Dear Friends and Supporters,

Over the course of the pandemic, our communities were hit hard emotionally, physically and financially. Last year, I shared news about the bold, decisive strategies ICA was implementing to step up when and where our entrepreneurs needed us most.
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This year, I can share that these strategies are working. The entrepreneurs ICA supports are resilient, their companies are growing again, and hiring again. What’s more, last year, ICA deployed more capital to more growth-oriented businesses than ever before in our history.

For ICA, this means doubling down on our mission of accelerating great businesses that will help close the racial and gender wealth gaps. It means supporting more entrepreneurs who are place makers and job creators in our communities. It means championing more women founders and entrepreneurs of color. And it means growing our programming to serve these dynamic companies earlier, like we did in 2021 with the creation of The Lab accelerator and Seed Capital product.
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ICA’s investment strategy is to join in real partnership with entrepreneurs, and together create wealth in our communities. To build a better, bolder future we must redefine what kinds of ventures our society deems worthy of undertaking, and challenge existing notions of who should benefit from returns on an investment.
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We’re making these bets and redefining what’s “normal.” Thanks to our incredible community of supporters, we've added 4 new positions over the past 12 months – building capacity and momentum, and it’s working. As you’ll see on the following pages, our 2021 Impact Report provides a snapshot of our community’s remarkable tenacity amidst recovery efforts. It also shows how we are betting on the future we want to see. I hope you’ll join us.