Lessons in Solidarity Finance from Betty Francisco

​When BII set out to raise Fund II, we didn’t just need capital. We needed the right capital, from the right people, on the right terms. That meant building relationships with values-aligned investors we had never met, in networks that don’t always include fund managers who look like us.

​In our new report, Lessons in Solidarity Finance, BII CEO Betty Francisco shares 12 lessons from the three-year journey of closing a $22.3 million impact-first fund. On July 30, Betty will go deeper on one of those lessons: how we found, cultivated, and activated the diverse pool of capital that made Fund II possible — from values-aligned RIAs and family offices to faith-based institutions and first-time community investors.

​She’ll explore what worked, what we’re still figuring out, and what it reveals about the larger opportunity to redirect wealth toward communities building shared prosperity.

​Whether you come having read the report or plan to pick it up after, this conversation is for impact-first fund managers, values-aligned investors, philanthropic advisors, and anyone working to move capital toward economic justice.

​HOW TO ENGAGE

​Read Lessons in Solidarity Finance beforehand for the full picture, then join us for the deeper conversation. Or let the webinar be your entry point and leave ready to dig into the full report.

​GUEST SPEAKER

​Smitha Das | Senior Director, Investments, WES

​Smitha Das (she/her) is deeply committed to demonstrating a total portfolio approach for impact, with an eye towards reimagining the broader capital markets. As Senior Director of Investments at World Education Services (WES) – a global social enterprise – Smitha leads WES’ investment practice, stewarding all of WES’ resources to be 100% mission-aligned. Her passion to create meaningful impact sparked at a young age when she founded a water nonprofit in middle school. She has since worked in government, private equity, venture philanthropy, and impact investing. Smitha has a MBA from Harvard Business School and AB with Honors from Harvard College, where she co-founded the HBS Impact Investing Club and Harvard College Social Enterprise Club. She is a Just Economy Institute Fellow and serves as a Board and Investment Committee member to several organizations, including Mission Driven Finance, Echoing Green, Unlock Ownership Fund, and New Power Labs.