Christian Venture Startup Group
Sorry. It doesn’t exist (as far as I can tell), but wouldn’t it be cool if it did?
A little while back I read (via TechCrunch) about Founder’s Co-Op, a Seattle-based firm that is essentially a community of early-stage entrepreneurs who have come together to collectively invest in seed-stage businesses and I wondered to myself why I had not heard of any Christian Venture Capitalists groups…
Oh man, there is such a need. And, if I had any money, I’d be so down with doing it and being a part of it. A dream for the future perhaps.
Wait… I just found an article nearly 2 years to the date from Drew Goodmanson, Founder and CEO of Monk Development also pining with the same desire:
I don’t know why there aren’t more Christians rallying behind the physical expression of God’s restorative plan.
Amen brother! It seems that he’s found Kingdom Ventures (which seems a bit outdated…) and also Tim Keller’s Redeemer Presbyterian’s Faith and Work which has an “Entrepreneurial Initiative“, but which only supports businesses within the walls of Redeemer:
The Entrepreneurship Initiative (EI) will build a network of Christian professionals from within Redeemer’s congregation and its friends who can provide business, industry, or skill-specific expertise to support entrepreneurs (such as professionals in strategy, business development, operations, finance, marketing and advertising, technology, or law). These individuals will have many years of experience within their respective fields. The entrepreneur network will provide a community for entrepreneurs, for the exchange of best practices and lessons learned from their experiences and to engage new entrepreneurs with supporting professionals.
Eventually, the EI will launch an Incubator to help advise, serve, and fund a select pool of entrepreneurs in launching their ventures. The coaches and consulting teams will assess the needs of the candidate and devise a customized strategy for the successful launch of the venture after the incubation period.
They’ve even got a neat visual graph too.
Bottom line is that there is still, apparently, a huge vacuum to be filled and a large potential to do great things.
If you’re going to start one, let me know!
Buzz it!
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17 Responses to “Christian Venture Startup Group”
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I”M WITH YOU! I think there is a huge need, and the ROOV guys inspire me. The Body greatly needs to be more tightly networked (it’s happening), and working together on Kingdom Ventures!
My idea: coffee houses (inspired by Ekklesia in Houston), that are open 7 days a week. More than a coffee house, they are an art gallery, a community center, a place where people come, hear live music, get together. And upstairs, on sunday, a church plant is meeting – in a cool environment.
and all kinds of unchurched people come to get community, and do the fun community events that are held there, and hear local bands, and see really cool art or hear a lecture on economics and eventually come to the funky little church they have on sundays, or sat evening.!!! BOOYAH, fires me up!
I totally agree. I would love for my church to start a coffeehouse in my community. We are an inner-city church, and have alot of space that is not being used. It would also serve a community need by getting youth off of the streets, and providing a safe place where they can hang out. Everyone can come listen to music, and maybe have some poetry readings. And maybe, learn that our God is an "Awesome God". I just thought of another idea, a Christian themed open-mike night.
AMEN!!!!!
that would be great! have you seen anything like that?
excellent! let’s start brainstorming…
why can’t Christians obtain capital from the same sources other entrepreneurs obtain it from? How would it evaluate businesses differently? Why is it necessary to have yet another “christian” version of something that already exists? You say a vacuum exists. Why? Where? Give us some reason. I am not going to give my money to someone because they are a Christian. I give because I believe in the cause or because I believe I will see a return on my investment, and in the best of circumstances social entrepreneurship models allow for both. This I believe is a great avenue for Christians to make an impact, but fail to see a compelling argument for the model you are advocating here. Can you clarify?
Jesse, I have a similar vision for my community. Live in a college town and it would be perfect.
@Scott
To answer you question as straight-forward as I can, there’s no reason that christians CAN’T get funding from the same sources. I’m totally for it!
But, a christian venture capital firm would have values and a greater understanding of our missional calling to proclaim the gospel than any secular venture capital firm (generally speaking). This could, in many respects, make or break the deal, because the bottom line of any business for the Kingdom is expansion of it through the Gospel… and that’s not typically the bottom line for other businesses… money is the common motivator here.
In addition, a evangelical firm would also provide spiritual guidance, something money can’t buy and certainly not something that a typical firm would even offer.
Again, i’m all for the business to seek financial aid, support, and backing from the more “typical” avenues… but wouldn’t it be nice to have a definitive evangelical entrepreneurial source?
just a thought.
My point is that for a business, whether founded by Christians or not, is going to survive, it has to be profitable. If it is going to truly spread the Gospel is is going to have to have broad appeal, as Bible Verse tshirts, etc don’t spread the Gospel, they only appeal to homeschoolers and youth pastors. Investors should invest in things they are passionate about, not doubt. But think of something like Kiva or Grameen. Not “christian,” but very successful and very much in line with Christian values. Totally would support that. Then think Guitar Praise. It might make a profit, but I would rather invest in something that makes a positive change in the world.
Spiritual guidance is not something I look for from investors. Don’t think many do. Maybe I am incorrect. That being said, I am on the board of a nonprofit and all of our board members are great men and women of God, but they were picked for their skills and willingness to serve, not their faith. Just happened to work out that way dues to circumstances and connections.
Rather than create some new thing, how about well off Christians get involved in existing venture capital groups to give social entrepreneurs a stronger shot and getting approved if they have a great business model. Throwing money at Christians because they are Christians is not a good stewardship model to follow.
Invest for good no doubt. But Christian huddle groups rarely impact the world or their own communities for that matter.
@Scott
I couldn’t disagree more with your first point here. Survival for the .com and startup has become super super easy and an online business’s overhead has shrunk to mere microscopic levels. Having started a few of my own, I know that the cost of servers and bandwidth, along with the right technology in place, can create a business that is low cost, highly effective, and requires little oversight.
Secondly, how can you say that if it’s going to “truly spread the Gospel” that it HAS to have wide appeal and broad appeal? Certainly we want to do the “most damage” possible, but sometimes spreading the Gospel means sharing it with a neighbor (or digital one perhaps). I think this is a limited view of our call to be missional.
And guitar praise? I’m sure it’s making a “positive” change in someone’s life… it may not touch millions, but perhaps a few is all that God wanted with it.
In regards to spiritual guidance, that may not be something that you look for from investors, but I think it’s something that many would want. Again, in the typical scenario, it doesn’t exist.
I am in agreement that for a board of a business or non-profit, one has to be careful and wise about who they choose to help manage, guide, and lead. In your particular instance for the non-profit where you serve, if it’s anything about the Gospel I’d be surprised that faith wasn’t a factor. If the non-profit isn’t about Jesus Christ, then certainly, faith isn’t a necessary element.
I’m not suggesting the “throwing money at Christians” model at all. That would be foolish and certainly a waste of time for everyone. I’d expect them to be just as disciplined, wise, and discerning as secular groups.
Finally, i think the 12 disciples were once a “huddle” group… but maybe that’s just semantics.
=)
Thanks for the conversation! love it!
A brand new one (I’m doing design and copywriting for them) is BIC Ventures. It’s two very successful entrepreneurs in northwest Arkansas.
SWEET! Thanks for the hookup!
John,
I am simply saying that the more we as the church insulate and isolate the less chance we have to impact people. I know of two amazing Christian guys who are investing in young Christians they know with training and cash to develop biz ideas. But if that was to be expanded to a Bain Capital type enterprise I see the potential for it to become TBN’d. Everyone always says a “christian” tv or radio network will impact the world, but it always ends up being a way to avoid the world.
Also, as to the previous 1st point I am saying to be worthwhile for investors (rather than donors) there must be wide appeal. Niche markets can be profitable but are better served by a few private investors than a VC firm.
In some cases it sounds like you are looking more so for a foundation to donate to good causes. Great idea.
Others it sounds like you are think a niche investment firm. But I think that like most “christian” companies, if it is really successful would be absorbed into a larger company (think Word–Warner Bros.)
Not looking to rain on your parade, I just feel pretty strongly that tshirts that steal the Budweiser logo and put King of Kings in place of King of Beers are not what Jesus had in mind and with a “christian” VC you would run the risk of pushing a lot of this crap.
Radio stations start out saying their going to be different, but invariably end up focusing on a solid Evangelical demographic. This is preaching to the choir, not preaching the Gospel.
I do enjoy the conversations and enjoy reading your site in my feedreader.
@Scott,
Great points here. I’m decided to look into some better commenting features just because of the great back-and-forth we’ve got going…
meebo?
disqus! it's awesome!
Love the converstaion. I'm a little late joining the party. I'm actually doing my MBA at a Christian Liberal Arts University with a focus in Entrepreneurship. I'm looking at the potential viability of an Internet start-up that is ultimately geared toward affecting positive change through the use of "Christ Centered" media. I agee, we have to spread the gospel to the unsaved, but we must provide a needed service or product which is based upon a business model that works. I prefer the "wise as a serpant approach." We can deliver services or products that depict the character of Christ without overtly advertising it. Kind of a counterbalance to the grey slippery slope the devil delivers his message.
hey, thanks for weighing Brady! keep us posted on how your degree comes and where you're going with it…!