The Young Turks
Company: Sustainable Harvest Inc.
Headquarters: Emeryville, Calif.
Founder and president: David Griswold, age 39
Business: Sourcer/importer of shade-grown, organic "relationship" coffees -- that is, coffees bought from small family farms and cooperatives in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America with which the company has formed long-term relationships. The company follows "fair trade" practices, meaning it pays some growers a guaranteed minimum base price regardless of the world market price.
Founded: 1996
2000 revenues: $2.8 million
Became profitable: 1998
Number of employees: 3
Company: Honest Tea Inc.
Headquarters: Bethesda, Md.
Cofounder and president: Seth Goldman, age 35
Business: Maker of barely sweetened bottled iced tea and fully biodegradable tea bags filled with whole tea leaves
Founded: 1998
2000 revenues: $2 million
Projected to become profitable: 2002
Number of employees: 12
Company: Wild Planet Toys Inc.
Headquarters: San Francisco
Cofounder and CEO: Daniel Grossman, age 43
Business: Designer/manufacturer of nonsexist, nonviolent, imagination-inspiring toys
Founded: 1993
2000 revenues: $30 million
Became profitable: 1996
Number of employees: 40, including 10 in Hong Kong
Company: CitySoft Inc.
Headquarters: Watertown, Mass.
Cofounder and CEO: Nick Gleason, age 33
Business: Web developer with the mission of recruiting and hiring its workforce from urban neighborhoods; CitySoft does no training but does team up with tech-training centers to develop training standards.
Founded: 1998
2000 revenues: $2 million
Became profitable: 1997
Number of employees: 50
Company: WorldWise Inc.
Headquarters: San Rafael, Calif.
Cofounder and CEO: Aaron Lamstein, age 33
Business: Developer/manufacturer of garden, home, and pet products made from recycled materials and sold in mass markets like Wal-Mart, Target, and the Home Depot
Founded: 1990
2000 revenues: Under $10 million
Became profitable: 1996
Number of employees: 15 in corporate office, 45 independent manufacturing reps
Company: Village Real Estate Services
Headquarters: Nashville
Founder and owner: Mark Deutschmann, age 43
Business: Real estate company that specializes in urban residential sales and revitalizes urban neighborhoods
Founded: 1996
2000 revenues: $1.2 million in commissions on $92 million in sales
Became profitable: 1997
Number of employees: 10, plus 35 affiliate brokers
Company: New Leaf Paper LLC
Headquarters: San Francisco
Cofounder and president: Jeff Mendelsohn, age 34
Business: Manufacturer/distributor of recycled paper
Founded: 1998
2000 revenues: $8 million
Became profitable: 1998
Number of employees: 10
Social Venture Network
Established in 1987
Right from the start, the founders of San Franciscobased nonprofit Social Venture Network wanted a "safe harbor" where social-activist entrepreneurs could meet to commiserate, coinvest in deals, and share best practices. As part of that mission, SVN, its 400 members, and its key organizers never spoke publicly about their work. Until now.
SVN is embarking on a major overhaul. Judy Wicks, founder of White Dog Enterprises, is chairing the group's national advisory board, and Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's has agreed to donate $150,000 a year for three years to fund an ambitious new slate of projects. A year ago, SVN hired a new president named Chris Gallagher. Though Gallagher is only 31 years old, "if anyone can be successful in that role, Chris should be able to do it," says Stephen Williamson, the CEO of prominent juice maker and social-venture company Odwalla Inc.
Gallagher once worked as the director of strategic communications at Williamson's California juice company. "Chris and I sat shoulder to shoulder through months of very difficult times," Williamson says, referring to Odwalla's well-publicized 1996 recall of apple juice that had been contaminated with E. coli bacteria.
Gallagher says his goal is to turn the well-meaning SVN into a brawny advocacy organization. "A challenge over the years has been determining how much we should keep the spirit of fluidity of the network and how much we should also try to be a force in the world," he explains. "We're increasingly looking for a way to make an impact, to become an organization that has a public voice, and to take principled action." --M.H.
If you're interested in finding VC's that specialize in socially-minded funding read the following -- Help For Socially Minded Businesses.
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