Weekly Digest: Juneteenth, Collaboration for Crowdfunders, Let's Talk and a Trillion-Dollar Idea
America Marks Juneteenth
Monday, America marked Juneteenth, the remembrance of the end of slavery in this country. The holiday commemorates the date, June 19th, when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned—two years after the Emancipation Proclamation—that they’d been freed.
It is hard to imagine a better reason to celebrate. As a nation, we should, however, resist the temptation to be too proud or self-content about this milestone.
When white Americans ended the heinous practice of slavery, they spent 50 years implementing Jim Crow laws to formally maintain White supremacy. We’re still unraveling the legacies of slavery and Jim Crow.
Local Crowdfunding's Elder Statesman Argues for Collaboration
AI Podcast Summary
Michael H. Shuman is an economist, attorney, author, and entrepreneur focused on community economics.
He played a significant role in the creation of the 2012 Jobs Act and various state laws on crowdfunding.
His passion for local investing stems from his own experience of struggling to raise capital for his businesses.
Michael believes that local businesses are crucial for economic development, job creation, and community success.
He emphasizes the need for a massive organizing movement to shift the investment ecosystem towards supporting local businesses.
Some strategies he suggests include creating groups that bring businesses and investors together, providing information on local businesses seeking capital, and promoting the use of funds for local investment.
Michael publishes the Main Street Journal, which highlights news and innovations in local investment.
His superpower is the ability to integrate various subjects and perspectives to explore bottom-line truths.
Michael encourages reading across boundaries, subscribing to different publications, and engaging in civil conversations with those who have different viewpoints.
To connect with Michael and learn more about his work, visit the Main Street Journal website, his personal blog, or his Twitter account.
Let's Talk
Let’s talk. As you likely know, I’m raising money for The Super Crowd, Inc., a public benefit corporation (TSCI). This is a for-profit capital raise where you share in the upside.
There are two easy ways to chat with me:
On June 26 at 3:00 Eastern, I’m hosting a session where I’ll share a short presentation and take questions about the investment opportunity. This is a nice, low-pressure opportunity for you to learn about what I’m doing and form an impressive about whether this is a fit for your portfolio. Register here. Of course, this is free and open to everyone.
If you’d like to chat one on one, you can schedule time here. The offering ends soon, so please grab time on my calendar before June 30, 2023. If you can’t find a time that works, you can just reply to this email. (If you’re reading this in the app or online and can’t reply, hit me here.
This Trailblazer Has a Trillion-Dollar Idea for Social Impact
AI Podcast Summary
Devin Thorpe interviews Sean Davis, founder of Merton Capital Partners.
Merton Capital Partners advises on investing philanthropic capital to solve social and environmental issues, including affordable housing.
Sean is concerned that the money pledged by billionaires through the Giving Pledge is not being effectively deployed.
He proposes a model for capital to be invested in affordable housing with the goal of sustainable, low-cost rents.
The model involves partnering with large real estate developers to build thousands of units of affordable housing.
The philanthropic capital acts as equity in the projects, ensuring low rents in perpetuity.
Merton Capital Partners plays the role of advocate and investment firm in this model.
Sean believes that this model aligns well with the goals of the Giving Pledge and allows philanthropists to ease into giving by providing the profits on their capital rather than the capital itself.
Sean identifies his superpower as trailblazing and finding new paths in the social impact space.
Interested individuals can connect with Merton Capital Partners through LinkedIn and learn more about the model in Sean’s book Solving the Giving Pledge Bottleneck.
On July 19, 2023, we’ll be holding the first-ever SuperCrowdHour with an extraordinary panel I’ll moderate, discussing “The Power of the Purpose Round.” The panel will include Parker Clay CEO Ian Bentley, DealMaker CEO Rebecca Kacaba and Renew VC founder Mark Hubbard. As a Superpowers for Good reader, you’re entitled to a 50 percent discount! Join us for just $5 when you use the discount code SUPERCROWD. Register here.