Program & Funding Opportunity for Social Entrepreneurs

If you have a business idea to help improve the world, West Coast Venture Capital wants to hear about it.

West Coast Village Capital is seeking social entrepreneurs with bright ideas and sustainable business models. Inspired by the village bank model used in microfinance, Village Capital is an innovative investment model built on the hypothesis that entrepreneurs, working intimately together and providing peer support to one another, will be able to efficiently and wisely allocate investment to one another’s companies.

West Coast Village Capital is a 12-week program in which social entrepreneurs will work together to strengthen their businesses and identify those most ready for seed investments of $25,000+ from First Light Ventures. The program is based in the Bay Area (at the Hub Berkeley) and will run January 19 through April 14, 2010 (including several all-group sessions and a weekly small-group meeting).

Applicants sought will be developing businesses designed to have positive social impact, using sustainable business models. They may be at the idea or startup stage. First Light Ventures will make investments - not grants - to selected businesses. To receive funding, a business must be incorporated as a C-corporation or LLC by March 31, 2010.

Applications are due by January 7, 2010. More information is available here. Also check out this blog post from the Hub. And this blog post from one of my favorite blogs, Change.org's Social Entrepreneurship blog.

I found out about this opportunity from the very awesome group Young Women Social Entrepreneurs San Francisco. Their holiday party is this Sunday in the Mission District of San Francisco! Details here.