ICA Fund

Last week’s #CommunityShowcase was a powerful evening of Inspiration, Connection, and Action! We had so much fun bringing together our community to celebrate abundance and the transformative power of #smallbusinesses. Whether you joined us in person or are catching up now, thank you for being part of the ICA Fund community—together, we’re building a thriving, inclusive economy. We experienced: 💡 Stories of resilience, vision, and creativity from our founders. 💡 A packed room of advisors, investors, and supporters sharing resources and connections. 💡 A collective commitment to building an economy that truly works for everyone. We connected with over 30 founders tabling in the Oakland Museum of California plaza, enjoyed tamales from La Guerrera's Kitchen and pastries from Breadbelly, and heard from founders of six visionary businesses— Huhu, Terra and Self, MIZO, negozee🚀 , BTR Nation, and RENEGADE RUNNING — whose stories embody what’s possible when capital flows equitably. In addition to the founders, we heard from Tara Lynn Gray, Director of CalOSBA, about statewide priorities in building a more equitable economy. Together, we’re reshaping the ecosystem to reflect the communities we live in and unlocking the untapped potential of these incredible entrepreneurs. Want to join us in creating impact? Here’s how: ➡️ Donate to support ICA Fund’s mission. ➡️ Become an investor and help us scale this work. ➡️ Advise our entrepreneurs—your expertise makes a difference. ➡️ Spread the word! Applications for our Accelerator open on January 10. Let’s keep building a thriving, inclusive economy together. Thank you to everyone who joined us—your energy and generosity inspire us to keep proving this model works. #CommunityShowcase #InclusiveEconomy #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #DiverseFounders

Check out this feature on our colleague, Vasana Ly, sharing more about ICA Fund's work supporting diverse founders as they grow their businesses. Vasana brings a special combination of heart and rigor to ICA, we're lucky to have his leadership! Thanks for the thoughtful interview Josh Broward at Wisdom Partners

Small businesses like Tallio's Coffee & Tea are the backbone of our economy, but for many entrepreneurs of color, traditional financing options are out of reach. That’s where #CDFIs step in to provide safe, responsible funding and expert business support. Learn how OFN members Working Solutions CDFI and ICA Fund helped Tallio’s Coffee thrive in San Francisco: https://lnkd.in/eWEP5E3i #SmallBizSupport #CDFIsChangeLives #InclusiveEconomy

negozee🚀 crew back in the #TOWN for the ICA Fund showcase 😁 #Oakland vibes

🌟 Celebrating the ICA Community Showcase! 🌟 We were honored to be part of the ICA Fund family and thrilled to have participated in this year’s Annual ICA Community Showcase! The event was alive with energy, creativity, and innovation, thanks to the incredible entrepreneurs who joined us to table their services, consumer goods, and products. We brought something unique, showcasing the diversity, passion, and dedication that make our community so vibrant and strong. 💡✨ This showcase wasn’t just an event—it was an opportunity for connection, growth, and visibility for businesses. It highlighted the importance of collaboration in creating success, and our involvement was the key to making it all possible. Thank you to ICA for allowing us to bring our brilliance and commitment to the table (literally and figuratively!). A highlight of the evening was the inspiring keynote address by Tara Lynn Gray, Director of the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA). She reminded us why California is the 5th largest economy in the world—a hub for dreamers and doers, where innovation thrives, and diverse entrepreneurs build empires. From government-backed loans to technical assistance, the resources and support available through CalOSBA are driving economic mobility and ensuring that California’s dreamers have what they need to succeed. 🚀 Together, we’re making a difference. We’re grateful to be part of ICA and excited to continue supporting and celebrating the amazing work of our entrepreneurial community. Here’s to building dreams, scaling businesses, and shaping a brighter future! 🌈👏 #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #ICACommunity #Innovation #CaliforniaDreamers #EconomicGrowth #Phlex65 #ICAfund #SFBayareaentreprenuers

ICA Fund is hiring an Accelerator Coordinator to join our Direct Services team and help lead our 2025 Accelerator program. More details and specific application instructions are in the link below 🔗 https://lnkd.in/g8WRN7ua

ICA Fund is hiring an Accelerator Coordinator to join our Direct Services team and help lead our 2025 Accelerator program. More details and specific application instructions are in the link below 🔗 https://lnkd.in/g8WRN7ua

ICA Fund is in San Diego this week for our annual convening of California's #SCALEnetwork, led by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) and CAMEO Network. Alongside a myriad of small business partners, we're building a deep alliance of technical assistance and investment partners to support California small businesses. We are grateful for this partnership with the state of California to continue to create an inclusive and prosperous economy for all. To learn more about SCALE, visit Director Tara Lynn Gray’s LinkedIn Post: https://lnkd.in/g2BuRes7. P.S. Director Gray will also be a keynote speaker at the ICA Fund Community Showcase this Thursday, so if you are a registered attendee, don't forget to come out for this special evening! (left to right) Viola M., Cynthia Billops, Emily Gasner

ICA Fund alumni and portfolio founders attended TechCrunch Disrupt 2024! Tony Martínez, founder of negozee🚀 Ana Jones, founder of Phlex65 Roberto Angulo and Daniel Fabian Hernandez of Fonda James Norman, founder of Pilotly ICA was excited to be able to offer this market access opportunity for founders to dive into the latest tech insights and connect with industry leaders and collaborators. We are committed to supporting local businesses like these in the tech sector who are building good jobs for their community. #TechCrunchDisrupt #ICAFund #TechInnovation #Community

With a lack of non-carbonated, low-sugar alcoholic beverages, Holly Paul and Chris Tran were inspired to create MIZO—a ready-made hard lemonade in a juice pouch. Infused with flavors thoughtfully inspired by their Asian heritage and containing just 4 grams of sugar per pouch, MIZO is one-of-a-kind — not to mention the functional and nostalgic packaging that it comes in: “Nostalgic moments will never fail to make you smile. MIZO is a hard lemonade, but more than that, we are a social beverage company creating new nostalgic moments for our consumers.” - Holly Paul, co-founder of MIZO ICA Fund recently invested in MIZO after they graduated from the Accelerator, and it was a no-brainer: MIZO is an AAPI and woman co-owned brand, and Holly and Chris are committed to creating robust benefits for future employees as they build out their team in the South Bay community. MIZO is a featured pitching company at this year’s ICA Fund Community Showcase. You can learn more about how Holly and Chris got inspired to start MIZO on our blog: https://lnkd.in/gykc2uwy #entrepreneurship #businessowners #bayarea #costco #walmart #nostalgia #ICAshowcase #thefutureofbayareabusiness