustainable Food in Austin

1/13/2019

"The city where cowboys and hippies have long come together over breakfast tacos is breeding a new kind of food pioneer," writes Beth Goulart Monson in a long-form, beautifully photo'd essay hitting all the high points of the Austin sustainable food movement. And she even name checks AFI! Wow!

New Study: What About Local Food Production?

1/13/2019

A new study from the Austin Texas-based Capital Area Council of Governments, "Selling Food is Good Business in the Capital Area - But What About Local Food Production?" asks “... how much of the dollars being spent on food are staying in the local economy, as opposed to going to food producers elsewhere?”

Inspiring Short Film "Small Business in America" Sums Up AFI's Thinking

1/13/2019

What a pleasure to stumble on this half hour documentary, "Small Business in America". Produced by local Austin multimedia company Flow Nonfiction, it tells the story of why we do what we do.Even though we had nothing to do with making it!

Case Study: Back to the Garden

1/13/2019

John Stanley, Owner of Back to the Garden, grows a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables on his farm in Wimberly, Texas. From his signature lettuce mix, to fresh carrots, and specialty herbs, Back to the Garden supplies restaurants, farmers' markets, and distributors with high quality, truly local produce.

The Right Shirt

1/13/2019

AFI Co-Founder Jarred Maxwell muses on his journey through Slow Money, investment clubs, and the founding of Austin Foodshed Investors. This article originally appeared in the Winter 2016/17 issue of the Slow Money Journal.

What is Bootstrap Plus & Milestone-Based Funding?

1/13/2019

AFI Partners Eric de Valpine and Jarred Maxwell discuss AFI's tools for raising capital; Bootstrap Plus and Milestone-based Funding.

YouTube video, 5:55 min.

19 Food Films to Inform and Inspire

1/13/2019

FoodTank has assembled a list of 19 films about the food system and food and ag to "inspire, educate, and give viewers some food for thought.

Here's the list, with links to previews and ways to watch the flix.

Slow Money & Woody Tasch Come to Austin

1/13/2019

On May 21, Austin Foodshed Investors had the pleasure of hosting Slow Money’s progenitor, Woody Tasch, right here in Austin. Woody had just released his book – SOIL: Notes Towards the Theory and Practice of Nature Capital.

"How Do I Get a Small Business Loan?"

1/13/2019

We recently got an email from a local food company with this simple question: "Would you happen to know the best way to go about getting a small business loan? I have some equipment I'd like to purchase and was told getting a business loan might be the best way to go about it. Any advice would be great!"

Investables: RSF Social Finance

1/11/2019

RSF's Donor Advised Fund is an impact investment fund that supports a variety of businesses for good.

Open To: Accredited Investors
Type: Donor Advised Funds

Investables: InvestorFlow

1/11/2019

InvestorFlow is a social media platform for impact investors to connect with each other and coordinate on impact deals.

Open To: Accredited Only.
Type: Virtual Angel Network

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