What We Do

Mission

RPCV Ventures’ primary mission is to generate transformational global social impact.

Our mission is based on three premises:

  1. RPCVs have unique skill sets, experience, outreach and commitment levels that make them ideal social-impact entrepreneurs.

  2. Extensive and sustainable implementation of transformational social impact can only be fully achieved by engaging private capital and expertise in ventures that are both profitable and impactful.

  3. Our approach will benefit all social impact participants and stakeholders, including investors, RPCVs, communities, local and regional economies, public agencies and non-governmental organizations, and will enhance the mission, operations and legacy of the Peace Corps itself.

Our focus is on businesses that have both a transformational social impact and for which their RPCV founders have a core competency. Examples of businesses that we believe best meet these goals (our “priority projects”) are: 

  • Redevelopment of urban and rural impacted areas

  • Global supply chain reconfiguration

  • Health care delivery

  • Alternative agriculture and energy

  • Technology that enhances the connectivity and operational capacity of NGOs

Our related mission is to expand and sustain the broader impact of the Peace Corps, and to provide RPCVs with opportunities to build long term careers as social-impact entrepreneurs.

Global Impact

Our global impact can be summed up by the phrase, “think globally, act locally.” RPCV Ventures operates globally, supporting businesses both in emerging countries that have hosted Peace Corps volunteers and those that have not. In evaluating entrepreneurs’ proposals, RPCV Ventures considers both i) the level of interest in attracting RPCV businesses and the institutional support provided by a host country and the locality and ii) the potential for the RPCV business there to support overall global impact.

While the primary mission of the Peace Corps was to assist emerging economies, a key feature of our approach is to also focus on impacted areas, empowering RPCVs to generate transformational change primarily through activities in the U.S. In many ways, the cultural gap between skilled professionals and indigenous communities in the U.S. is just as great as it is in emerging nations, and the abilities of RPCVs to work within different and challenging environments can be a key factor in enhancing the success of community and economic development programs in the U.S. This approach also significantly broadens the scope of long-term opportunities for RPCV entrepreneurs.