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RPCV Entrepreneurs

We assist a range of RPCV businesses, from startups and scaleups to established businesses looking to grow, to global conglomerates.
In selecting businesses to support, we consider the following general criteria:

  • The level of expertise, outreach, and existing resources an entrepreneur brings

  • The social impact of the proposed business, including community partnerships and opportunities for local residents

  • The level of commitment from financial, political, and community support from local and host country sources

  • The feasibility of the business plan

How We Help

RPCV Ventures provides a range of “hard power” and “soft power” services to help RPCVs find, evaluate, fund and operate social impact businesses, as well as services that fuel growth and transformational impact.

"Hard Power" Services

  • Providing strategic enhancement advice and implementation

  • Finding and evaluating business opportunities

  • Preparing and enhancing business plans

  • Mentoring and assisting in structuring a business venture

  • Identifying and recruiting joint venture partners

  • Providing or arranging initial and expansion private equity and loan financing, as well as grants and loans from public agencies and NGOs

  • Identifying and accessing key markets

  • Identifying and recruiting consultants on a pro bono or discounted basis

  • Setting up operations including identifying key management roles, obtaining facilities and equipment and other critical start up tasks

  • Administrative support for planning and operations, including identifying key management roles, obtaining facilities and equipment and other critical start up tasks

"Soft Power" Services

  • Access to and assistance from the RPCV Committees and Strategic Partners

  • Extensive networking opportunities within the RPCV community, as well as with business and NGO stakeholders

How to Apply:

Please fill out the expression of interest form at the bottom of the page. Once we receive your information, we will schedule a meeting to get to know your business better and determine how RPCV Ventures might best meet your particular needs.

Investors

RPCV Ventures offers a range of investment opportunities in both RPCV Ventures itself and in the RPCV businesses it supports.

Our focus is primarily on working with funds and family offices focusing on Social Impact investment who are interested in generating both transformational impact and attractive returns. We are also open to smaller investors interested in supporting a single project. After we receive your information, we will schedule a followup meeting to identify options for your investment, including reviewing the unique RPCV businesses we are currently supporting in a capital raise. Prospective investors will be given additional information about those businesses, and will have the opportunity to join a pitch session with the RPCV entrepreneurs.

Please fill out the expression of interest form at the bottom of the page and let us know how you’d like to support our mission.

Investment in the RPCV Businesses

There are multiple opportunities for investment into the various RPCV businesses we work with, ranging from small scale local service operations to global transformational conglomerates.

These businesses will represent attractive investment targets, as they are likely to have a higher level of impact, sustainability and profitability than similar businesses run by general entrepreneurs, for a number of reasons. RPCVs are one of the most qualified groups to create and run businesses targeting transformational social impact, all prospective RPCV businesses will be carefully vetted by RPCV Ventures, which will provide intensive and extensive ongoing support to them, the Peace Corps brand and mission are compelling to potential customers and community partners, and the level of connectivity and networking available to RPCV entrepreneurs is extraordinary.

Investment in RPCV Ventures

There are two tranches of investment in RPCV Ventures in progress.

Current: Proof of Concept Phase

Initial angel investment to establish RPCV Ventures and initiate the Proof of Concept Phase was raised from the co-founders, Board members, and individual RPCV investors. We are now seeking additional funding in the range of $100,000 to support the work to prepare materials and operations for our next formal raise. This work will include:

  • Private Placement Memorandum and all supporting information

  • A documents and monitoring structure that not only meets all SEC and other regulatory requirements but is also transparent and in line with the highest standards of governance

  • Finalizing a marketing structure for the coming financing round

All investors in the Proof of Concept Phase will have the option, at the first monetization, of:

  • Exit and return of their capital with 100 percent interest; or

  • Conversion of their investment capital and interest into permanent equity in RPCV Ventures

Full Operating Phase

Upon completion of the Proof of Concept phase, RPCV Ventures will go to the market to raise capital for our Full Operating Phase. There are two components of this raise:

  • Financing of overall RPCV Ventures operations

    • Capital, in the range of $5 Million, will be sought to cover costs for two years of RPCV Ventures' operations. By the end of that period, operations are expected to be generating a profit through earned revenue streams, primarily from a combination of fee-for-services to the RPCV Businesses (and their local partners and communities) and annual fees and profits from management of the Venture Capital Fund.

  • Establishment of a Venture Capital Fund

    • There will also be a raise, in the range of $20 Million, to establish a proprietary Venture Capital Fund ("VC Fund") to serve as the primary driver for funding the Priority Projects. The VC Fund is critical to enabling investments in the RPCV businesses we work with, as the ability to provide capital on an efficient and leveraged basis is greatly enhanced with a dedicated source of funding, and to ensure that we attract the "best of the best" of RPCV businesses.

    • In addition to providing capital, the VC Fund will provide a range of “Strategic Enhancement” services to the businesses to enhance feasibility and growth, including connectivity to markets, partners, key employees and vendors; technology, and professional services. The focus will be on creating significant appreciation of the business rather than short term revenues.

    • As a result, the VC Fund is expected to generate a significantly higher return than more traditional investment funds, as i) RPCV businesses generate higher levels of profitability due to their founders’ commitment, perseverance, expertise and connections, ii) the support of RPCV Ventures to the businesses to enhance growth, and iii) the VC fund will be managed to leverage a broad range of 3rd party capital, in most cases by finding, vetting and packaging participating investors as well as acting as the lead Investor and thereby earning a premium for this value-added work.

    • The VC Fund will be managed by RPCV Ventures and will be compensated primarily by equity in the businesses in which the VC Fund invests, rather than standard management fees.

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