Episode Details

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In this episode of Fundraising Demystified, Jason Kirby sits down with Patrice King-Brickman, the founder and CEO of Inspire Access, to discuss how philanthropic capital can empower underrepresented founders and foster diverse entrepreneurship. Patrice shares her journey from running a family business to founding Inspire Access, a platform that channels donor-advised funds (DAFs) into for-profit ventures with a social mission.

She delves into the unique challenges and opportunities for founders from underrepresented backgrounds and explains how her organization is revolutionizing capital allocation for these groups.

Patrice unpacks the mechanics of donor-advised funds, the need for inclusive funding options, and how mission-driven capital can fuel diverse innovation and drive significant change. She also provides insights on portfolio construction, managing impact-driven funds, and building an inclusive investment ecosystem.

Here’s what you’ll find in this episode:

• 00:00 Introduction to Patrice King-Brickman and Inspire Access

• 01:31 Overview of donor-advised funds (DAFs) and their potential in venture funding

• 04:08 Leveraging DAFs to support for-profit companies with social missions

• 15:18 Unpacking the unconscious biases in traditional venture funding

• 20:32 How Inspire Access screens for resilient founders and impactful businesses

• 27:00 Addressing the disparities in capital flow for diverse founders

• 30:15 The potential for positive impact with new investment models

• 36:22 Steps for founders to connect with Inspire Access for funding

• 41:47 Future trends in impact investing and wealth transfer

  
  

ABOUT PATRICE KING-BRICKMAN

Patrice King-Brickman is the Founder and CEO of Inspire Access, a platform dedicated to closing the investment gap for women and people of color by connecting underrepresented founders with philanthropic capital. Through Inspire Access and her venture fund, Inspire Capital LLC, Patrice has pioneered new pathways for mission-driven founders to secure funding.

Patrice’s philanthropic efforts focus on poverty, homelessness, the arts, and education, with current board roles at Halcyon, Wolf Trap, and Ascend at the Aspen Institute. She has previously served on boards for the Children’s National Hospital Foundation and the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, among others.

Connect with Patrice on:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrice-brickman-2b46637b/

• Website: inspireaccess.org