Theory of Change
We see investment as a mechanism for societal change.

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Redirect capital:
We invest in progressive startups.
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Spark civic engagement + Change culture + Build movements
This applies leverage at three critical points, creating momentum.
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Shift power:
Smaller actions become great shifts, driving long-term political impact.
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, bringing with her a 15-year background in politics, social advocacy, and operations. A former Obama staffer, Carlissia has held senior leadership positions across the federal government, nonprofit and start-up spaces with a focus on helping mission-driven orgs run at full speed.
A founder in her own right, Carlissia has spearheaded four startups while also shaping the operational governance of some of our nation’s oldest and most impactful institutions - Congress, US Departments of Agriculture and Energy, the White House, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. True to her southern roots, she has a deep love for adventure, agriculture, and racing.
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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 Education Program.
Jessica serves on the Board of Words Uncaged, which provides programming for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals in LA, and Plug in South LA. Jessica received her BA in Communication from Stanford and her MS in Social Entrepreneurship from USC Marshall School of Business.
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Arbour Decker,
Director of Partnerships
As Director of Partnerships, Arbour is responsible for leading NMV’s fundraising and partnership efforts, including developing and overseeing fundraising strategies, funder communication, internal systems, and external-facing events.
Arbour has served in development and relationship building roles for the past 12 years. Prior to joining NMV, Arbour held the position of Director of Strategic Partnerships at Aspire Public Schools, Director of Strategic Partnerships at East Bay College Fund (now Oakland Promise), Director of External Relations at OneJustice, and a variety of other development positions in higher ed and youth development fields.
Arbour earned a B.A. in Communication from Western Washington University and an M.A. in Communication from San Diego State University. In her free time, Arbour enjoys spending time with friends and loved ones in beautiful Oakland, watching the Warriors win, dinner parties (pre-COVID19), cycling, and some karaoke when the mood strikes.
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Phillip Sanders,
Investment Principal
As Investment Principal, Phil is responsible for leading investments in early stage mission-driven startups, managing in-bound deal flow, and supporting the growth of NMV's portfolio companies.
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. Most recently, 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.
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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Alex Blum,
Fundraising & Communications Manager
As Fundraising & Communications Manager, Alex is responsible for coordinating grant proposals and reports, facilitating NMV’s interactions with its network and the public, and supporting the NMV leadership team.
Alex joined from Grassroots Campaigns, where he fundraised for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Southern Poverty Law Center, and other nonprofits. Previously, he wrote freelance book reviews and worked in Publicity and Online Marketing at Yale University Press.
Alex earned a BA in English from Yale University and originally hails from San Diego, CA. Outside of work, he loves running, surfing, and reading and writing fiction.
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Mia Orans,
Operations Manager
As an Operations Manager, Mia is responsible for supporting both the NMV fundraising and leadership team.
Mia joins from Mazel Immigration Law, where she was in charge of operations for the firm, including customizing the firm’s database, establishing best practices for data management, and analyzing workflows to increase case preparation efficiency. Previously, she worked in Community Support and Operations for Kiva where she assisted Kiva lenders and provided operations support to her team.
Mia earned a BA in Economics from Carleton College, where she also played on the Varsity Softball team. Outside of work, she loves to spend time in the ocean, play sports, and try new recipes.
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Abi Leung,
Program Associate
As Program Associate, Abi is responsible for supporting NMV’s operations and executive teams.
Abi joined from RampRate, a consulting firm specialized in blockchain and natural wellness, where she managed project teams and helped develop client relationships. Before RampRate, she studied public policy at the University of Southern California. Most notably during her time in school, Abi founded Trojan Shelter, a shelter run by USC students for college students experiencing homelessness in the Los Angeles area.
When not at work, Abi enjoys trying new up-and-coming restaurants in Southern California, taking photos, browsing TikTok, and reading. -
Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman,
Senior Advisor
Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman is a Senior Advisor at New Media Ventures. Before stepping into her current role, Taren served as NMV President, as a Senior Product Manager at Change.org, and the founder and Executive Director of global consumer watchdog SumOfUs. Taren also spent years in Democratic politics and the climate and labor movements, working for groups like MoveOn.org, the Alliance for Climate Protection, and the AFL-CIO.
Board
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Daaiyah Bilal-Threats (Co-Chair)
Director for Strategic Alliances, NEA
Dáiyah (pronounced Dye-ya) Bilal-Threats is the current Special Advisor to the Executive Director and Director for Strategic Alliances at the National Education Association.
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John Schwartz (Co-Chair)
Founder, Voqal
A public broadcasting advocate for nearly 40 years, John has founded community radio and television stations and brought wireless broadband services dedicated to schools and nonprofits to markets.
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Felicia Wong
CEO, Roosevelt Institute
Felicia Wong is the President and CEO of the Roosevelt Institute. She is responsible for overseeing all of the organization’s major program areas.
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Julie Kohler
Senior Advisor, Democracy Alliance
As Senior Advisor at the Democracy Alliance (DA), Julie plays a key strategic role in developing the DA’s investment strategy and investment recommendations.
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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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Sarah Williams
CEO, Propel Capital
Sarah is co-founder and CEO of Propel Capital, which invests in entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers building a more just and equitable society. Propel uses blended capital (political, investment, philanthropic) to accelerate durable solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.
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Cheryl Contee
Chief Innovation Officer, Impact Seat
Cheryl is an innovator with deep expertise in media, tech, and politics. Attentive.ly – the (NMV-funded!) social marketing startup she co-founded – went on to be acquired by Blackbaud in 2016, making it the first tech startup with a Black woman on the founding team to be acquired by a NASDAQ-traded company. She’s also the Founder of Do Big Things and the author of Mechanical Bull: How You Can Achieve Startup Success.
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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Contact Us (opens in a new window)Founders in the News
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