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The Venture Codex

The Community Development Venture Capital Alliance

475 Riverside Dr Suite 1264, New York, NY, 10115, United States

Overview

Community Development Venture Capital Alliance is a network for the field of community development venture capital (CDVC) investing. CDVC funds provide equity capital to businesses in underinvested markets, seeking market-rate financial returns, as well as the creation of good jobs, wealth, and entrepreneurial capacity. CDVCA promotes the field by combining advocacy, education, communications, and best-practice dissemination through conferences and workshops. CDVCA makes its expertise available to CDVC funds by providing consulting services and technical assistance.

Total investments
1
Lead investments
1
Investments · 12mo
0
Active investors
4

Sector focus

  • Non Profit
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Investment portfolio

  • Natural Fiber Welding

    Led · Series B · Jul 2021

    Natural Fiber Welding (NFW) is a Peoria, Illinois–based materials-science company that engineers high-performance, plant-based alternatives to petroleum-derived plastics. Its proprietary green-chemistry platform powers two flagship products: MIRUM, an all-natural, plastic-free leather replacement, and PLIANT, the world’s first naturally cured performance rubber outsole. Together these materials form a regenerative, circular platform aimed at footwear, fashion, automotive, and industrial markets. The company positions its solutions as drop-in replacements that match or exceed conventional materials on performance, durability, and aesthetics while radically lowering carbon footprints. NFW is seeing rising demand from global brand partners and has secured strategic backing from investors such as BMW iVentures, Ralph Lauren Corporation, Allbirds, and Asahi Kasei. The latest capital will be used to accelerate commercialization, expand manufacturing capacity, and support ongoing product innovation. No revenue or user metrics were disclosed in the article.

Team

  • Nat Henshaw

    Co-Founder and Director

    LinkedIn
  • Kerwin Tesdell

    President at Community Development Venture Capital Alliance

    LinkedIn
  • Julian Wood

    VP Investments and Chief Impact Officer

    LinkedIn
  • Salvatore Virgadaula

    Chief Financial Officer