On September 19, 2024, we held the CEO Roundtable: Advancing Impact and Success, an inaugural summit for our portfolio companies, at the Bolling Building in Roxbury. More than 30 of our portfolio companies joined us for a special day of shared learning and community building. 

Highlights from the day included a Portfolio Spotlight Series, which gave us all the opportunity to dive into four key topics–each presented by a portfolio company representative: 

• Grants & Non-Dilutive Funding for Your Business – CareAcademy
• Identifying Values-Aligned Investors: Changing the Power Dynamic – florrent
• A Thriving Workplace: The Journey to Worker Empowerment and Wellness – Somerville Community Corporation
• Impact Advisory Board & Employee Resource Network – Wash Cycle Laundry

In the afternoon, we broke into groups to discuss: Talent Management, Benefits & Culture, Cash & Expense Management, and Go-to-market & Sales. We wrapped up with a networking event celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, attended the BII community and local government leaders, Julia Mejia, Boston City Council Member, Segun Idowu, Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion for the City of Boston, and Ashley Stolba, Undersecretary of the Executive Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

One outcome from the day was the creation of a Portfolio Advisory Board. This inaugural group of 5-7 leaders will play a pivotal role in shaping and guiding initiatives that address the evolving needs of the broader portfolio in the year ahead.