Next Wave Impact

WHO WE ARE

We are working to increase diversity, inclusion, and impact in early-stage investing and our entrepreneurial ecosystem through our innovative learning-by-doing progressive fund model. Our current global fund has 99 women investors, 25 of them women of color, which is led by an experienced investment committee of ten women. We have built a portfolio of 15 companies, diversified across industry and geography, over a three-year investment period and are now focused on follow-on investments. 100% of our portfolio companies are led by women and people of color. We made 6-8 investments in each of the first two years as well as some selected follow-on investments. We are excited about this model, building on two pilots in the United States and Europe (the Rising Tide Pilots) with nearly 200 women, which made 18 investments from the two funds. Together, we are creating the next wave of educated and trained angel investors focused on both social impact and financial returns and are investing in underrepresented entrepreneurs.

$1,000,000

TARGET SIZE OF FUNDS

Sector

Fintech, Healthcare, Education

Stage

Pre-Seed, Seed

Region

North America

Countries

Founder(s)

Dr. Alicia Robb

Alicia Robb is the Founder and CEO of Next Wave Impact and the Managing Partner of two early-stage venture funds. She is also the Research Director at Cruelty Free Investing and a Research Fellow at the University of Colorado in Boulder. She was previously a Senior Fellow with the Kauffman Foundation for more than a decade. Alicia received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She previously worked as an economist with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and the Office of Economic Research in the SBA. She is a prolific author on the topics of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial finance. In addition to numerous journal articles and book chapters, she is the co-author of A Rising Tide: Financing Strategies for Women-Owned Businesses and The Next Wave: Financing and Investing Strategies for Growth-Oriented Women Entrepreneurs published by Stanford University Press, as well as Race and Entrepreneurial Success published by MIT Press. She teaches workshops on angel investing and investor readiness around the globe. She is an active angel investor, a limited partner in three early-stage venture funds, a mentor to various young firms, and a board member for several groups, including the Deming Center Venture Fund, the Kachuwa Impact Fund, Good Food Institute, Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary, and Vegan Investors. Alicia was awarded the prestigious Hans Severiens Award in 2020, ACA’s annual award recognizing one individual’s work in advancing the field of angel investing. Please see here for more info on Alicia.