|
Corporate Social Responsibility
News
10.09.2007 - 08:00am ET
|
CSR News from:
|
|
|
News Categories: |
| | |
From Worm Poop to Wal-Mart
Investors seek alternative investments addressing social & environmental issues
(CSRwire) October 9, 2007 - In 2001, Tom Szaky had a crazy idea to turn worm poop
into plant food and package it in used soda bottles. And it worked. 6
years later, TerraCycle employs over 30 workers in their 20,000 square
foot Trenton, NJ plant and they have a 2007 sales goal of well over $5
million. This year they are selling 9 products in many major, nationwide
retailers, including Target, Wal-Mart, The Home Depot, Whole Foods and
others. Tom and TerraCycle have been featured everywhere from the Evening
News with Dan Rather to the cover of Inc. Magazine.
TerraCycle got to this point with well over $4 million in angel
investments and some of that investment came from a group called
Investors' Circle, a nationwide network of investors who use private
capital to promote the transition to a sustainable economy. TerraCycle's
CEO, Tom Szaky said, "I owe endless gratitude to Investor's Circle.
Without their programs and investors my young company may not have
survived. They are probably the only investor group that focuses entirely
on environmental and socially beneficial companies. They realize that
there is much more to a company then a bottom line and a profit margin."
Investors' Circle hosts two venture fairs a year where companies like
TerraCycle, who address a social or environmental issue, present to over
150 investors who are looking for socially responsible investments. Over
the past 15 years, Investors' Circle members have invested over $112
million in 183 deals.
The next opportunity for companies like TerraCycle to present to
Investors' Circle will be during the Investors' Circle 2007 Fall
Conference & Venture Fair, taking place November 14-16 at the Boston
Harbor Hotel in Boston, MA.
The Venture Fair on November 15th, open to accredited investors only, will
feature 20 early-stage for-profit companies and small funds working to
solve social and environmental problems. The Education Day on November
16th is open to all who are interested in exploring effective ways to fund
and nurture sustainable businesses. Engage with renowned speakers and
panelists discussing the state of double bottom line investing and
enterprise creation in the areas of energy & environment, food & organics,
education & media, health & wellness, mission-related investing and
community & international development.
About Investors' Circle:
Investors' Circle was founded in 1992 and is based on the idea of using
venture capital — specifically from angel investors, foundations, and
venture capitalists oriented toward sustainable businesses — as a
powerful catalyst for creating sustainability worldwide. Over the last 15
years, the Investors' Circle network has invested more than $112 million
in 183 companies, with even more investments pending since our Spring
Conference in San Francisco last May.
|
|