What are FI's Guiding Principles and Values?

When we started this adventure in 2014 the first thing we did was list our values and principles. They haven't really changed...

Seek Real Human Connection
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​Too much of our financial lives are disconnected from our personal experience; we have no way to appreciate how, for example the ETFs of foreign futures derivatives our financial advisors trade online impact the real life people ultimately producing or consuming the products on which they are based.

We want  human connection and personal relationship  with our neighbors the farmer or entrepreneur.  Investing isn't "just business", it is personal, and we want it to be that way.

Create Change by Action

​Our focus is on creating change by action - the action of investing.  We are not an advocacy organization, or an educational one, but we realize the concepts of Slow Food, and Slow Money, are new and potentially beneficial to many, so  we will seize opportunities to communicate  how small scale local food investing can help entrepreneurs, investors, consumers, workers, regional economic development, and the earth.

Enjoy & Value Innovation

​We enjoy and value innovation  in methods and technologies for pairing entrepreneurs and investors such as crowdfunding, in financing vehicles, in private company secondary markets, and in the opportunity for citizen consumers (non-accrediteds) to become citizen investors via the regulatory changes of the Jobs Act of 2012.

Give Honest, Respectful, and Rapid Feedback

Food entrepreneurs can be at many stages of maturity and "fundability".

We will strive to invest in, and/or mentor, and/or refer, and/or provide  honest, respectful, and rapid feedback to all serious applicants. 

Create Transformative Personal Experiences

​While access to capital is a challenge for most start-up and small firms, it is very difficult for the firms we target.  As such, we provide valuable assistance to the entrepreneurs, an untapped source of deal flow to investors, and little or no overlap or competition with existing Angel Networks.

Our goal is to  create  transformative personal experiences  for the entrepreneurs and investors with whom we engage.

Finance Prudent Growth

​Traditional Angel Networks target only those firms with exceptionally fast growth projections and the expectation of very  high investor-return exits, requiring high-risk "home run" strategies and resulting in very few winners and lots of losers.  Combined with complex financing structures and documents, we call this "fast money".  

We celebrate local food sector firms needing capital to  finance  prudent growth, using long-term sensible strategies, leading to  cash-positive businesses  that may not "scale" financially or seek exit but do provide good, clean, fair products, jobs, and care of the commons while  allowing distributions to investors  at fair yields.

Have Fun

Life's too short, eh?