Theory of Change
We see investment as a mechanism for societal change.
A Flexible Fund
We’ve designed a fund structure that allows us to invest flexibly across startups — for profit and nonprofit, mission-driven and political — for the greatest impact.
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Innovation
A 501c3 fund managed by ImpactAssets enables us to make grants to c3 nonprofits as well as early-stage investments in mission-driven, for-profit companies. Return on these investments helps to sustain our work over time. We also have a fund that enables us to support political action startups. New Media Ventures is a fiscally sponsored project of Tides Advocacy, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit public benefit corporation.
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Operations
New Media Ventures Education Fund is sponsored by Tides Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity. The Education Fund enables us to engage the community and provide thought leadership. In addition, New Media Ventures is a fiscally sponsored project of Tides Advocacy, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit public benefit corporation.
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Investor Network
We invite our network to invest alongside us. By sharing deal-flow and diligence, we give individual and institutional investors the ability to make informed, strategic and impactful decisions.
Team
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Carlissia Graham,
President
Carlissia serves as President of New Media Ventures, drawing from over 15 years of experience in politics and social advocacy as well as firsthand experience as a serial entrepreneur. As an investor and strategist working at the intersections of media, tech, and democracy, she is a fierce advocate for impactful innovation that serves the public.
Her work centers on getting capital to people who are reimagining and building a greater future as evidenced by a thriving democracy, responsible tech ecosystem, and equal capital opportunities for underinvested communities.
Carlissia previously held multiple senior-level positions in the U.S. government democratizing access to publicly-funded technology, creating pathways to public service for underrepresented communities, and directing billions in capital investments in public-tech infrastructure.
Alongside her work at New Media Ventures, she sits on several investment committees and actively counsels founders as they navigate the startup journey. She is a native of Memphis, TN, and is deeply invested in pro-democracy efforts in the US South.
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Jessica Salinas,
Chief Investment Officer
Jessica Salinas is Chief Investment Officer at New Media Ventures. As Chief Investment Officer, Jess is responsible for the cultivation of early-stage deal flow and portfolio management, building mission-driven partnerships, and leading the growth and direction of the investment team.
Previously, she was a Partner at an impact fund moving the world towards zero poverty, zero disease and zero pollution. Jessica was also the founding Social Impact Lead at Headspace and the founding Director of the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative Scaling Program.
Jessica serves on the Board of Words Uncaged, Plug in South LA, and StreetCode Academy. Jessica received her BA in Communication from Stanford and her MS in Social Entrepreneurship from USC Marshall School of Business.
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Yasmine Laurent,
Interim Chief Operating Officer
Yasmine is the Interim Chief Operating Officer for New Media Ventures, overseeing the development and implementation of the operational infrastructure, designed to support the organization's mission and growth strategies.
Yasmine is the founder and principal at YJL Unconquered Group, an integrated organization transformation and Justice, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging consulting firm providing strategic, practical and sustainable business solutions. She is a seasoned organizational development and equity & inclusion practitioner with over 15 years of human development experience in both for-profit and non-profit sectors. Yasmine has grown a robust career leading equity, access and advocacy initiatives and designing and implementing full scale people and culture, program management and organization transformation strategies.
She holds an MBA from Simmons College, a Masters in Human Services from Springfield College and a dual Bachelors of Arts degree in Multinational Business Operations and International Affairs from Florida State University.
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Phillip Sanders,
Partner
As Partner, Phil is responsible for expanding our partnerships, our portfolio of funders, and our investment capacity as well as spearheading new initiatives to support early-stage startups working to expand and scale progressive infrastructure.
Phil served in a variety of roles at Ernst & Young and Rockwood Capital, managing financial duties for clients across technology, real estate, and venture capital. Before joining us, Phil was a Fellow at Kapor Capital and an Investment Accounting Manager at the Kapor Center, where he managed various aspects of investing and financial processes at the fund. Previous to becoming Partner, Phil was an Investment Principal at NMV.
Phil leverages his experience to advise early stage startups and serves as Board Chair at the Ella Baker Center in Oakland. This work allows Phil to bring together thought leaders, innovators, supporters, and investors to design communities and startups for good. Phil is from Chicago, Illinois and holds a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from Bethune-Cookman University. When not at work , he enjoys his lifelong pursuit of the best cup of cappuccino and refining his cooking and salsa skills.
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Callie Chamberlain,
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Callie is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence, coaching and advising start-up founders and activists, and developing strategic programming to advance the investment portfolio as they tackle the biggest challenges facing our democracy.
A deep believer in communal health and healing, she most recently led the Office of Social Responsibility at a Fortune 5 healthcare company where she embedded equity into business strategy and operations, with a particular focus on maternal health based on her experiences training as a birth doula. An award-winning storyteller, she co-hosted the health care innovation podcast Until It’s Fixed, bringing a lens of equity and justice that moved the show into a top 5 podcast and filmed an award-winning documentary on the Syrian refugee crisis in Greece. As a result of her time on the ground, she developed a microwork application connecting refugees to income opportunities on their cell phones.
Callie is the founder of New Leaders Council Twin Cities, Minnesota's largest leadership and development program for young people advancing equity in the region, a United Nations Peacebuilding Fellow, and a NYC Gender Equity Commissioner. In addition to being a practicing birth doula, she is a death doula, and a yoga practitioner.
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Darrell Scott,
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Darrell Scott is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) at New Media Ventures. As EIR, he is responsible for advising and coaching media start-up founders in NMV’s latest Voices for Democracy investment cohort. He’s helping them navigate the tricky parts of scaling their work, from fundraising and hiring, to staying on top of the latest industry trends and best practices.
In his day-to-day work, Darrell serves as the VP, Media Investments & Acquisitions at Accelerate Change, a mission media network. He’s also the co-founder and former CEO of PushBlack.
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Abi Leung,
Investment Associate
As Investment Associate, Abi is responsible for sourcing investments and leading early stages of the due diligence process. She also works with our Entrepreneurs-in-Residence to create programming and resources for our portfolio.
Abi joined from a small tech consulting group, where she managed project teams and helped develop client relationships. She studied public policy, with a focus on nonprofits, social entrepreneurship and philanthropy at the University of Southern California. Most notably during her time at USC, Abi founded Trojan Shelter, a shelter run by USC students for college students experiencing houselessness in the Los Angeles area.
When not at work, Abi enjoys trying new restaurants in Los Angeles, browsing TikTok, perfecting matcha drinks and reading.
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Inbar Soffer Sharon,
Fundraising Associate
As Fundraising Associate, Inbar is responsible for supporting all aspects of fundraising strategy and operations. She works with everyone on the team to ensure that NMV can achieve its fundraising priorities.
Prior to joining NMV, Inbar held a variety of roles in fundraising and events, working across health services organizations, the arts, and tech. She holds as MA in Design Systems from the Pacific Northwest College of Art and is passionate about applying design thinking to solve complex problems and tell compelling stories. Outside of work, Inbar enjoys taking excessive photos and video of her wife and twin toddlers.
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Carlos Salinas,
Investment Analyst
Carlos Salinas is an Investment Analyst at New Media Ventures. He is the principal assistant to the Chief Investment Officer and supports the Investment team with intake and diligence reviews of potential portfolio organizations in the non-profit and for-profit sectors.
Prior to joining NMV, Carlos assisted the Houston Methodist Hospital’s neurosurgery department and University of Houston’s architecture/engineering departments in research and development of disability innovations. He was the co-founder of University of Houston’s first adaptive athletic wheelchair tennis team and served as President of the Adaptive Athletics organization. He has 10+ years of experience in the Supply Chain & Logistics sector.
Carlos is an advocate for disabilities rights and is passionate about ideas and actions that move communities forward. When not at work, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, handcycling, karaoke, wheelchair tennis, traveling, and attending live music shows.
Board
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John Schwartz (President)
Founder, Voqal
John has a long background in conventional media, dating to his start in community radio. He founded Free Speech TV, the country's leading progressive television network. He also founded a group of organizations known as Voqal that provides low-cost wireless broadband service to schools and non-profit organizations. Voqal is also known for its grants program, including funding that seeded New Media Ventures.
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Daaiyah Bilal-Threats
Senior Director for Education Policy, NEA
Daaiyah Bilal-Threats is a labor, social justice and public education advocate who currently serves as the Senior Director for Education Policy at the National Education Association (NEA), America's largest labor union.
For over 20 years Daaiyah has played a critical role in helping build and secure policy advances and programs that make our schools stronger and our political system more democratic. She has advised movement leaders, run winning political campaigns, championed the cause of quality public education internationally and has helped lead some of the progressive movement’s most important organizations.
As policy lead for the nation’s most powerful union, she currently oversees NEA’s research; health and safety program; international affairs; and its policy development and advocacy arms with a focus on domestic and international education policy. In previous NEA roles she led NEA’s philanthropic giving and strategic alliance programs: bringing in external funding to enhance signature NEA programs and facilitating NEA’s strategic engagement with more than 100 key national and international partners. In 2020 she built NEA’s largest-ever independent political campaign, highlighting educators as trusted members of every community. This campaign helped create the conditions necessary to elect a new U.S. president as well as numerous federal and state candidates that supported worker rights, racial and social justice, unions, and public education.
She has worked in large-scale social change her entire career beginning with the World Wildlife Fund, American Red Cross, and the Health Information Network.
She has served in leadership positions with numerous progressive political and civic organizations. She currently serves in leadership roles with the Color of Change PAC, the American Prospect Magazine, New Media Ventures, Partnership for the Future of Learning, and the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.
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Sandor Straus
President, Firedoll Foundation
Sandor Straus is the Managing Member of Tigmera, LLC and President of the Firedoll Foundation.
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Cheryl Contee
CEO, Impact Seat Foundation
Cheryl Contee is The Impact Seat Foundation’s CEO and award-winning Founder & Chair of the mission-driven digital agency Do Big Things. Cheryl is the Amazon bestselling author of Mechanical Bull: How You Can Achieve Startup Success. Passionate about creating new tech and new narrative for a new era, Cheryl uses her vast experience in startup entrepreneurship and community engagement to lead our portfolio companies and funds to success, provide resources for underrepresented founders, and build the new economy.
Previously, Cheryl was CEO of Fission Strategy, which brought Silicon Valley startup culture to the world’s leading causes and campaigns. She’s the co-founder of Attentive.ly, the first tech startup with a black female founder to be acquired by a NASDAQ company, the National Board Chair for Netroots Nation, a Senior Advisor for Astia and the first portfolio company board member of New Media Ventures.
Support Our Work
NMV supports entrepreneurs and activists and moves the field of impact investing forward. If you're interested in supporting our work, please get in touch.
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