Episodes

What does housing instability do to a child? To a family? To a community? Alexandria Lafci knows firsthand — and she's spent her entire career trying to answer those questions through action. Alexandria is the Managing Partner of Home Team Ventures, an early-stage venture fund investing in construction technology. Before Home Team, she co-founded New Story, a nonprofit that built thousands of homes across Haiti, El Salvador, Mexico, and Bolivia — and partnered with ICON to print the first-ever ...

When we think about philanthropy, most of us picture mega-donors, foundation galas, and the Giving Pledge. But Hali Lee has spent her career arguing that the future of giving was never in those rooms. It's been in the kitchen tables, the susu circles, the ge meetings — communities of regular people pooling their time, talent, and money to take care of each other and their neighborhoods. In this episode, Hali shares the story of how her grandmother's generosity after surviving two wars shaped he...

In this episode of Principles of Benevolence, Ebony sits down with Cameron Carter, CEO and Co-Founder of Rosarium Health, to talk about the overlooked connection between housing and healthcare. Cameron spent a decade inside value-based care at DaVita, Bright Health, Evolent Health, and Truven Health Analytics before a personal experience with his own grandmother and aunt in Compton, California led him to found Rosarium — a company helping people age safely in their own homes through accessible m...

What does it actually take to change who controls capital — and who benefits from it? In this episode, Ebony sits down with Erin Harkless Moore, Managing Director of Investments at Pivotal, the group of organizations founded by Melinda French Gates to advance social progress for women and families. Erin leads Pivotal's fund and direct investment strategy, backing overlooked founders and next-generation fund managers in women's health, the care economy, and financial access. Erin's path to one ...

What does it take to walk away from one of the most powerful roles in corporate America — not because something went wrong, but because something more important was calling? Amy Weaver spent nearly twelve years at Salesforce, helping guide the company through a period of extraordinary growth as its market cap surpassed $300 billion. She made history as the first person in Fortune 500 history to go directly from Chief Legal Officer to Chief Financial Officer. Then she did something almost no one...

What if the most powerful wealth-building tool in the Black community has been hiding in plain sight for 120 years? Ryan L. Smith grew up on the South Side of Chicago where he felt safe inside his home but couldn't walk a block in any direction without encountering disinvestment, lack of opportunity, and gun violence. He watched friends whose lives took a very different path and made a decision early: the most scalable way to change things is through business. That conviction took him from Howa...

What does it actually take to close the wealth gap? Shelley Stewart III didn't set out to become one of the most important thinkers on economic mobility in America. He almost went to law school. Then an SEO internship landed him on a trading floor at JP Morgan, and everything changed. Today he's a Senior Partner at McKinsey, a member of the firm's global leadership team, and the founder and chair of the McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility — a think tank built on a simple but radical premis...

3:27 PM From Incarceration to Liberation: Jonathan Alvarez & the Business of Transformation Jonathan Alvarez went into prison at 17 with a 10th grade education. He came home at 30 with a bachelor's degree from Bard College — earned behind bars through the Bard Prison Initiative — and a vision for something he couldn't yet name. Eight years later, he leads 914 United, a nonprofit serving over 8,000 people across Westchester County with an 8% recidivism rate, against a national average of 44 to 6...

In this episode, Ebony Brown sits down with Brittany Bentley, co-founder and creative director of Parker Clay — Ethiopia's largest exporter of finished leather goods and a company whose mission is to end prostitution in Ethiopia. Brittany's story different from every other impact brand you've heard because she'll tell you straight that impact alone doesn't sell. Excellence does. The mission gets people to stay. The product has to get them in the door first. Key Topics Covered: Why trade gives w...

Explore how spiritual principles can shape impactful investments and business practices. Jenna Nicholas, president of Light Post Capital, shares her journey of integrating faith, purpose, and systemic change into the world of impact investing. This episode offers practical insights on shifting capital towards overlooked communities, creating systemic change, and leading with benevolence. Key Topics: The influence of Jenna's Baha'i faith and cultural background on her approach to impact investin...

Are you interested in aligning your investment strategy with your values while driving societal impact? In this episode, Ebony Brown shares her decade of experience in venture capital, emphasizing the importance of purpose-driven investment theses that adapt with market shifts.Key topics: The fundamentals of an investment thesis beyond sector focus, including the "how" and "why" Strategies for developing a strong, evolving thesis, such as stakeholder roundtables and market research How to ide...

Key topics: Brian’s journey from nonprofit work to impact investing and academia How purpose and profit can coexist in business models The decision framework between starting a nonprofit or a for-profit social enterprise Principles of impact investing and market readiness Leadership and ethics principles from Harvard Business School The ALI program for late-career leaders seeking purpose Navigating philanthropy, impact investing, and entrepreneurial persistence Strategies for incorporati...

In this inspiring episode, Jewel Burks Solomon shares her remarkable journey from founding PartPic, an AI company, to creating million-dollar funds that empower entrepreneurs who create shared prosperity in communities. Discover how her unwavering commitment to shared prosperity and benevolence guides her influential work in tech and venture capital. Key Topics Jewel’s early career at Google and her innovative internship, including her role in implementing Google across Howard University. The ...

Reimagining Higher Education: The Vision and Innovation of Tade Oyerende In this episode, Ebony Brown sits down with Tade Oyerinde, founder and chancellor of Campus, to explore how innovative approaches to online community college are transforming access, affordability, and quality in higher education. Discover how Tade’s mission-driven strategy leverages technology, capital, and policy to create scalable solutions for millions of learners. Key Topics: The inspiration behind Tade’s focus on dem...

In this episode, Ebony Brown sits down with Dr. Freada Kapor Klein to explore how foundations and investors can align their capital strategies with social justice and equity goals without compromising returns. Freada shares insights from her decades of activism, pioneering impact investing, and her recent article challenging myths about sacrificing financial gains for social good. Key Topics Covered: The evolution of impact investing and how top-performing portfolios like Kapor Capital demonstr...

Episode Description Explore how purpose, benevolence, and strategic investing intersect to create impactful wealth. In this episode, Ebony Brown shares her journey from philanthropy to venture capital, emphasizing that benevolence isn't an afterthought but a core component of wealth-building and responsible investing. Key Topics Ebony Brown’s transition from philanthropy to venture capital and why purpose-driven investing matters The definition of benevolence: kindness, generosity, and legacy...