by Amanda Lawson

It is so much more than a butterfly effect. It is a gut-check, or more accurately, a heart-check. Investing—whether you deem it “impact” or not—has power to affect change. If it didn’t, no one would participate; you wouldn’t invest in a venture that wasn’t poised to produce in some way. Understanding that investment decisions inherently make a value-statement about ventures, entrepreneur-founders, and the intended target audiences, we’re bringing in one of the wisest voices in the conversation. Finny Kuruvilla, of Eventide Funds, is a trusted and close friend of the faith driven investor community. One of his great passions is calling investors to check their hearts and consider the impacts of their investment practices. 

Finny has shared on the responsibility of faith driven investors to engage in ethical investing practices at every stage. He was a guest on the FDI podcast (see episode 16: “How Investing Shapes the World”) and has contributed several pieces challenging investors to a higher standard in ethical investing. Join us at the Faith Driven Investor Conference to hear from Finny as he dives deeper into the need for investors to understand the ramifications of their investment decisions. In addition to what is sure to be an exciting challenge, we anticipate real-world examples of how ethical, faith-driven investing has been used to impact and change the world for the glory of God and the sake of the gospel.

by David Park

In Counterfeit Gods, Tim Keller writes that an idol is “anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, and anything that you seek to give you what only God can give.” Few Christ followers set out to make something an idol, to find security and significance in something other than God. Yet we know, as Calvin said, that our hearts are idol making factories. For me, I had made idols of good things – a beautiful family, thriving friendships, and a growing company. But even good things make terrible gods. There was tremendous stress and pressure both at work and in my relationships with my extended family. Most days I could convince myself that everything was fine, but it never was. Despite everything I knew about where I should find my sense of identity and worth, I had found too much of it in something other than my relationship with God.

The reality of this finally became clear in early 2017. While putting our three boys to bed, they started complaining about something they hadn’t been able to do that day, seemingly forgetting about all the good things that had occurred. Our children, it seemed to me, were not just ungrateful for what they had received that day, but they were unaware of the privilege they lived in generally. Something in me snapped, and I got angry – a desperate, uncontrolled anger meant to scare my children into seeing the error of their ways. I will make sure they remember this. I yelled and screamed until they were huddled in the corner of the room, crying, with terror in their eyes.

Later that evening, I was stunned and heartbroken. I remembered being their age, trying to make sense of the anger in my household. My entire life, I had sworn I would never react the way I had that evening. I didn’t even know what had led me to be so afraid and angry that day, but I knew it wasn’t going to be a one-time event. The fear and anger had been there under the surface—it just came out at that moment of weakness.

Looking back, I could see the many signs God had placed in my path to try and wake me up. But it took a heartbreaking moment with my children for God to get my attention. He had been knocking on the door of my heart for years, and I had ignored Him with what I thought were reasonable excuses:

Nothing is wrong—look at how great everything is going!

I can’t deal with that issue . . . it would rock the boat too much.

What would people think if they knew I had this problem?

For the last three years, I have been on a journey of trying to understand how I got to that breaking point. It seemed like I had been doing and learning all the right things. But there was a disconnect between my head and my heart. Despite what I professed to believe, I had put tremendous value in the performance of my business and family over my relationships with God and others. There were things I believed deep in my heart that I needed to better understand. Hidden beneath the veneer of my shiny, put-together life was a fragile identity in Christ. 

God, in His grace, put me on a new path. I am still early on the journey, but I have discovered a freedom and security in abiding with Christ that I have never known before. After reflecting on the last three years, the following is a list of four areas that I have found to be critical in my journey of drawing closer to Christ. 

Part I – Practice spiritual disciplines (and learn new ones)

“You got to take theological truths, gospel truths and you got to pray them, sing them, counsel them, worship them, you have to meditate on them, you have to get them in your heart until they catch fire down there.” – Tim Keller

Formation through spiritual disciplines – these are the group of practices that are designed to teach Biblical truth, remind us of it, and have that truth penetrate into the deep parts of our minds and hearts. We need a steady diet of these practices. Until three years ago, however, the focus of my walk with God was almost exclusively on how well I was able to practice the spiritual disciplines I was aware of at the time. They became another way to measure my performance, and I was not connecting with God in my heart. In recent years, growth has come more from learning how to be with God and not perform for God. This has often been through the practice of silence and other disciplines that I was not familiar with from my church tradition. Still, I came to realize that there were other areas of the journey that needed attention as well.

Part II – Embrace limits

“Often we have larger fantasies and wishes for ourselves than our real lives can support. As a result, we work frantically trying to do more than God intended. We burn out thinking we can do more than we can.” – Pete Scazzero

Though Jesus himself rested and structured his ministry around time with the Father, it was often easier for me to do everything but rest or take a sabbath. This refusal to rest was indicative of other limits I didn’t want to accept, like the limits of my abilities, family, marriage, and spiritual understanding.

What’s so difficult, and necessary, about rest and slowing down is that when we rest, we become very aware of our limitations. Rest exposes our inability to fix or manage what’s inside, and we experience the discomfort that comes with not being able to resolve everything with our own power. This can make us feel vulnerable, but it also deepens our dependence on God. More than just accepting limits, embracing limits is a cornerstone of a healthy identity in Christ. He is God – we are not. Spiritual maturity requires that we recognize and embrace limits.

Part III – Let yourself be known

“Vulnerability is not weakness, and the uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure we face every day are not optional. Our only choice is a question of engagement. Our willingness to own and engage with our vulnerability determines the depth of our courage and the clarity of our purpose; the level to which we protect ourselves from being vulnerable is a measure of our fear and disconnection.” – Brene Brown

It is very difficult for me to ask for help, or to even acknowledge I need it. I would much rather bear with burdens on my own than share them with others. But I have found that a powerful and necessary way to strengthen my identity in Christ is to let myself be known to a number of trusted friends and advisors. I need a real support system, and that cannot be just one individual, even if that person is my wife. 

For many leaders, even those who are surrounded by people, there is too often an inner loneliness that comes with never truly being known by others. It is in this inner isolation that shame and insecurity can allow sin and deception to take root more quickly. No matter how confident or self-sufficient a person would like to be, there is always a need to address the reality of the brokenness within ourselves, our families, and our organizations. It is important to not go through that journey alone.

Part IV – Face your story

“As long as you keep secrets and suppress information, you are fundamentally at war with yourself…The critical issue is allowing yourself to know what you know. That takes an enormous amount of courage.” – Bessel A. van der Kolk

Now comes perhaps the hardest part. Much of what I thought was formative to me as an adult was only part of the story. In fact, my story began before I was born, with the patterns of thoughts and behavior that I inherited from my family of origin. No family is perfect, and that is ok. Our family origins are not our destiny, but ignoring them is fighting the good fight with one hand tied behind our backs. 

It is the same with the hardest parts of our childhoods and life stories. Andy Maurer says that trauma results in disconnection in four primary relationships: with ourselves (as we hide parts of who we are), with others, with God, and with our work (as we turn to work to find our meaning and purpose). These traumas do not need to define us, but they have shaped us in ways that need to be acknowledged and healed. Very often, the beliefs and behaviors we adopted to survive difficult experiences are the very beliefs and behaviors that are keeping us from truly growing in the security and significance that rests on the finished work of Jesus.

By working through family of origin patterns, practicing forgiveness, and healing from trauma, the soil in my heart became far more receptive to the truth that I was a beloved child of God. In conjunction with the other parts mentioned above, what had been mostly head knowledge became a reality much deeper in my heart. This deeper, more secure understanding of my identity has transformed my life, work, and relationships. 

If there is one thing I hope you remember from reading this post, it’s this: keeping your identity in Christ when the going gets tough is not primarily an intellectual endeavor nor a matter of willpower. The lengthy and growing list of leaders who have every intellectual understanding of right and wrong, and still choose the destructive path, will hopefully convince you of this truth.

So where to begin? I encourage you to take the first step of leaving your comfort zone and exploring any one of the parts above that is unfamiliar to you. This first step will naturally lead you to another. If one part of the journey is frustrating to you, take a break, try something else, and come back to the part that was hard. God will meet you on your way and provide everything you need to continue – His power is truly made perfect in our weakness. 

The journey will be difficult at times, and uncomfortable, but well worth the effort. This is the path to increasing freedom from besetting sins, toxic relationships, and deep insecurities. A stronger, more secure identity in Christ will not just benefit you in seasons of trial – it will change the trajectory of your life, your family, and your organization. 

—

Resources for the journey:

If you would like a fresh, thoughtful take on ancient spiritual disciplines reimagined for the marketplace leader, I would recommend Spiritual Disciplines for Your Work from the Denver Institute of Faith and Work: https://denverinstitute.org/spiritual-disciplines-for-your-work/. 

For a synthesis of a lifetime of exploring the connection between emotional health, spiritual maturity, and leadership, I recommend Pete Scazzero’s books and materials. Read the first chapter of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality and go from there.

To break through hardened soil in your heart, consider a retreat or intensive experience. Getting out of your daily routine and spending one or more days with other people who are going on this journey can move the needle in ways that an hour a week simply cannot. I recommend We Want More, Ransomed Heart, Onsite, and others like them.

by Jerry Gray

I have worked as national sales consultant for Praxis Mutual Funds for nearly a quarter century. This experience has put me on the frontline of sharing the power of faith-based investing with advisors across the country. Faith-based investing is an investment practice that aims to provide competitive investor returns while aligning investments with their core values. This summer, my career will come to a close, providing me with a moment to reflect. Through the years, I have witnessed tremendous change in the faith-based and sustainable investment field and learned many lessons along the way. Here are five things every advisor should know about faith-based investing. 

1. Change is the only constant.

When I began my work at Praxis, we were like John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness. People thought we were odd and doubted our funds would perform well. Despite the fact that faith-based investors were among the original modern sustainable investors, when I started my career, the practice of integrating faith and finances was still unfamiliar. Furthermore, Praxis’ preferred approach of index investing was not widely adopted. 

Fast forward to today, and sustainable investing and environmental, social and governance (ESG) are buzzwords in the investing industry. Since the first publication of the biennial US SIF Foundation Trends report in 1995, the sustainable investing industry has grown more than 25-fold, from assets totaling $639 billion to $17.1 trillion in 2020. BlackRock’s Larry Fink’s annual letters to CEOs have increasingly referenced ESG, including citing climate as an investment risk and even calling sustainability “God’s work.” What’s more, index investing is now widely embraced for its low cost and consistent performance.

Advisors should expect the industry to continue evolving as the world changes. 

2. Authenticity matters. 

Not all sustainable or faith-based investing funds were created equally. As the practice has gained in popularity, more firms are “bolting on” additional sustainable offerings – some less authentic than others. Advisors should do their research and look for established players with solid track records. Beyond the traditional performance ratings, look at the funds’ record on shareholder engagement and community investing. And no, rubber stamping of proxy ballots does not count as engagement. 

3. Be ready to meet clients at any point on their stewardship journeys. 

Clients may not be interested in ESG or faith-based investing at this moment, but they might be in a year, or five. Maybe their grandkids will get them into it, or they will stumble upon an article describing the practice and approach you with questions. The moment they are ready, you’d better be too. 

This is an exciting time for the industry. Competitive performance is achievable, and more people are interested in integrating their deeply held beliefs with their finances. 

4. Find commonalities in values.

People are increasingly interested in integrating their values into all aspects of their lives. If a client recycles and tries to bike more, they might also be interested in having their investments reflect their commitment to environmental stewardship. The financial crisis of 2008 made people more conscious about their core values. I believe the same has happened this past year with COVID and the other important conversations around injustice that our country has experienced. 

Even investors coming from communities that seem drastically different may have more values in common than you think. There is a reason why the Praxis Impact Bond Fund is consistently one of our most popular. The fund has routinely invested in a way that supports developing economies – a goal that many investors value.  

As a fund family that serves communities holding a variety of belief systems, we have learned that we can make the largest impact when we look for shared core values. This lesson would serve advisors well who are interested in meeting their clients’ diverse beliefs and interests. It can be helpful to frame conversations around core values rather than more narrow hot-button issues or labels that can distract from the actual impact an investment could have.  

5. Don’t overthink it. 

BRI, ESG, SRI*… The alphabet soup of sustainable investing can be overwhelming. Clients hire advisors to figure out the confusing part and provide them what they need to know to make informed investing decisions that fit their values. They do not come to you to get into the weeds. Build an understanding of their desired investing principles but remember that you control the conversation and don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be. 

Conclusion

At Praxis Mutual Funds, we believe that God owns it all and we are simply stewards. Every day, we ask ourselves how we can best steward those resources. This goes beyond how we treat our physical neighbors to include financial decisions that impact our “neighbors” around the world and even the planet itself. For me, it has been an honor to share this message with advisors and their clients over the past 23 years. Being a part of your journey helping clients integrate finance and faith is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on their portfolios and their lives. 

by John Coleman

This spring, a tiny investment firm made waves by disrupting one of the world’s largest companies. Five months earlier, the upstart investment manager Engine No. 1 began lobbying Exxon to more aggressively confront climate change. Though Engine No. 1 owned only 0.02% of the shares of the energy giant, it convinced the asset managers who control massive holdings of almost every publicly traded firm in the world—Blackrock, State Street, and Vanguard—to back its play; and on May 26th the little activist investor gained two board seats at Exxon and a mandate to radically revamp one of the largest organizations in the world. 

Activist investing is, of course, nothing new. Christians helped to ignite the trend when in 1971, holding just 0.004% of General Motors shares, the Episcopal Church offered a resolution at GM’s annual meeting to cease manufacturing operations in apartheid South Africa. The move was supported by GM’s lone black board member, Dr. Leon Sullivan, a pastor of the Zion Baptist Church in Philadelphia. It was ultimately defeated, garnering only 1.29% of the vote, but ended up shifting G.M.’s policies in South Africa resulting in the adoption by IBM and GM of the “Sullivan Principles” in 1976. Today, public battles over the direction of companies are often fought between activist groups, investors, and company management teams over issues as diverse as racial justice, voting rights, climate change, and gun control. 

Adjacent to the activist sphere, “impact investing,” investing which prioritizes a missional objective over returns, has swept the world—resulting in micro-finance to help entrepreneurs in developing nations, infrastructure for water and electricity in neglected areas, and other social initiatives from Malawi and Indonesia to the inner cities of Atlanta and Detroit. And ESG investing—which prioritizes holding companies accountable for positive “environmental, social, and governance” policies is now mandated by almost every large pension plan, endowment, foundation, and sovereign wealth fund in the world. One study has found nearly $38 trillion in assets are already ESG compliant globally, growing to $55 trillion over the next 4 years. And that number underestimates the percent of assets invested in public and private companies that have an explicit social agenda.

Long prior to the Episcopal Church’s righteous stand against apartheid, the religious faithful recognized the need for this kind of values-based investing. Muslim Shariah compliant funds have been around since the 1960s, based on principles espoused in the Quran. Jewish law in Biblical times mandated certain provisions related to ethical investing. 

And Christians have a long history of recognizing the importance of the impact our money can have. In the 1800s, John Wesley encouraged Methodists to avoid profiting at the expense of their neighbors, avoiding investments in alcohol, tobacco, weapons, and gambling. Quakers and Methodists both vigorously opposed the slave trade. And these decisions were grounded in Biblical principles.

The story of the Five Talents in Matthew 25 famously extolls the virtues of investing wisely and of growing and stewarding the resources God has given us. Ecclesiastes 7:2 reflects on the need to diversify, stating, “Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.” The Bible’s most frequent demands, of course, are to give generously and to resist a love of money. But there’s also a call for those with material resources to use them for God’s kingdom more broadly. 

Now Christians are slowly reawakening to a principle much of the rest of society has already embraced: All investing is impact investing. Every dollar we put to work has impact, positive or negative, on the world around us. Large asset managers vote passive shares held by tens of millions of people around the world, often with defined agendas shareholders of those funds know little about. Hedge funds take over company boards and force change. And small venture and private equity firms own and guide the businesses in our local communities. Every day, the holdings of individual men and women in 529 and 401k plans, individual accounts, defined benefit plans, and donor advised funds are quietly shaping the culture and agenda of corporations, start-ups, and small businesses around the world. And right now, your dollars are at work for these purposes whether you know it or not.

But Investing is hard. And few individuals or institutions have the capacity to analyze every investing decision they make for its social impact. So, what can the average Christian institution or individual do? A few thoughts:

1. Make conscious decisions about your investing strategy and values. You or your institution (e.g., pension plan, endowment, employer) likely have a giving strategy or a corporate mission. You also operate by a set of values. What are the values you hope to reinforce with your investing? And what is your strategy for impact? Take a moment to actually write down a mission and values for your investment dollars and contemplate those areas (e.g., international development, healthcare, education, etc.) in which you hope to have the greatest effect. This is particularly important for charitable dollars. We are often very thoughtful about our giving strategy. But many charitable foundations distribute as few as 5% of their assets annually without being similarly thoughtful about the impact of the 95% that remains invested. Learning to consider the impact of the 90% of our dollars which are invested versus the 10% or less which are given is an essential path to more holistic social impact. 

2. Support firms and leaders aligned with your values. Few individuals or institutions have the capacity to both pursue market returns and vigilantly monitor the impact of the money they deploy. But you do have the option to invest through advisors and investment consultants and with asset managers or companies you can trust on your behalf—those which are mission-aligned and dedicated ensuring both financial success and impact. Trusting our capital to values-aligned parties can offer a shortcut to more careful investment choices. Today, a host of wealth managers and investment managers exist which are specifically faith-aligned. Leveraging them can allow you to have greater confidence that your values are being reflected in your investment decisions without you having to study every position you take.  

3. Use your voice. Most shareholder voting in America is guided by a few large firms—proxy voters like ISS and Glass Lewis and passive investors like Blackrock and Vanguard. As Engine No. 1 shows—marshaling the votes of those organizations can dramatically change a company’s direction. Talk to your index provider, investment manager, or advisor about issues important to you. If you hold individual stocks, use your shares to vote on important issues and make your voice heard. And if you’re an investor in venture or private equity funds, you can encourage your funds to represent your values with the companies they back—many of which may operate in your own community and over which these firms have great influence or control. 

In all of this, the perfect need not be the enemy of the good. We may decide not to weigh in on certain issues and to allow pluralism in beliefs on certain subjects in our portfolios. No company or investment firm will hold exactly our values, nor should they. But we can at least be conscious of the most important values our portfolios proactively represent. Almost all of us have a stake in global markets, and those stakes can have purpose. They can also be used to forward agendas and causes misaligned with your most fundamental beliefs. If all investing is impact investing, what impact will you have?

John Coleman is a Managing Partner at Sovereign’s Capital. You can sign up for his newsletter here.

This article was originally published on the Author’s personal blog here.

We are grateful to Mike for sharing it with us!

by Mike Asem

“I’m just going to drive off this bridge. My wife can get the policy. My wife and daughter will be okay…”

In the world of venture capital and startups, there’s always an ongoing dialogue of value and power, perceived and real. Because founders and VCs spend all of their time in a human-behavioral cluster where the sole focus is on equity, they often act in ways that are fundamentally broken. I’m writing this today, with the blessing of a brother and friend, to call out some truth that I believe many in our industry need to hear.

My message to VCs reading this – founders are more than their companies, and truly honoring them is not just something to think about. It’s a requirement of the role you’re privileged to have. My message to founders – you’re more than your companies. It’s that simple. While you likely have and will continue to pour your lifeblood into the pursuit of your vision every chance you get – you have been, you are, and you always will be more than the business.

It’s spring of 2016, and Clarence is actually breaking in. This “knock down walls” determined Black man from Decatur, Georgia is doing it. He’s taken what was just an idea and made it into a legitimate, angel-backed, startup company that’s going through Village Capital, a notable accelerator program in Washington, D.C. Not only that, but after meeting with a local VC firm with a $100M+ fund, he’s now holding a signed and countersigned term sheet for a $4.5M round. All the promises he made to friends, family, angels, his wife, himself… are about to pay off. Let’s go!

In venture capital I hear many of my colleagues, myself included, talk a lot about empathy. I’ve had limited experience as an operator, but I still question my own ability to truly have empathy for what founders often go through – just to get a shot at their massive, game changing, odds-stacked-against-them dream. Sure, many of us affectionately talk about the months of not taking a salary and maybe trading in a restaurant meal for some cup noodles… but I’m talking about understanding the tough conversations with a husband, partner, or wife… begging for the trust to let you do this stupid thing. I’m talking about not just going without salary, but doing so when you haven’t already “made it”… AND blowing out your savings… AND going into serious debt. I’m talking about never not working, missing out on your kids, your significant other, your health. I’m talking about the emotional exhaustion of finding a ride or die co-founder, and truly, truly being ride or die. I’m talking about accepting money from friends and family who are just betting on you for the sake of you, and knowing that for them the money they’re giving you… it’s not small. I’m talking about with every moment of doubt along the journey having to find the strength, determination, and conviction to not just carry your own emotional well-being, but that of all those who’ve trusted you.

It’s September now, and spring seems like ages ago. That being said, these venture investors are still saying they’re super excited – they just needed to clean some things up. LLC to C-Corp, some new diligence, etc. Also, now they’re saying, although they’re still “ready to rock,” the round going to be $2.5M now… at a lower valuation… and something about $500k in warrants?

Over 4 months later this feels weak… But, after all the 100-hour weeks strung together, all promises made to the loving but frustrated wife, all the tens of thousands of dollars now in debt to chase this – it’s just one more time biting the bullet.

Right?

Anyway, Clarence is still ready to go. He’s holding up his end, and with a new signed and countersigned term sheet in hand he says, “Yo, let’s go win. Let’s do this!”

As a venture capitalist, I sit in a seat of privilege. Like many other partners at firms like mine, I talk to hundreds of startup founders a year that look to me and see someone who can open the door. Who can unlock their dreams. Who can put them in the game, and perhaps coach them or even play alongside them on their path to punching a hole in the universe. Some VCs manage this dynamic well, but many see this dynamic of real or perceived gatekeeping potential, position of power, or “benefit of supply and demand” as an opportunity to be… well… predators.

It’s gross.

I fundamentally believe that this dance that we as VCs and founders do is all about the people. It’s all about the relationships, the trust, the crazy things we can accomplish together when 1+1 = 17, and we figure out together how to make that scale. So often, without trust and people really looking out for each other – that’s just not possible. If you’re an investor and you think “oh, so and so is less sophisticated than me, I bet I can slip in this term that I wouldn’t try with someone else,” please think about that some more. Clarence, like many diverse founders, experienced what is honestly unfortunately common among them (but certainly not exclusive to them). VCs often go straight to ROI math when they think they have something, and rather than think about “how do I honor the person who’s about to trust me with their life’s work by putting something together that’s fair and sets us both up to win,” revert quickly to “how do I extract the most value from this.”  

VC is a long-term game.

Can we agree that shouldn’t just be taken into account regarding the path to liquidity?

The phone rings, and Clarence picks up. It’s the person at the firm he’s been working most closely with.

“I know we’re close, but we have a co-investor we want to bring into the deal. Can you be in D.C. tomorrow to meet with them? We’ll get this all closed soon after.”

With the ‘No Shop’ clause that comes with a signed term sheet, Clarence has been kept from talking to any other investors for six months now. Not only does he not have any other investor conversations going, but it would be a really hard to explain why the round that was agreed to so long ago might not be happening now. Even though this is… ridiculous… and frustrating… what other choice does he have?

Clarence, based in Minneapolis, thinks on it for a moment, and then does what any good founder would do.

He books a red-eye flight and is there the next day. 

Often I think investors look at what founders are willing to do to get things done, and they just lean in. They look at what founders have sacrificed, or are willing to sacrifice, and they just accept it without another thought. As if all the founder had going for them was the company anyway.

Guess what?

That’s never true.

The hour a founder takes for the additional five slides you want done because of how you think a board deck should look doesn’t just come from nowhere. It comes from her kids, from his partner, from her sleep. The flight they’re willing to get on to meet in person or to show up at some networking event doesn’t just come out of the company budget. It comes from their life budget. The dilution they’re willing to take to get a deal done so you can get one more syndicate buddy in isn’t just cap table math. It’s a slice of the heart. Just because founders are willing to do whatever it takes, doesn’t mean it should take the max.

Founders need partners that approach them as stewards, not masters.

It’s now October, and Clarence gets the call he’ll never forget. He closes the door to the bathroom to get some privacy, and sits on the throne as he receives the message.

“… didn’t go well with the co-investor… things are changing… doesn’t seem like we’ll be able to make this work…”

In a state that can only be described as calm shock, Clarence let’s the words of “We’re out” wash over him as he turns over in his head all the people he needs to tell… his employees, his investors, his wife, everyone that’s going to be affected by the fact that there’s no investment coming in, six months after expecting nearly $5M, and the company will be out of money in 3 months now.

Clarence stumbles through politely saying “okay, I understand…” and hangs up the phone. He tells his wife what happened, he kisses his daughter on the head, and he gets in the car.

Whether you’re a founder or VC reading this, I ask you to think about two words.

Stewardship and Grace. 

For venture capitalists, if there’s one thing you could commit to today that I believe will make you a great partner going forward, it’s to look at founders with the intention of being a good steward of not just your resources, but theirs. Care about them enough to honor them with transparency, quick decisions, honest feedback, genuine priority of their well-being, and protection. Protection of what they could give up to pursue their dreams, but don’t need to.

And, have grace. Most founders are not as sophisticated as you on best practices, investment terms, all things “winning the deal.” Have the grace to make space for them not to be perfect negotiators, and still be able to not have to accept the worst possible offer. Honor them, before they “earn it” from you. If you want to ask me how best to be an ally of founders who are Black, Brown or otherwise diverse – this may honestly be it. While this issue is not unique to them, they are the ones most exposed and at higher rates to this sort of mistreatment and being taken advantage of.

For founders, again – it’s simple. Be a good steward of yourself. Show yourself grace. It may not feel like it in the heat of the furnace, but you are more than your company. No one would have followed you on this crazy journey if it wasn’t true, and they didn’t believe it themselves.

Tears in his eyes, pain in his chest, Clarence gets on Interstate 35 E. “I don’t want to be here anymore,” he thinks in his head. He put in so much work… He did everything he was asked to do… He was truthful… He was a good person… 

Now his family is $50,000 in debt, because of him. Now his friends and family and angel investors who trusted him, shouldn’t have. Now his wife, who loves and trusts him – maybe did so to a fault, and is going to suffer the consequences. Now his team, who all need to feed their families too, are going to regret ever trusting him with their literal livelihood.

He’s southbound now, barreling down the highway at 130 mph. There’s a bridge coming up he knows with a huge drop off. 

“I’m just going to drive off this bridge. My wife can get the policy. My wife and daughter will be okay…”

He’s maybe a mile away from the bridge now. He clamps the wheel tighter, turning his Black knuckles white.

“…I’m gonna drive off. It is what it is…”

Then, out of nowhere, Clarence hears a voice.

“Slow down, you’re going to be fine.”

Startled, Clarence keeps going.

“Slow down, I got you.”

Suddenly, Clarence starts feeling the wildest sensation. He feels the gas pedal pushing back against his foot. Against him.

“You’re going to be alright. Just keep going home…”

Clarence pulls the car over, and just weeps.

Truly. Weeps.

Clarence has always been a man of faith, and in that moment there’s no doubt in his mind that Jesus showed up for him.

God stepped in.

While I don’t expect everyone reading this to be a Christian, I do believe that all of us as VCs or founders consider ourselves to be good people. Whether you believe it to be God’s work, or the mission of good people, I think it’s important to recognize that stewardship and grace are paramount if you’re going to be a positive force in our work.

While it’s tough to draw clear, direct correlation between entrepreneurs and suicide risk, it’s well understood that through characteristics and experiences that founders share (i.e. impulsivity, emotional volatility, social isolation, rejection and failure) suicide is more likely a concern for them than the average person. If you’re a founder (or anyone) reading this and have had thoughts of suicide… please, please don’t go through this alone. Talk to someone you love, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and call 1-800-273-8255 to talk to someone who can listen and help. Confidentially. Completely free. That being said, far before suicide is even a question, we can find opportunities to reclaim founders’ abilities to enjoy physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. 

That day in October, 2016, six months after holding that first signed term sheet, Clarence went home and wept. Today, Clarence wakes up to a life that, as a poor black kid outside of Atlanta, he didn’t know existed.

He wakes up in a beautiful home, kisses his wife and kids, grabs a coffee and steps outside to sit on his porch and watch the sunrise. This grinder didn’t quit grinding.

With the support of his wife, and the hard work and fortitude that only exists truly in founders, he has closed $7M+ in venture funding, with a top seed-stage venture capital firm leading his last round.

He hugs and kisses the son that would not have been born if not for him pulling over that day. If not for divine intervention.

With grace, Clarence looks back and forgives those that hurt him so badly in the past. He moves forward, unburdened, with the support of investors who love him. Who steward him. Who show him grace.

As someone who knows Clarence personally, I was truly shocked upon hearing his story today. He’s one of the most dependable, stable, bright-eyed and motivating founders I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. It’s for this reason I think it’s even more worth underlining how this grind we call entrepreneurship – can get to anybody.

Clarence, I’m so honored by you. I’m honored by you letting my firm partner with you in your journey. I’m honored by you allowing me to share your story.

To all the venture capitalists out there, I hope you truly hear this. While we often forget founders are more than their companies, they are. So much more. And while we often find ourselves doing ROI math, it’s not enough. We’re all in a place of privilege in this life, and while we’re all likely to do financially well, I believe there is a right way to do well by our founders. Through stewardship and grace, and through attaching long term thinking to the people and not just the path to liquidity – we can, should, must honor founders. 

And founders… 

please… 

don’t ever forget. 

You are more than your company.