Blog
The State of Small Business: PCV’s 2020 Impact Report
Times of crisis force us to dig deep in so many ways, and test us in new ways. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a magnifying glass over structural inequity that is generations’ old, and the fallout threatens yet another generation of businesses owned by entrepreneurs of color. The same entrepreneurs that have always had the […]
Jun 08, 2021 – Blog and News • PCV News •
PCV Receives $2 Million Wells Fargo “Open For Business” Grant
Wells Fargo today announced $13 million in grants to Bay Area Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to help small businesses stay open and maintain local jobs. The funding will help the CDFIs provide grants, loans, technical assistance, and business coaching for diverse entrepreneurs. The grants are part of Wells Fargo’s Open for Business Fund (OFB) […]
Apr 28, 2021 – PCV News •
A Special Thank You To Our Advisor Community For Volunteer Appreciation Week
In honor of National Volunteer Appreciation Week, Pacific Community Ventures and our Small Business community would like to offer a massive shoutout to you and all of our amazing family of volunteer advisors. Because of your efforts, PCV’s Business Advising program was able to empower over 1,000 small companies across America last year, during one of the […]
Apr 21, 2021 – PCV News • Small Business Advising And Mentoring •
PCV Stands For Justice And Empathy
Over the past year, our society has experienced an immense amount of tragedy during the pandemic. It has been with great heartache, tenacity, and our commitment to addressing racial injustice and inequality that we recognize the impact of racial violence, police brutality, and economic disparities amongst people of color, especially Black people. We want to […]
Apr 21, 2021 – PCV News •
Environmental Justice Is Economic Justice
Think about how much plastic we use just in the process of feeding ourselves and our family. You use plastic wrap to cover a bowl of dough, half an avocado, or to wrap a sandwich. Z Wraps founder and environmentally-conscious mom, Michelle Zimora, has always been the tinkering type, taking what was around her and […]
Apr 14, 2021 – PCV News • Small Business Clients And Success Stories •
An Urgent Call to Biden-Harris Administration: Create White House Initiative on Inclusive Economic Growth
Today the U.S. Impact Investing Alliance, B Lab and a coalition of more than 50 impact-oriented organizations are calling for the creation of a White House Initiative on Inclusive Economic Growth to coordinate federal policies that will reshape and rebuild our economy so that it works for all of us. The proposed Initiative’s bold approach […]
Apr 07, 2021 – Impact Investing • PCV News •
PCV Stands With Our AAPI Communities
PCV stands with our Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. There have been 3,800 reports of hate incidents targeting members of AAPI communities across the country since last March when the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to the advocacy organization Stop AAPI Hate, and a long history of violence and systemic racism before that. As a CDFI […]
Mar 23, 2021 – PCV News •
Our Small Business Support Circle Is Growing
For Shani Jones, growing up Black in San Francisco meant a constant feeling of disconnection. Shani is the co-owner of Peaches Patties — the name comes from her mother, who is lovingly referred to as “Peaches” by friends and family. Shani’s company is one of the only Jamaican food purveyors in San Francisco. Jerk chicken, […]
Mar 12, 2021 – PCV News •
GoFundMe + Pacific Community Ventures: Supporting Women and Minority-Owned Small Businesses
By Kim Wilford, General Counsel of GoFundMe. This piece first appeared here. At GoFundMe, we are fortunate to connect those who need help with the everyday heroes who so generously give. It’s an active mission: inspiring hope and changing lives through giving. It’s a mission that extends beyond our platform and drives the hundreds of […]
Mar 12, 2021 – PCV News • Small Business Advising And Mentoring • Small Business Clients And Success Stories •
Happy International Women’s Day! Building Forward Better Means Investing In Women of Color
As an introverted child growing up in Brazil, food became a love language for Vanessa Silva, and by the time she was 10 years old she was quite fluent, preparing special dishes for family gatherings. In 2016 she launched Culinary Artistas in a 2,400-square-foot space in San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square, across the street from the […]
Mar 08, 2021 – PCV News • Small Business Clients And Success Stories •
After One Year of COVID, Women Remain The Face of Entrepreneurship
Dear PCV Community, There are two reflections on my mind as we kick off March. One, March marks Women’s History Month — but also one year of social isolation and shelter-in-place restrictions for most of us around the country, starting right here in our Bay Area backyard. This past year has meant hard work, pivots, […]
Mar 02, 2021 – PCV News •
Build Forward Better, Remembering Black History
A new year, and a new administration in Washington, means an opportunity for us to reimagine our country and our economy in ways that truly allow for opportunity and mobility for ALL Americans. In this moment in time, with economic, health, and climate crises that all disproportionately hurt Black and Brown communities, we must recommit to […]