Episode #4 of the Raise Green podcast series features Joel Solomon, an esteemed expert in impact investing! Joel is a founding partner at Renewal Funds, Canada’s largest mission-oriented venture capital fund, with over 20 years in the industry. Joel joins co-founders Franz Hochstrasser and Matt Moroney. “Raise Green” is a 7 episode podcast series exploring the climate crises through the minds of local leaders and global experts. Listen to the approximately 30 minute Episode #4 [here on Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/0gWz7vONjQJjT8UmiNe1Kc).

We embrace the term “impact investing” for funding that generates positive social and environmental outcomes. For a while, these investments weren’t taken seriously, since the dominant paradigm has been to maximize returns regardless of the cost. But as social and environmental problems have become increasingly apparent, and as existing impact investments have proven their financial viability, and in [many cases their superior financial performance](https://www.putnam.com/literature/pdf/ESG001_RE-0e702a5eed2e0f8679bede5d43704f46.pdf), its popularity has grown at a promising rate.

There was $20.9 billion of sustainable investing during the first half of 2020, which is comparable to the rate in 2019. Even more impressively, the 2019 investment flow was four times the previous record. This steady growth, in spite of an administration that [actively undermines it](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/laws-and-regulations/rules-and-regulations/public-comments/1210-AB95), represents a shift in heart and mind for investors. That is to say, people increasingly want their investments to be affiliated with less harm and more good.

Joel describes how it has taken a couple decades for this mindset to come to prominence, but now it’s an unstoppable concept. What started as a marginalized “burr in the sock” for the incumbent system has the increasing potential to erode the status quo. Even the biggest players in the industry have to adapt to emerging trends.

Franz points out that, [by all indications](https://www.morganstanley.com/pub/content/dam/msdotcom/ideas/sustainable-signals/pdf/Sustainable_Signals_Whitepaper.pdf), the emerging generation of millennial investors will continue to accelerate this trend. In turn, there’s the potential to shift the future of capital deployment and how it’s allocated around the world. This poses an opportunity to re-establish standards and accountability, after the era of “the only goal of money is to make more money.” Joel imagines an enlightenment of sorts, where we foster a period of financial innovation by re-thinking money and its uses.

Raise Green is one of the companies that’s striving to catalyze this shift in consciousness, and Matt believes we’re close to that turnover period. Private-sector businesses and finance can be a tremendously powerful force for improving both communities and the planet, and the role of the small players is to continue demonstrating and reinforcing this trend. As momentum builds, larger firms will be obligated to understand and follow, and as pressure mounts, they might even realize that being on the front end of the trend would be beneficial to them.

With compounding economic, pandemic, social justice, and climate crises, we’re in a period where people feel the need to act, which is why impact investing is being taken more seriously. In the past, regulators have expressed skepticism about ESG labels, which is the metric that’s supposed to assure that the funds go towards benevolent purposes. Legislating good and bad is surely subjective, and Joel admits it’s a dynamic issue. It’s more about overall direction, which divides into measurable and subjective components.

Within his own firm, Joel ensures that his portfolios have enough examples that are simple enough for people to understand and approve of. These are funds that are measurably beneficial by standards and qualities we can all agree on, such as cleaning up pollution. This in turn builds their investors’ trust when the firm handles more subjective, complicated cases that aren’t as easily quantified. 

In a way it’s an art form, where standards and agreeable qualities are established, and then subjective creativity delivers unique outcomes from there.

Matt has always believed that blending art and science achieves the best possible outcomes. Relying on one perspective misses other important pieces. Joel agrees, seeking to provide an overall model, based on integrity, honesty, self-reflection, and being eager for challenges and improvement. These are noticeably human qualities, and they provide an important parallel: finance and the economy aren’t an abstract thing, they’re about people. By humanizing investments, we can improve their character in the same way we might to do ourselves.

You can find the “Raise Green” Podcast on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/1jJS3POiHxhYb7NJZwr2q2), [Apple](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raise-green/id1529894700), and [Soundcloud](https://soundcloud.com/user-353076924) streaming services. Be sure to check us out!

Have any questions you want us to ask, or a guest you would like to be featured on the podcast? Email us at info@raisegreen.com. To get the most up-to-date information on Raise Green content, please sign up for our [email list](http://eepurl.com/dFst3T) and follow any of our social accounts ([Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/raisegreeninc/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/RaiseGreenInc), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/RaiseGreenInc/), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/raisegreen/)).

If you’re interested in making an impact investment now, check out our Raise Green [Investor Marketplace](https://marketplace.raisegreen.com/offers/offersList).



Raise Green Podcast Episode #4: What is Impact Investing? 

Our podcast series continues! 

Raise Green’s second podcast episode is an extended double with Sue Biniaz, lead climate lawyer in the US State Department for more than 25 years. She played a central role in all major climate negotiations during that time, including the Paris Agreement. 

Sue joins co-founders Franz Hochstrasser and Matt Moroney. “Raise Green” is a 7 episode podcast series exploring the climate crises through the minds of local leaders and global experts. **Listen to the approximately 20 minute Episode #2 [here on Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/0upJYLQV6bNmfDj5K5hlSY?si=Ilb7oCUJRCetowpVgwfYDA). Episode #3 is a continuation of the interview, and can be found [here on Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/09HHWEaUl8EZ8k88N9PLwu).**

We begin with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which Sue helped develop at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The UNFCCC sets the framework for how nations have approached climate issues for the past 28 years and counting. The negotiation to arrive at the UNFCCC involved many of the same issues that continue to arise in international climate discussions today, with this conversation focusing on differentiation and bindingness. 

Bindingness: Are policy commitments legally binding?
Differentiation: Should all countries have the same commitments? 

For example, the Kyoto Protocol (1997) defined legally-binding caps on greenhouse gas emissions for developed countries, but the US didn’t ratify, so it only ever accounted for a third of global emissions. Part of the reason was that countries were differentiated into two different Annexes of the Convention, classifications that have been contested ever since. That was until the Paris Agreement outlined a framework that lets each country set its own target, and their chief binding commitment was to continually report on progress and update the targets every five years. 

Frameworks before that had attempted to recognize more nuances with countries’ categorization. To name a few, there are oil-producing countries, tiny island nations, and countries going through dramatic economic transitions (e.g. countries affected by the collapse of the USSR). 

This highlights the complexities of climate policy negotiation, a subject which Sue Biniaz is all too familiar with. She shared four tips for negotiation which we’ve summarized below:

1) Preparation. There are multiple ways to represent your own position, and knowing other parties’ positions can help you effectively present to them. Consider different ways to reflect the same substance.
2) Ask a lot of questions. Related to Tip #1, clarifying other parties’ positions can help you address the same substance with different wording. 
3) Be clear and concise. Long rambling proposals can lose people’s attention. Short, simple lists can go a long way. 
4) Explain why the proposal is in the other party’s interest, rather than simply dictating your position.

Sue is still active in the negotiations as a Senior Fellow at the UN Foundation and has been teaching courses on international climate negotiations at various law schools. Franz took the opportunity to inquire about the current state of the Paris Agreement:

A new US administration could easily re-join the Paris Agreement, but it would have to design an emissions target within 30 days, as each country decides its own NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution)This would create a delicate balance for the new administration: substantial commitments to regain credibility, versus domestic backlash in response to ambitious policies. Franz points out that the COVID-19 pandemic has added even another layer to that dynamic. It has delayed the next UN Climate Conference (COP26) by a year, which will be the first global stocktake for countries’ NDCs. Sue highlights that this may be a blessing in disguise, since many countries weren’t on-track to reach their NDCs this year, and it also gives the US a chance to regain its footing with a new president.

COVID-19 has understandably shifted countries’ focus for the time being, but countries can still work towards their NDCs by “building back better,” ensuring that stimulus packages aren’t going back to business as usual.

Despite what it may seem, Sue reminds us that only a fraction of the world is trying to devalue the science around climate change. We all have a duty to continue pursuing a fact-based approach to problem solving, insisting on even our own accuracy.

With that, there’s reason for optimism, as countries like China are still pushing towards ambitious targets for climate policy. Domestic momentum on climate action is also picking up: companies, cities, and other non-state actors are continuing to improve their ambition, invest in green and scale down brown. 

This is the role Raise Green plays: empowering local communities to improve their infrastructure and tackle climate change. Many of the challenges are persistent, but Sue reminds us of our ability to make a difference. Whether in negotiations or neighborhoods, working together creatively is the way to get it done.

You can find the “Raise Green” Podcast on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3SoCbMDNAj0GT4FSc7RqXt?si=1UQ0JK6_R_aLGgtVCj97jg), [Apple](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raise-green/id1529894700), and [Soundcloud](https://soundcloud.com/user-353076924) streaming services. Be sure to check us out!

Have any questions you want us to ask, or a guest you would like to be featured on the podcast? Email us at [info@raisegreen.com](mailto:info@raisegreen.com). To get the most up-to-date information on Raise Green content, please sign up for our email [list](http://eepurl.com/dFst3T) and follow any of our social accounts ([Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/raisegreeninc/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/RaiseGreenInc), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/RaiseGreenInc/), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/raisegreen/)). 


Raise Green Podcast Episode #2: What is Climate Policy? 

We’re live! 

Do you wonder if sustainability is achievable or even enough, do we need renewal, or regeneration, do we need circularity? How do we make that happen? 

We recently launched the official “Raise Green” podcast, hosted by Co-Founders Franz Hochstrasser and Matt Moroney - exploring the climate crisis through the minds of local leaders and global experts. Our podcast revolves around short, accessible conversations that share new ways of working together via personal stories about creating a healthy, just, and sustainable future. [Listen to the approximately 20 minute Episode #1 here on Spotify:](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3SoCbMDNAj0GT4FSc7RqXt?si=1UQ0JK6_R_aLGgtVCj97jg )

Episode #1 features Eva Gladek, Founder and CEO of a sustainability focused consulting and venture-building company called Metabolic in Amsterdam, Netherlands. They literally build ventures to remake the economy. One of her first projects with Metabolic was De Ceuvel, a cafe and city playground for innovation, experimentation and creativity that makes sustainability tangible, accessible and fun. 

This award-winning, sustainable planned workplace for creative and social enterprises on a remediated former shipyard in Amsterdam demonstrates the potential economic opportunities can be built with a bit of creativity and perseverance. 

**Building on these ideas, Metabolic has built circularity plans for cities, provinces, and private enterprises in agriculture, banking, building, chemicals, and textiles. Check out their recent work in the U.S. cities of Charlotte and Boulder.**

**Between this September day in 2020, and 2030 what will you build?
**

Eva and her band of changemakers at Metabolic are dedicated to creating a beneficial and  equitable society through systems transformation, circular economy, and sustainable design. She is consistently listed among the top influencers in sustainability in The Netherlands, a country recognized as leading the transition to a circular economy. We talk to Eva about:

1) How the circular economy is different from sustainability in general?

2) Is everything a resource?

3) How popular is the topic of circular economy in Europe, and why has it not caught on in the United States? 

4) How might a country like the Netherlands continue to improve on the topic of circular economy? 

The show goes on next week as we welcome the next of our several guests soon to be featured on the “Raise Green” podcast. Episode #2 is with the inimitable and legendary Sue Biniaz, a former lead climate lawyer for the U.S. State Department where she played a central role in the negotiation of nearly every major climate agreement to date, including the Paris Agreement. 

You can find the “Raise Green” Podcast  on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3SoCbMDNAj0GT4FSc7RqXt?si=1UQ0JK6_R_aLGgtVCj97jg), [Apple](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raise-green/id1529894700), and [Soundcloud](https://soundcloud.com/user-353076924/evagladek) streaming services. Be sure to check us out!

Have any questions you want us to ask, or a guest you would like to be featured on the podcast? Email us at [info@raisegreen.com](mailto:null). To get the most up-to-date information on Raise Green content, please sign up for our [email list](http://eepurl.com/dFst3T) and follow any of our social accounts ([Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/raisegreeninc/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/RaiseGreenInc), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/RaiseGreenInc/), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/raisegreen/)). 


Raise Green Podcast Episode #1: What is the Circular Economy? 

# Raise Green Comments on the SEC’s Proposed Changes to Crowdinvesting Rules

Whether it’s an ominous orange sky in the middle of the day, climate fires ravaging communities, increased likelihood of contagion, asthma and morbidity from air pollution, or the destructive derechos, hurricanes, floods and other disastrous weather-events hitting neighborhoods across the country, *we’re experiencing climate change everyday*. These are sobering reminders that **time is of the essence** to make the shift to a clean energy economy. That’s why we need everyone involved in creating and financing the sustainable infrastructure needed for a climate-safe and resilient future.

Raise Green is a category-defining [marketplace](https://marketplace.raisegreen.com/offers/offersList) dedicated to bringing verifiable impact investment opportunities to everyone, and empowering communities to create and finance climate action projects. That unique blend of assistance and access is currently missing in the clean energy finance world, and it relies on specific rules regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Earlier this year the SEC proposed some big changes to their rule aimed at “[Facilitating Capital Formation and Expanding Investment Opportunities by Improving Access to Capital in Private Markets](https://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-05-20/s70520.htm)".

The SEC’s rulemaking process invited comments on this proposed rule, and Raise Green took the opportunity to provide detailed comments in a joint letter with New Haven Community Solar (NHCS): https://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-05-20/s70520-7261538-217666.pdf. 
Raise Green and NHCS are both founded, designed and mission-driven with a core intention of amplifying marginalized voices and empowering everyone to be part of creating a more healthy, just and sustainable world. This rule-making offers a tremendous opportunity to expand inclusive finance through crowdfunding. 

We throw that word around a lot, ‘crowdfunding’, but it took several years for crowdfunding platforms like ours to become available to everyday investors like you, and even longer for ‘crowdfunding’ to become a common noun known to the general public. Crowdfunding is a catch-all for a few different types of crowdfunding, but most of it is donation-based crowdfunding like Kickstarter where you donate, and may or may not get something back. 

Equity crowdfunding (or what we refer to as ‘crowdinvesting’) is the actual sale of private securities (stock or debt that is not available on a public exchange like the NYSE or NASDAQ). When an Originator sells securities, their company is bound by law to use the funds for what they said, and to pay investors back (plus profit!) as promised, if their project is successful. Now more than 500k Americans have made a crowdinvestment since 2016 (Crowdfund Capital Advisors, 2020). 

Even though crowdinvesting became legal after the JOBS Act passed in 2012, it wasn’t fully allowed in the U.S. until the SEC finalized regulations in 2016. With Reg CF, Reg A and other exempt offerings, private equity investing is now more accessible and transparent for accredited and non-accredited investors. But recent analysis from the SEC has found significant barriers to widespread adoption. Now the SEC has kicked off the process of revising exempt security offering rules, and Raise Green is pleased to help make comments that can help make more wealth building opportunities for impact investors at the community-scale and accelerate the clear energy transition. 

# Our 3 favorite proposed changes to Regulation Crowdfunding, and how they can benefit investors, Originators, and the fight against climate change: 

**1: Increase of the maximum raise (i.e. offering amount) per company to $5 Million or more **

Currently, there is an investment limit of $1.07 million per company per year for crowdfunding raises. Increasing this limit would allow for an overall increase in capital raised, while simultaneously allowing for crowd investors to invest in and benefit from ownership of larger climate action projects (e.g. lower cost estimates and higher value creation efficiency). This would mean that Raise Green could inclusively finance projects that are several megawatts in capacity, which can be more profitable and have a greater impact than smaller projects due to economies of scale.

**2: Removal of the investment limit for accredited investors and increased transparency of investment limits for non-accredited investors**

This will not only allow for a greater influx of capital towards projects from accredited investors, but also help bypass the issues currently accompanying the calculation of investment limits for non-accredited investors. Such limits are driven from self-attestation of net worth, a process that is inherently difficult for most of the general public to calculate. By removing the accredited investor limit Raise Green projects can take larger investments from family offices, donor-advised funds, and other accredited and institutional investors which means more and larger projects can get funded more quickly, while still allowing for blended capital and access to non-accredited investors to be in the same deals.

**3: Allowing companies and crowdfunding platforms to market and advertise an investment opportunity prior to officially listing it (taking “indications of interest”) **

Under the current Reg CF exemption, issuers (i.e. companies that host investment opportunities on marketplaces like Raise Green’s) are unable to communicate with their investor base until they have gone through the process of preparing an offering. Allowing issuers to effectively “test the waters” and gauge interest may lead to an explosion of interest among both issuers and investors alike. Increasing transparency in the fundraising and project development process is likely to improve access and efficiency in our work to build a new asset class of green crowdfunded private equity.

Raise Green views many of the changes in the proposed rule as important ways to help accelerate inclusive climate finance and move towards a democratized clean energy future. We have more than 60 Originators in the pipeline to create climate action projects - if these Originators and others are able to operate under these new rule changes, we anticipate an explosion of interest among the impact investing community and an increase in the number and variety of prospective Originators. It’s an exciting time for Raise Green, and we welcome you all to join the movement to finance and create the climate-safe and resilient future that we all want and need. To see the entire letter in extended detail, check out this [link] (https://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-05-20/s70520-7261538-217666.pdf).

As always, feel free to engage us in conversation and send any questions or comments you might have to info@raisegreen.com.

To get the most up-to-date information on Raise Green content, please sign up for our email list and follow any of our social accounts ([Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/raisegreeninc/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/RaiseGreenInc), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/RaiseGreenInc/), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/raisegreen)). 


![Img](//a.storyblok.com/f/77953/267x150/2252db00c5/updated-copy-__-raisegreen-pitch-deck-200407-1.svg)

*This is not a Research Report, should not be construed as investment advice, and does not constitute a solicitation to sell or an offer to buy securities relating to any products referenced herein Past performance is not indicative of future results. This blog represents a business discussion only and the views of individuals at Raise Green. Investing in Crowdfunded investments is risky and speculative. Please see FAQs on this Site for more information.*

Changing the Rules in a Changing Climate: Raise Green Comments on the SEC’s Proposed Changes to Crowdinvesting Rules

Changing the Rules in a Changing Climate


## New Raise Green Tech Platform Automates Process For Starting and Financing a Solar Business 

*Amid record unemployment, Raise Green’s Originator Engine empowers anyone, regardless of experience or income, to create and lead their own solar energy project and invite investors*

**Somerville, MA** - [Raise Green](https://www.raisegreen.com/) — the impact investment marketplace for green infrastructure and clean energy projects — today announced the launch of its [Originator Engine](https://oe.raisegreen.com/), a first-of-its-kind SaaS solution developed in partnership with IBM to help drive entrepreneurship and community resilience by empowering nearly anyone to start their own solar energy business. The new, easy-to-use platform automates the process of creating a solar energy project, templatizing and aggregating what would be hundreds of pages of documentation. Last month, Raise Green launched as the first crowdfunding platform for investment in clean energy projects nationwide with its [first offering](https://marketplace.raisegreen.com/offers/PreviewOffers/NjY3MjA=) of 50+ projects in the pipeline. The [Greentown Labs](https://greentownlabs.com/)-based company is the first to offer equity crowdfunding focused on investments for climate solutions nationwide since the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) [finalization of equity crowdfunding regulations](https://www.sec.gov/news/pressrelease/2015-249.html).  

 

*“The 20th Century was built on gas stations at every corner. The 21st Century will be built on solar arrays at every corner,” said Matthew Moroney, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Raise Green. “Raise Green is stripping away the barriers that often come with starting a business with an easy-to-use platform that automates the process of building local solar energy projects and funding them.”
*
 

The COVID-19 pandemic has left [50 million Americans ](https://www.wsj.com/video/unemployed-americans-line-up-as-600-jobless-benefit-expires/A86FBE2C-75FC-4107-AC38-E50E53BC3528.html) unemployed and put local communities at high risk. These communities are also impacted by the effects of climate change. As part of this new service, Raise Green is also announcing a new loan program, now accepting applications, with additional financial assistance to anyone looking to start their own climate action project. It is no secret that low-income communities and communities of color bear the brunt of the ill effects of climate change, and of the economic fallout from the pandemic. Raise Green is committed to meeting this moment with an eye toward environmental justice, removing barriers to green energy for those who stand to benefit the most.

 

*“This has been a fantastic combination of market knowledge, business understanding and technology development, leveraging the combined skills of IBM and Raise Green to rapidly make a difference in solving one of the key issues facing us in the world today,” [said](https://www.ibm.com/blogs/think/uk-en/developing-the-solar-community/) Keric Morris, Digital Strategy Global Energy Lead at IBM.*

 

Raise Green’s Originator Engine was born out of the complexity of a solar project with [Columbus House](https://www.columbushouse.org/), a non-profit providing homelessness solutions, during which they realized many of the documents being processed were similar. The Originator Engine also contributes toward the [United Nations’ 13th Sustainable Development Goal](https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal13), among others, by strengthening adaptive capabilities against climate-related hazards, integrating climate change measures into planning, improving education on climate change mitigation, and more.

 

*"Solutions to climate demand rapid scalability of existing technology. This can be achieved with replicable and templatized project finance using verifiable impact to empower large institutions to invest confidently in locally created projects. When dealing with a problem as daunting as climate change, we need to tap technology to give people the means to participate in the fight at the local level,” said David Thomson, Director of Integration at Verses. “Raise Green’s easy-to-use SaaS Originator Engine empowers anyone to take charge of their own climate movement and innovate a sustainable infrastructure project where they have identified a need.” *

 

While most models used to set up clean energy businesses are cumbersome and fundamentally inequitable, Raise Green’s cost-effective solution fills the need for a common platform that provides innovators with real-world knowledge to develop and run their own solar business from start to finish in four phases:

1) **Create:** The Originator Engine guides a project creator through complex corporate obstacles to help them turn their project idea into a real business that’s ready for funding.

2) **Fund:** An originator gets access to Raise Green’s crowdfunding platform to finance their project, allowing anyone to invest.

3) **Build: **With the funds raised, an originator continues to develop and manage the project with guidance from Raise Green. This can include construction, permitting applications, etc.

4) **Run:** An originator sees the ongoing, direct impact of their project, gathering invaluable knowledge and experience along the way.


Raise Green’s marketplace offers a wide variety of replicable, templatized investment opportunities for solar power, affordable housing, electric vehicle charging stations, agriculture, water projects, and microgrids. Each investment vertical is designed to have an immediate impact on the resilience of local communities with a chance to earn returns while building sustainable infrastructure. Whether investing $100 or as much as $100,000, everyone can be directly involved in owning a part of a climate action project to support sustainable infrastructure. 


To learn more about Raise Green and to utilize their platform to invest in or start clean energy projects, visit: [https://www.raisegreen.com. ](https://www.raisegreen.com)


**About Raise Green:** Raise Green is the first marketplace in the U.S. for local and inclusive impact investment with verifiable and demonstrable environmental benefits. Through the platform, anyone can be an originator of their own community solar project. On Raise Green’s investor marketplace, anyone (individuals and institutions) can invest in community-focused climate resilience projects across a varied range of project scales and minimum investments. Early investors in Raise Green are veterans of the renewable energy industry and project financing. Investors can derive value while at the same time creating quantifiable impacts in local communities, as well as receiving financial returns if the project is successful. 

Press Release: Raise Green Launches Tech Platform Automates Process For Starting and Financing a Solar Business 

Press Release: New Raise Green Tech Platform Automates Process For Starting and Financing a Solar Business 

### IBM and Raise Green

*9 March, 2020 | Written by: Keric Morris and Franz Hochstrasser*

While some progress has been made on renewables deployment – in the US they now make up around 20% of energy production – there is still a long way to go in achieving net zero carbon in energy production. If you then consider that in order to decarbonize transport, heating, cooling and cooking, even with increased energy efficiency, we will likely need to double electricity production from current levels, the scale of the gap gets considerably larger.

*"This has been a fantastic combination of market knowledge, business understanding and technology development, leveraging the combined skills of IBM and Raise Green to rapidly make a difference in solving one of the key issues facing us in the world today" 
– Keric Morris, Digital Strategy Global Energy Lead*

In order to bridge this gap, centralized generation isn’t going to be enough – it will take businesses, communities and individuals playing a more active role in production and storage to meet our increasing needs. Yet, to date, the majority of the growth has been in large scale assets and the development of solar on consumers’ homes.

The fact is that a number of hurdles get in the way of communities being a part of the needed change. Building renewable generation assets requires access to financing and an ability to navigate an array of regulatory, asset build and connection/pricing issues – which makes it difficult for all but the most determined and experienced community renewable energy developers to achieve.

At the same time institutional investors searching for green projects find the scale of community projects too small for their portfolios and difficult to assess and manage, creating more risk than they are willing to accept in their investments.

Yet help in solving these issues is here in the form of start-ups like Raise Green who are looking to help ‘democratise’ the process of renewable development, making it easy and accessible for all. Raise Green is a Boston based fintech and community solar business that matches community developers to crowdinvesting – supporting them through every step of the way including, as needed, negotiating with power companies, helping to find contractors, etc.

*"Millions of activists and community leaders are demanding urgent climate action and marching in the streets, but what do we do at the end of the march? Raise Green gives heroes across the U.S. the tools that they need to take real impactful action right now on climate change by creating or investing directly in a climate solution project. Our originator engine powered by IBM will give anyone the ability to create their own green job and bring solar or climate solutions to their community."
 – Franz Hochstrasser, CEO Raise Green*

They have already completed 2 projects, have 40+ further renewable projects in the pipeline and are looking to scale even further by developing a platform based approach to delivery that will help potential community renewable asset developers from across the US to carefully navigate through the process using a digital originator engine. This is where the team turned to IBM for help to leverage tools such as Red Hat and the IBM accelerator to rapidly develop this engine.

In an initial 6 week program of work, the core of the engine has been developed building on Raise Green’s proprietary approach using an agile orientated approach and pre-built tools from the IBM accelerator. Using the existing community renewable asset developers in the pipeline we are robustly challenging and testing the platform.

While this seems like a very rapid development timeline (and it is!), given the scale of the emerging climate emergency and the need to enable a broader swathe of communities to actively engage in the change, this type of approach is essential. That is the beauty of the platform, that by leveraging proven IBM approaches to de-risk the technical build, combined with Raise Green’s experience in community renewable development, a robust solution can be created to accelerate the transition to a net zero carbon future.

Cross Posted [from IBM Blog](https://www.ibm.com/blogs/think/uk-en/developing-the-solar-community/)

IBM and Raise Green - Developing the solar community

Developing the solar community

IBM and Raise Green


# 22 interesting reads from Raise Green


A summer of working from home has led to an increase in team Zoom calls, time spent out in nature, Netflix binging, and a lot more time to read some good books! While our summer has been quite busy with the [launch of our investor marketplace](https://marketplace.raisegreen.com/offers/offersList), communications with prospective Originators, and the ongoing growth of the Raise Green team, we took some time to compile a list of the books our team members have been reading to educate and entertain themselves.

Check out our list below! Feel free to start a conversation with any of us about the list, or shoot us any recommendations you have through [info@raisegreen.com](mailto:info@raisegreen.com). 

To get the most up-to-date information on Raise Green content, please sign up to our email [list](http://eepurl.com/dFst3T) and follow any of our social accounts ([Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/raisegreeninc/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/RaiseGreenInc), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/RaiseGreenInc/), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/raisegreen/)). 


#### **Franz Hochstrasser**
**Behave: The Biology of Humans at our Best and Worst - Robert Sapolsky**
If you want to know why people are Republican, it may be because they have a hyperactive amygdala. This exceptionally detailed and yet relatable tour de force into brain chemistry is the best explanation and examination of our human behavior and impulses that I’ve come across.

**The Beautiful Struggle: A Memoir - Ta Nehisi Coates  **A gorgeously written first-hand account of a young black man’s experience growing up in urban Baltimore. Rife with grit, heartbreak and the hardships as well as some gentle joys of adolescence, this book was gripping.

**The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How our Government Segregated America - Richard Rothstein**
In this powerful assessment of American urban history, we see how from the 1920s up to the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, the laws and policy decisions passed by many local, state and Federal governments unconstitutionaly contributed to de jure racial segregation in housing, planning and zoning. This legacy of structural racism continues to contribute to persistent racial unrest today.

**All We Can Save - Multiple Authors, edited by Ayanna Johnson and Elizabeth Wilkerson**
Looking forward to this coming out on September 22. A book of “provocative and illuminating essays from women at the forefront of the climate movement who are harnessing truth, courage, and solutions to lead humanity forward.” https://www.allwecansave.earth/

#### Matthew Moroney
**Skin in the Game - Nassim Nicholas Taleb**
The latest from the author who inspired me to study data, Taleb tells us that if you don’t have skin in the game, you shouldn’t be playing. Raise Green helps us all get in the game as investors or project creators.

**Dancing in the Streets - Barbara Ehrenreich
**
Using the history of collective dance, we learn how systems of power try to stamp out spontaneous celebrations. But exuberance cannot be held back. In confronting the challenges of our projects and the problems they stare down, we take solace in the beauty of spontaneous celebrations with our friends, neighbors, and strangers.

**Emergent Strategy - Adrienne Maree Brown**
Healing for self and communities amidst the challenges and elations of activism, inspired by esteemed science fiction author Octavia Butler. All our collective - originators, investors, friends, mentors, and believers - need to stay strong and heal in the fight against global warming, air pollution, and income inequality.

#### Jackie Logan

**Where the Crawdads Sing - by Delia Owens**
A window in life beautiful marshes of North Carolina in the 1950's and 1960's, from the vantage point of a girl, Kya, left to bring herself up for the most part from the age of 6, and how she navigates incredibly poor, uneducated, with no family support. Weaving back and forth in time, around an unsolved murder in the town. Captivating, moving, and inspirational.

#### Megan Schleck

**The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett**
In this fictional NYT best seller, Brit Bennett shares a story of twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white. Clever and timely, it was a riveting read.

**How to be an Antiracist- Ibram X. Kendi**
Ibram X. Kendi's concept of antiracism reenergizes and reshapes the conversation about racial justice in America--but even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other. Instead of working with the policies and system we have in place, Kendi asks us to think about what an antiracist society might look like, and how we can play an active role in building it. 

**How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight- Jane Yolen & Mark Teague**
A fun book with exceptional illustrations to introduce our 3-month old to the concept of sleep.

#### Jackson Enright 
**This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs The Climate - Naomi Klein **
Naomi Klein, author of bestsellers including The Shock Doctrine and the more recent On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal, pits capitalism against climate change in this book. Klein outlines why free-market capitalism will fail to address the climate crisis, as well as how the chance to fix our fossil-fuel powered economy is also an opportunity to fix the ongoing failures of our democracies and economies. 

**Superpower: One Man’s Quest to Transform American Energy - Russell Gold **
A book that provides a detailed exploration of Michael Skelly’s renewable energy journey, along with all of the political, economic, and social obstacles he encounters along the way. For those wondering how some huge renewable energy farms get built, look no further.

**Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow - Yuval Noah Harari**
Yuval Noah Harari looks to the future on his most recent prospective on the human race. A great read that begs the question: what does it mean to be human? It is necessary to reflect and consider our actions as we contemplate the technological advancements that will bring far-reaching changes to Earth and its inhabitants.

#### Payton Bennett
**A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind - Harriet A. Washington**
This book, by Harriet A. Washington, looks into the destructive consequences of environmental racism, including the effects that it can have on a person’s IQ. It also discusses potential solutions to remediating the communities that are disproportionately affected by climate change. A very important and informational read!

**The Quest - Daniel Yergin**
Daniel Yergin is a leading energy expert and author of the Pulitzer prize-winning book, The Prize. This book explains how energy is at the center of all global political, social, and economic change. Yergin identifies key issues within our energy systems and the new emerging energies that are replacing old technologies, and gives an insightful look into our clean energy future.

#### Emilly Fan
**The Age of Sustainable Development - Jeffrey D. Sachs**
By world-renowned economist, this book presents a compelling and practical framework for how global citizens can use a holistic way forward to address the seemingly intractable worldwide problems of persistent extreme poverty, environmental degradation, and political-economic injustice: sustainable development. It offers the tools, metrics, and practical pathways needed to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and helps to inform, inspire, and spur action. 

**Energy and Climate: Vision for the Future - Michael B. McElroy**
This book is a broad and comprehensive introduction to the issue of energy and climate change intended to be accessible for the general reader. It covers energy basics, a discussion of the energy systems of the US and China, and also the debate regarding climate change. The perspective is global but with a specific focus on the US and China recognizing the critical role these countries must play in addressing the challenge of global climate change. 

#### Chandler Johnson
**Climate Change from the Streets - Michael Mendez**
Michael Mendez explains the power behind location  and the inequalities of climate change. He explores the perspectives and the influence that low-income people of color bring to their advocacy work on climate change. Mendez contends that we must incorporate local knowledge, culture, and history into policymaking to fully address the global complexities of climate change and the real threats facing our local communities.

**Whose Water is it Anyway?: Taking Water Protection into Public Hands - Maude Barlow**
Maude Barlow, also known as one the world’s most notable water justice activists includes a detailed plan on how to help prevent communities from going dry due to the actions of irresponsible companies and governments.

#### Ryan Allen
**The Tyranny of Experts: Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor - William Easterly **
The Tyranny of Experts: Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor is a 2014 book by the development economist William Easterly arguing that there are no silver bullets for promoting economic development and that the best hope is to support economic, political, and personal freedom worldwide. William Easterly was also a professor of mine in my final semester at NYU. This book served as reading material for the class. I found it an engaging and insightful look into the world of foreign aid and the underlying structures that inhibit successful outcomes in developing countries. 

**The Road - Cormac McCarthy**
The story of a father and son living in a post apocalyptic America journeying through the country to reach the coast. The bond between a father and his son is nearly all that remains in a ravaged world. The Road asks us all to think about the future world we want for ourselves and for our children. It is particularly relevant today as if the world does not make collective changes in the name of saving our climate, the future in The Road, just may be ours as well. 


2020 Summer Reading List

Raise Green’s Summer Reading List

# How to invest in your first solar project

On Wednesday July 8th, we hosted an Impact Investor Webinar that explained our investor marketplace in detail. Feel free to [check out our list of available investment opportunities here](https://marketplace.raisegreen.com/offers/offersList)! We talked about why investing with Raise Green matters and how prospective investors can get started today. 

The investor process can be simplified into five crucial steps: 

1. Create an account
2. Pick a project 
3. Review an investment opportunity
4. Invest and back a project 
5. Watch your impact grow

If you missed out, feel free to check out the [recording of the webinar here](https://youtu.be/UFL8OfojFUI). We also received some great questions from prospective investors that we would like to share with you all! We picked six of our favorites and provided detailed answers below. 

If you have any questions unanswered in the video or our answers below, please reach out to us at [info@raisegreen.com](mailto:info@raisegreen.com). We believe that investing in the right thing should be easy, and we aim to make sustainable impact investing as affordable and accessible as possible, so please provide feedback to help us accomplish this goal. 

To get the most up-to-date information on Raise Green content, please consider signing up for our email [list](http://eepurl.com/dFst3T) and follow any of our social accounts ([Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/raisegreeninc/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/RaiseGreenInc), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/RaiseGreenInc/), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/raisegreen/)). 

**6 Questions from prospective Investors: **

*What is the lifetime of a solar project, and how will the returns from a project be delivered to an investor? *

Solar projects can generate electricity for 15-40 years or more. We typically define the lifetime of a solar project as the lifetime of a contract to purchase electricity, referred to as a power purchase agreement (PPAs). PPA’s normally last somewhere between 15-30 years. However, the solar asset itself (the panels and inverters) may be generating electricity longer than that. 

Regarding returns, we look for projects that are projected to deliver at least 5% return or more to investors. The length of the returns vary by investment opportunity,  as each has different return profiles. All of these types of details will be described in depth for each security on the investment details page for you to review before deciding to invest! 

We recommend you be as educated as possible on the risks of investing, as each project is unique in their opportunity for return. 

*How does the contracted cash flow from a project get divided between investors, Raise Green, and the Project Creator team? Are they fixed by the platform or set up on a per project basis? *

We strive to be fully transparent about fees and costs associated with creating a project, or investing in one. Raise Green is also an investor and equity holder in every equity project on our platform, so we are also motivated to see each project succeed! 

Each project’s cash flow may vary in accordance with the project or company type. Typically the owner of the project (Creator) retains 10-15% equity in the project and the investor community would own the remaining equity of the project. Additionally, if a project raises money successfully, Raise Green collects a platform listing fee (5% of the raise). 

*What states do you plan to have projects in, and are there any restrictions on investor’s locations to invest in projects? *

Raise Green is a FINRA Member and is licensed with the SEC to sell and issue securities nationwide, which allows us to host projects and help raise capital for any U.S. company. Investors nationwide are welcome to invest in any project. We are excited to provide access to capital to anyone who is interested in leading a project and is looking for national attention and funding. Check out our [Originator Program ](https://www.raisegreen.com/originator-program)for more information!

*What are the options for an investor wanting to exit a project? Particularly in the case of an equity funded project? (how do investors sell their shares)*

Similar to venture investing, there is currently no secondary market for selling the shares you purchase. When you buy equity in a project you are committing to being an investor for the project’s lifetime. While there is not currently a secondary market set up, it is possible to resell your shares if you can find a willing buyer, and in most cases investors will be able to sell shares openly within one year, or transfer shares to family members or other financial organizations. 

*Can we use a self-directed IRA account to invest in these investment opportunities?*

Yes, but it is easier for some self-directed IRA accounts as compared to others. Please reach out to us at [info@raisegreen.com ](mailto:info@raisegreen.com)and we would be happy to look at your individual circumstances to see if it is a possibility. 

*If a project is funded, is your initial investment the limit for the project, or can there be a further pro-rata call for capital, if the project creator under-estimated the project cost?*

When we structure the investment opportunity with the project creator we do our best to include all the industry standard costs that you would expect, in addition to an amount of buffers for unexpected costs. An additional pro-rata capital call would depend on the particular investment, but is not typical. A more likely situation would be a successful creator funding their 2nd or 3rd project at a later point in time, in which past investors would have another investment opportunity! 

Raise Green prides ourselves on our due diligence, as we use the same infrastructure and financial models used at large investment banks. You can read more about the criteria we use to assess project opportunities and costs, as well as read more about each of these important educational topics in our [FAQ](https://marketplace.raisegreen.com/offers/offersList). 


How to invest in your first solar project: 6 Q&A’s from our Impact Investor Webinar

6 Q&A’s from our Impact Investor Webinar

6 Q&A's from our Impact Investor Webinar

We’re ecstatic to see the first available offering on Raise Green’s marketplace go live. We started this journey with the idea of creating a platform that would allow anyone to join the fight against climate change. That means making it easy for anyone to start their own clean energy or climate resilience project - and making it easy for anyone to become investors in those projects. 

When you think about individual action, a lot of the easiest paths you can take center around the little things, like improving the efficiency of the energy you consume. To quote one of our favorite essays, Amory Lovins’ said  “the cheapest kilowatt hour is the one never used.” That’s why we're starting with the National Energy Improvement Fund (NEIF) as our initial investment opportunity. NEIF’s focus is on creating opportunity for energy efficiency and resilience for residential and commercial buildings, providing financing for essential energy and resilience improvements like heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, roofing, lighting and battery storage, which make homes and businesses more resilient, efficient, healthy and comfortable and helps contractors grow their businesses.

We’re excited to continue to host many more investment opportunities  to come - of varying investment amounts, project types, and community involvement. That’s what makes Raise Green truly special. Anyone that has an idea and the determination to make their project a reality can do so with our platform. Our clean energy future will be built by everyday people - everyday people deserve to create and own that future.  

Climate change is the biggest collective problem that humanity has ever faced. But as we have seen with recent Black Lives Matter protests, the COVID-19 lockdown, and economic turmoil: unrest incited from massive collective action issues can be converted into meaningful action - and ultimately big change. 

Make no mistake: Raise Green is here to facilitate big change. 

While Raise Green is just one piece of a much more comprehensive solution to climate change, it also doubles as an avenue for communities and individuals to join hands together in building the future that we want. A future that is centered around just, equitable, and sustainable practices. The time for inclusive finance and egalitarian business solutions is now. Join Raise Green in the fight against climate change. You can [invest today on our marketplace. ](https://marketplace.raisegreen.com/offers/offersList)

To get the most up-to-date information on Raise Green content, please consider signing up for our [email list](http://eepurl.com/dFst3T) and follow any of our social accounts ([Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/raisegreeninc/), [Twitter,](https://twitter.com/RaiseGreenInc) [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/RaiseGreenInc/), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/raisegreen/)). 

*~Franz Hochstrasser & Matt Moroney*


Founder reflections: The road to our first offering

Founder Reflections: The road to our first offering

## Empowers Direct Investment in Local Climate Action Projects

*Former Obama Administration Alum launches marketplace for local impact investing with IBM to combat climate change and democratize access to sustainable investment opportunities*

**Somerville, MA** - [Raise Green](www.raisegreen.com) — the impact investment marketplace for green infrastructure and clean energy projects — today announced the launch of the first crowdfunding platform for investment in clean energy projects nationwide, as well as their initial offering on the platform, the first of more than 50 projects in the pipeline. The [Greentown Labs](https://greentownlabs.com/)-incubated company’s first project with the [National Energy Improvement Fund (NEIF)](https://www.neifund.org/) will include loan options for families and small to medium businesses conducting energy efficiency retrofits and resiliency improvements to essential infrastructure. Raise Green is the first company to offer equity crowdfunding focused on investments for climate solutions nationwide since the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) [finalization of equity crowdfunding regulations.](https://www.sec.gov/news/pressrelease/2015-249.html)

Raise Green aims to give people the direct impact they have been looking to make on climate change by providing access to verifiable investment opportunities. If you invest in a solar project listed on Raise Green, you'll know exactly the amount of clean power your dollar has produced.  Raise Green is a two-sided marketplace that brings together innovators seeking financing and a wide range of investors, empowering anyone in the U.S. to participate. Raise Green makes financing small projects more profitable than ever; for the first time, retail, accredited, and institutions can invest in the same security, offering truly blended capital. Whether it is as little as $100 or as much as $100,000, everyone can be directly involved with a climate action project to support sustainable infrastructure.

> “Raise Green empowers anyone to take meaningful action in the fight against climate change by offering direct investment opportunities in local resilience through community solar power and energy efficiency projects,” said Franz Hochstrasser, CEO and Co-Founder of Raise Green. “It’s a kind of local and grassroots ‘Green New Deal,’ for those who don’t want to wait for government or big financial institutions to act.”

To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, experts state that there needs to be at least [$1 trillion](https://www.ceres.org/initiatives/clean-trillion) in global investments into clean energy and climate solutions each year between now and 2050. If global investments in green infrastructure and decarbonization total $110 trillion, it would [create massive socioeconomic gains](https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidrvetter/2020/04/20/how-a-110-trillion-green-recovery-can-save-the-world-new-report/amp/) and resilience to climate crises across the world. Moreover, [millennials have shown an increased interest in sustainable investments amid COVID-19](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/15/investing-advice-coronavirus-downturn-shows-esg-investment-opportunity.html), marking significant generational momentum. By early March, environmental social governance (ESG) aware companies [“outperformed other stocks by up to 5.7%,”](https://www.gbm.hsbc.com/insights/global-research/esg-stocks-did-best-in-corona-slump) and, as of last year, [67% of millennials](https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/sustainable-investing-growing-interest-and-adoption) were actively investing in sustainable products. Raise Green’s first of many sustainable investment opportunities through the National Energy Improvement Fund is available nationwide.

> “As a certified B corporation, NEIF is committed to providing fair, simple, and transparent financing options to help increase the affordability of energy efficiency and resilience improvement,” said Peter Krajsa, Founder and Co-Chair of NEIF. “We are excited to work with Raise Green to bring our Climate Action Investment Notes and the opportunity to support this effort to a broader investor market through their sustainability-focused crowdfunding platform.”

Raise Green’s marketplace offers a wide variety of replicable, templatized investment opportunities for solar power, affordable housing, electric vehicle charging stations, agriculture, water projects, and microgrids. Each investment vertical is designed to have an immediate impact on the resiliency of local communities with a chance to earn returns while building sustainable infrastructure. Individuals or organizations looking to start their own clean energy project can also find the proper resources through Raise Green’s “Originator Engine” — developed in partnership with IBM — to guide anyone who is interested through the process of facilitating a project from start to finish. This includes opening up access to tax equity investment for eligible projects and investors.

**Greentown Labs**— the largest climate tech startup incubator in North America — is proud to have Raise Green as a member company in its Somerville headquarters. After relocating to the Boston area in 2019, Raise Green joined Greentown's community of nearly 100 clean tech and climate tech startups to solve the climate crisis through entrepreneurship and collaboration.

“If we’re going to drive meaningful, long-term change in the fight against the climate crisis, we need more people and more capital to get on board,” said Emily Reichert, CEO at Greentown Labs. “Raise Green gives people the opportunity to engage locally through investments in clean energy projects in communities across the country. At a time when investment in climate action is so needed, we are excited to see Raise Green’s tremendous efforts lead to the launch of this platform.”

Raise Green’s innovative platform is spearheaded by CEO and co-founder Franz Hochstrasser, a Yale School of the Environment alumni who served for eight years in the Obama Administration as a White House appointee on energy and climate. He is joined by fellow Yale alumni Matthew Moroney, who serves as the co-founder and COO of Raise Green, and is a data scientist with over 10-years of experience in environmental remediation, permitting and corporate sustainability strategy.

Previously the founders of Raise Green launched two successful pilot projects through New Haven Community Solar which provided discounted electricity for the Jim Vlock First Year Building Project -- a partnership between the Yale School of Architecture and Columbus House, a nonprofit organization based in New Haven that serves people who are homeless by providing shelter and housing and fostering personal growth and independence.

Supported by a team of industry leaders and experts in finance, climate action, and sustainable energy Raise Green works to empower everyone with the resources needed to take direct action in the fight against climate change. The Greentown Labs-incubated marketplace is backed with investments from veterans of the renewable energy industry and project financing and is in the process of fundraising towards their Series Seed.

To learn more about Raise Green and to utilize their platform to invest in or start clean energy projects, visit: [raisegreen.com.](www.raisegreen.com)

**About Raise Green:** Raise Green is the first marketplace in the U.S. for local and inclusive impact investment with verifiable and demonstrable environmental benefits. Through the platform, anyone can be an originator of their own community solar project. On Raise Green’s investor marketplace, anyone (individuals and institutions) can invest in community-focused climate resilience projects across a varied range of project scales and minimum investments. Early investors in Raise Green are veterans of the renewable energy industry and project financing. Investors can derive value while at the same time creating quantifiable impacts in local communities, as well as receiving financial returns if the project is successful.  
About NEIF: NEIF is a PA public Benefit Corporation and serves people and local small/medium-sized businesses with financing needs with an emphasis on affordable efficiency and carbon-pollution-reducing upgrades available to low/moderate-income households. NEIF began making loans in 2018 and has received accolades from the Department of Energy. More their investment campaign can be found here.

**About Greentown Labs:** As the largest climate tech startup incubator in North America, Greentown Labs brings together startups, corporates, investors, politicians, and many others with a focus on scaling climate solutions. Driven by the mission of providing ground-breaking startups the resources, knowledge, connections, and equipment they need to thrive, Greentown Labs offers prototyping and wet lab space, shared office space, a machine shop, an electronics lab, software and business resources, a large network of corporate customers and investors, and more. Greentown Labs’ 100,000-square-foot campus in Somerville, MA is home to more than 100 startups and has supported more than 280 startups since the incubator’s founding in 2011. These startups have collectively created more than 6,500 direct jobs and have raised more than $850 million in funding. For more information, please visit www.greentownlabs.com or Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Press Release: Raise Green Launches First Impact Investment Marketplace for Clean Energy


# How to start your own solar project company

The pandemic and economic crisis has left over 30 million unemployed in the U.S. At Raise Green, we believe there are green jobs for anyone out there if they create their own local solar company. These are the first steps towards ensuring an equitable clean energy transition is accessible to everyone and is driven by new entrepreneurs and small businesses—increasing local self-determination and economic growth.

Through clean energy projects, Raise Green can help provide jobs for the unemployed and ensure projects bring economic and environmental benefits at the community level. Our two-sided marketplace helps create and fund climate projects to make investing in clean energy easy. 

Each of these projects needs a project creator, or an Originator as we call it at Raise Green, to create opportunities in the marketplace for our impact investor network to support them. This Originator could be an individual, a group of folks, or another legal entity. We want to make it easier for clean energy entrepreneurs to create a solar project in their community than a fast food franchise. We need everyone’s help in the fight against climate change and now you don’t have to wait!

On June 10th, 2020, we shared [our Originator project creation process. ](https://youtu.be/pKZswTC48ac) Within the webinar, we had the opportunity to recap our own founding story and two successful pilot projects, as well as provide an overview of the four crucial steps of being a Raise Green Originator: Create, Fund, Build, and Run.

Our first pilot project took us approximately 10 months to create and fund. The next one took about 4 months. With our Originator Engine software, [a product we co-created with IBM](https://www.ibm.com/blogs/think/uk-en/developing-the-solar-community/), we streamline the process so that Originators can complete this process in as little as 10 weeks or less. If you are interested in learning how to start a project with Raise Green, check out the recording of the webinar here: https://youtu.be/pKZswTC48ac

Our webinar played host to prospective Originators from a variety of different backgrounds, and we had the opportunity to field an extensive Q&A session with some great folks after our presentation. We decided to share some of these questions along with our written answers below. Please feel free to continue the conversation with us by tweeting @RaiseGreenInc, emailing us at [info@raisegreen.com](mailto:info@raisegreen.com), or [signing up for our mailing list](http://eepurl.com/dFst3T). 

Additionally, if you already have an idea or a lead for a project, please reach out to our Head of Originator Sales, Jackie Logan, over email: [jackie@raisegreen.com](mailto:jackie@raisegreen.com). We want to make all of your projects a reality, and we will do our best to connect you with the best tools and people to do so. 

Stay tuned for our next webinar, focused on Impact Investors, on July 8th at 2pm Eastern. To make sure to get the most up-to-date information on this event as well as all other Raise Green content, please follow any of our social accounts ([Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/raisegreeninc/?hl=en), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/RaiseGreenInc), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/RaiseGreenInc/), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/raisegreen/). 

**7 Questions from prospective Originators:**

*What is the contractual relationship between Originators and Investors? *

This is the exciting part - unlike traditional finance where you have to take terms offered by a bank, Originators can set the terms that work for your project and see if investors are interested in owning a piece of your project. Raise Green works as an intermediary, performing due diligence on contractual obligations and securities structuring. We also provide template documentation to help issue non-voting member units into your project structure, although the extent of involvement is up to you as an Originator. 

*How is the dividend to investors calculated?*

Dividends or other types of repayments depend on whether you use equity or debt to raise capital for your project. You will be issuing dividends if you sell equity in your company, whereas if you sell debt securities, you will be paying interest against that debt. For both of these investment mechanisms the calculation of dividend or interest depends on the operating costs and the power purchase agreement price signed with your project company, and at the end of the day this is a decision that you can make as an Originator. For example, before raising any money, Raise Green will help assess what kinds of capital outlays the project would need for ongoing operations and maintenance. Then, based on whether or not tax equity is included, Originators can determine how much they can offer their investors. Some investors may only join for a higher modeled return (e.g. 7%+), but others may join for a lower modeling return (e.g. 3-5%) if they have a relationship with the project, for example. Part of the exciting part of creating a company on Raise Green is that you help to define and elucidate the new efficient frontier of a new asset class - green private equity for community-level project finance.

*How is the timeframe of the project negotiated? *

Our team will work with Originators to negotiate a timeline that is in-line with your objectives and commitments. Regardless, the timescale of different phases in projects may vary due to project scale, location, off-taker relationship, etc. 

*How long does the initial RAISE (Revenue, Ambition, Impact, Social, Environmental) screening process take? *

The initial screening process will differ extensively depending on where you are in your project creation process and could range from as little to two weeks to as long as two months. Whether you just have an idea, or you already have a project location and type already selected, we will work with you to bring your idea to fruition. 

*How do the tax benefits and credits apply to the Investor and/or Originator entity and how vital is capturing “tax equity” in generating revenue as an originator? *

Raise Green has created a templatized structure that integrates a Tax Equity Partner in order to enable access to the relevant renewable energy tax benefits (e.g. Investment Tax Credit) into your project company cash flow. Our team assists in helping to find a Tax Equity Partner that may invest as a partner in the project company. By involving a Tax Equity Partner, your community-scale project could be roughly 30-40% less expensive due to receiving tax benefits and accelerated depreciation that might otherwise not be accessible. Choosing the right structure for your project finance company is vital to capture this “tax equity” as an Originator in order for these community-scale projects to be successful, and our team has unlocked this through our unique financing approach. 

*Do you have any suggestions on how to approach a potential off-taker (i.e. a community center) about how they’ll benefit from an Originator putting solar panels on their roof? *

Building trust from the outset of a business relationship is essential. The best way to build trust with a potential off-taker is to approach them with sufficient preparation on the details of your project, along with a clear sense of the benefits that could come with a cooperative agreement between your project and the off-taker’s site. Our team can help with this step of communications, but it is a good idea to have an idea of the size of the project along with benefits such as: electricity cost savings, pollution reduction, community support, etc. prior to initiating communications with an off-taker. It is important to note that a trusting relationship between the you and your off-taker is crucial to a project’s success, and setting up ongoing communications and open feedback will help ensure a beneficial relationship overtime. 

*Is it possible to start a company with such a low equity stake at the outset? Will originators have to give up some of their 10% to create a team (accountant, etc.)? *

When you create a project company with Raise Green, by default, your Originator team would start with 100% of the equity in your project. This percentage will decrease depending on the amount of equity you sell to fund your project (ex: 80%), as well as if you decide to offer equity in order to create a team. It is up to you as the Originator and your team whether to share a percentage of equity with key community members or organizations in order to grow the Originator team and incentivize partners to help you get the project done! 


*This is not a Research Report, should not be construed as investment advice, and does not constitute a solicitation to sell or an offer to buy securities relating to any products referenced herein Past performance is not indicative of future results. This blog represents a business discussion only and the views of individuals at Raise Green. Investing in Crowdfunded investments is risky and speculative. Please see FAQs on this Site for more information.*

7 Q&As from our Originator Webinar

How to Start Your Own Solar Project Company


#  How does a global pandemic help us fight climate change?

While COVID-19 is currently spreading globally and affecting all of our lives in many different ways, and uprisings of protest across the country righteously call for racial justice, the climate crisis looms. 

Compounding crises make addressing all of them more difficult, but also unite and accelerate our movements toward a more just, healthy, and sustainable world. Even though global carbon emissions have experienced a marginal reduction, climate change persists in the face of a global pandemic and economic drop, due to decades of past and ongoing carbon emissions. 

Fortunately, some of the lessons from today’s pandemic just might provide the foresight and cooperation necessary to save us from the long-term climate crisis at hand. Here are some lessons from COVID-19 that have striking similarities to Climate Change:
 
**1.     If we don’t address a forecasted threat until it is upon us, it becomes too late to divert and the ripple effects widen.**

A global virus had been expected for years, with warnings being voiced from both Republicans and Democrats. George Bush in 2005 and President Obama in 2014 spoke at the National Institute of Health, stressing the severity of the threat: act now, prepare our country, educate our communities, and everyone will need to take part. Bill Gates in his now viral Ted Talk on Pandemic Preparedness spells out the threats and plan of action to mitigate impacts and divert the course.  Take the case study of a country like New Zealand that urgently implemented strict control measures before case numbers could skyrocket. As of June 5th, there had been no new reported cases for two consecutive weeks and lockdown measures had been drastically reduced. 

Early action and better preparation globally would have meant more saved lives and livelihoods.

**2.     While the impact may initially affect another part of the world or a state on the other side of the country, it will inevitably be at your front door in one way or another. **

When COVID cases were being reported in China, with minimal cases in the US, the economic impact in US markets was already being felt.  And once clearly in the US, daily life changed quickly — wedding plans, dinner with friends, visiting your elderly parent in a nursing home — the scale of job losses and the persistent fear for health show that impacts are ubiquitous, ranging from personal to economic to societal. It's hard to fathom how an imminent threat can change the way we live so dramatically, until it actually becomes a reality. Let’s use our current reality and apply it to climate change.  Climate change will have an uneven global impact, but it will ultimately infiltrate our world.  Whether it’s flooding in your town, the loss of industries, or drought, climate change filters into our lives.  

** 3.   The solution to a crisis requires cooperation and collaboration globally, nationally and locally — from governments, to NGOs, from private to public sector.**
 
Whether it is sharing critical research to push for a vaccination or sharing data related to trends and new findings from experience with the virus, collaboration and coordination on multiple levels with a singular focus is pushing us towards solutions faster than imagined. 

Because of the urgency, we see innovative new uses of existing drugs, retooling of factories, and the shift of resources to where they are most needed — all scaling up quicker than previously thought possible. With this singular focus and collaboration, we just might beat this virus in record time. 

The seeds for this type of effort exist for climate change - global organizations, taxonomies, science targets, data, unifying [policies that set standards demand appropriate investment and inspire unity and justice, ](https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/21252892/climate-change-democrats-joe-biden-renewable-energy-unions-environmental-justice), and innovative renewable energy systems — we need to get singularly focused and feel the urgency. 

We know what we need to do here. 

** 4.    A crisis brings underlying problems to the surface – like how disasters hit marginalized communities disproportionately. For a truly just, healthy and sustainable world, no one can be left behind. **

The current pandemic exposes underlying inequities in the life of our citizens. One example are the healthcare disparities that exist in the U.S with Americans of lower socioeconomic status reporting more cases of chronic illness, long before COVID-19. This has the flow-on effect of these groups being at higher risk for severe illness when it comes to COVID-19, according to the CDC.  

Climate change is a similar beast where wealth inequalities and racial injustices are concerned. Climate justice is racial justice. Studies indicate that disenfranchised communities in Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America will be the first ones negatively impacted by the warming climate, as sea levels flood shoreside communities with poor infrastructure, cause droughts in already arid regions, and disrupt crop harvests for farmers in the Global South. According to the Global Internal Displacement Database,[ 24 million people were displaced annually by climate disasters in the last decade](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/10/drought-climate-change-force-guatemalans-migrate-to-us/).  So, much like COVID-19, more Black people, and poorer, disadvantaged folks are unfairly bearing the brunt of the compounding crisis waves, but we’re all implicated and accountable to the ripple effects that follow. 

**5.     And, probably the most personally eye-opening is the importance of and the power of the individual, and their local community to bring immediate and hugely impactful action **

In the absence of a vaccine, mitigating drugs and proper testing, the first line of defense has been in the hands, literally, of each person to take conscious action and to work together locally as a community such as sheltering in place, social distancing, handwashing, and wearing masks. We do this not just to protect ourselves but also to protect others. There has been an outpouring of help for one another — people running errands and delivering groceries to elderly, making masks for others, donating to local businesses, school children sending letters to essential workers, brave and righteous protest. 

These individual actions have mattered. Yes, we need changes from big corporations and governments but do not overlook the fact that health, justice, and climate solutions, can start with the individual in the choices we make and the votes we cast.  

**All of these lessons are applicable and significant in the fight against climate change.**

COVID and the George Floyd protests have shown us that we as individuals are not powerless. All of us are critical in flattening the curve and saving lives. There is huge power in the individual and the local community to make changes that have collective impact to stop the progression of climate change. 

Just as the visualization of data has induced a cooperative movement to ‘Flatten the Curve’ of COVID partly to address the capacity limitations of hospitals, climate science shows us that we can and need to flatten greenhouse gas emissions to limit the destructive impacts of global warming. Think of the atmosphere and oceans as our “global hospitals”. They too will reach their maximum capacity in terms of buffering effects, eventually giving way to catastrophic increases in global temperatures. 
 
Our experiences with COVID must inform the next decade in our joint fight against climate change.  

But for all these comparisons between COVID and climate change, there is one important difference:  for the climate, there is no vaccine; there is no one solution to eradicate it. 

The time to act is now, to get ahead of the curve. 

You can be part of the solution with Raise Green: consider starting a solar project in your community, reducing your carbon footprint, lowering electricity costs for those in need, providing local work in the development of the project, and building a more inclusive form of capitalism representing an opportunity for revenue to stay within the local community. Or, invest in community-driven solar projects today. It simply makes sense.

*
This is not a Research Report, should not be construed as investment advice, and does not constitute a solicitation to sell or an offer to buy securities relating to any products referenced herein Past performance is not indicative of future results. This blog represents a business discussion only and the views of individuals at Raise Green. Investing in Crowdfunded investments is risky and speculative. Please see FAQs on this Site for more information.*

5 Lessons we're learning from COVID-19

Five Lessons learned from COVID that might save us from Climate Change

COVID-19 has changed the world for all of us, and we hope all of you are staying safe, healthy, and continuing to flatten the curve by social distancing responsibly. Unfortunately, the climate crisis looms large and much closer on the horizon than many people realize -- **it’s the next big curve that must be flattened**.  

Last week, coinciding with the 4 year anniversary of Regulation Crowdfunding, we had the opportunity to host a webinar with the Raise Green community. Not only did we receive super insightful and interesting questions from our attendees, we also unfortunately maxed out the participants allowed by the Zoom platform! We are humbled and grateful to have had this “problem” on our hands, but we apologize to anyone that wanted to and was unable to attend. In response, we are posting a recording of the [Raise Green webinar here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RW8zb_HnMM). Take a listen! 

While our webinar provided an opportunity for many of you to ask some great questions and receive answers, there were definitely a handful of frequently asked questions -- and this blog shares those great questions and short answers below. Please give them a read, and don’t hesitate to continue the dialogue directly with us by tweeting or posting at us [@RaiseGreenInc](https://www.instagram.com/raisegreeninc/) or emailing us at [info@raisegreen.com].

Stay tuned as our next webinars are around the corner - diving into Originators on June 10th, and shortly thereafter, Impact Investors.  To make sure to get the most up-to-date information on these, please consider signing up for our [email list](/https://raisegreen.us18.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=11082e3b065fd4366639c43b6&id=e376621b73) and follow any of our social accounts ([Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/raisegreeninc/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/RaiseGreenInc), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/RaiseGreenInc/), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/29305067/admin/)). We will be sure to blast all of these leading up to our upcoming webinars, so follow them if you don’t want to miss out on some great content! 

![Img](//a.storyblok.com/f/77953/x/d9f173f85a/untitled-presentation.svg)

# 6 Frequently Asked Questions from the webinar:

**What are the risks involved in impact investing and how are these risks managed?**

Like any financial investment in a company, impact investing has risk.  Each investment must be reviewed for its unique potential returns and risks of loss, which can be all of your investment whether debt or equity.   Raise Green performs certain due diligence prior to listing a company on the funding portal. This includes ‘bad actor checks’ on all Originators, and ensuring each potential Investor has access to a formal write-up by the Company that lays out its business case and discloses specific risks to investors.  It is very important that prior to investing, each investor reviews all these materials to determine if the investment is appropriate for their particular  financial objectives and circumstances. More generally, Raise Green requires Investors to review certain educational materials about Crowdfunding risks prior to opening an account, and we limit an Investor’s total dollar invested as required by our Regulators. Learn more about the process and risks here: https://www.raisegreen.com/faq

**When we look beyond solar, e.g. to regenerative agriculture and carbon sequestration projects, or regional CSAs, what do you see as the key similarities and what do you see as key challenges for something that isn’t as easy to model?**

Raise Green is set up to facilitate the financing needs for any type of clean energy or climate solution company, but we’re focused initially on  solar. Just like Amazon started with the storing and selling of books online in the early 1990s before expanding to the vast online marketplace we see today, Raise Green is targeting solar projects before expanding to a larger marketplace for any and all climate solutions. Our business model works best with projects that have a contractual cash flow (like a Power Purchase Agreement). As long as projects pass our due diligence, which starts with the RAISE Model, and they’re looking to bring a climate solution to their community, we are glad to work with your company to raise inclusive financing. Get started here: https://www.raisegreen.com/originator-program 

**How can contractors and developers integrate Raise Green’s financing options into their workflow?**  

Raise Green encourages contractors along the project development pipeline to reach out and join as enterprise partners. We have many enterprise partners already for solar installation, engineering, procurement and contracting, banking, accounting, insurance, tax-equity, and more. If you see a role for your company or yourself as a contractor in helping provide services or equipment to motivated local project developer-Originators, reach out to us at [info@raisegreen.com]! Of course, contractors and developers could decide to be the Originator of a project company as well. 
 
**What SEC registration exemptions are available for crowd sourcing in general, or for ‘Raise Green’ projects specifically?** 

Raise Green is a licensed Funding Portal with the SEC and FINRA, which means that it is authorized to serve as an intermediary in a transaction involving the offer or sale of exempt securities in reliance on Section 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act. This means that Raise Green can conduct offerings of a variety of security types (debt, equity or others) for private companies incorporated in the U.S. under Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) looking to raise capital. And, this allows a new or existing company to raise a maximum aggregate amount of $1,070,000 through crowdfunding offerings in a 12-month period. Read more here: https://www.raisegreen.com/faq 

**Can investors receive tax incentives that follow renewable installations? Can you describe in more detail about the “access to tax equity investment”?**

The Federal Investment Tax Credit and accelerated depreciation benefits are important incentives that help improve the economics of clean energy projects. Unfortunately for many community-scale projects and non-profits, these incentives are difficult or impossible to access due to complexity or lack of sufficient tax-burden to effectively capture the value. Raise Green does not offer financial, tax, accounting or legal advice in any way, however we do provide assistance to access enterprise partners that can help Originators get their projects up, funded and running. One of those enterprise partnerships is focused on tax equity, so if you’ve got a project that you’d like to list on Raise Green, and you’re interested in capturing tax equity investment and accelerated depreciation benefits, please reach out to us at [info@raisegreen.com] so we can assist!   

**What are the benefits and challenges for an originator to create a project through Raise Green as compared to financing through a solar outfitter?**

Raise Green enables individuals to create their own green job, and create local economic development, opening up the possibility of community ownership of solar projects. Typical solar outfitters offer two main financing options: either a loan (which can have interest rates close to 7-9 percent or higher); or a third-party owned Power Purchase Agreement model where their company owns the solar system and sells electricity at a fixed rate to the off-taker. 

Raise Green’s model for community-scale solar projects enables a local Originator to create, finance, build and run their own project which allows them to set their own financing terms, and inclusively finance their project bringing in impact investors as owners or lenders to replace the traditional bank or third-party owner.  This means that the Originator and their crowdfunded local community climate company have more autonomy and flexibility in managing the project. It also means that the Originator is responsible for managing that company over the solar infrastructures expected life. They ensure that the system is built and maintained, and that the Crowdinvestors are getting paid back as the project generates and sells electricity through their Power Purchase Agreement. Of course, as mentioned above, the Originator can choose to bring in service providers, we like to call enterprise partners,  to help with any and all phases. Raise Green’s inclusive finance approach enables communities to create, own and benefit from the solutions to climate change.


![Img](//a.storyblok.com/f/77953/267x150/2252db00c5/updated-copy-__-raisegreen-pitch-deck-200407-1.svg)

*This is not a Research Report, should not be construed as investment advice, and does not constitute a solicitation to sell or an offer to buy securities relating to any products referenced herein Past performance is not indicative of future results. This blog represents a business discussion only and the views of individuals at Raise Green. Investing in Crowdfunded investments is risky and speculative. Please see FAQs on this Site for more information.*


6 Q&A's: What can you do about the climate crisis?

6 Questions and Answers from Raise Green’s Webinar: What can you do about the climate crisis?


# The SEC now allows small businesses to pursue faster crowdinvesting offerings because of (you guessed it) #COVID19

## Raise Green enables project finance options for existing clean energy and community projects

*May 10, 2020*

On Monday, May 4th, 2020 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) [announced](https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2020-101) temporary, conditional relief for established smaller companies affected by COVID-19 that may look to meet their urgent funding needs through a Regulation Crowdfunding offering. The changes allow faster crowdinvesting offerings for some companies by providing relief from certain rules related to early offering closures and financial statement requirements. To use the temporary rules, a company must meet strict eligibility requirements and provide clear, prominent disclosure to investors about its reliance on the COVID-19 relief regulation amendments. The relief will apply only to offerings launched between May 4, 2020 and August 31, 2020.

In accordance with these SEC rule changes, Raise Green is offering owners of existing clean energy and community projects (that have Power Purchase Agreements or other contracted cash flows), to **conduct expedited crowdinvesting offerings to raise debt or equity**.

This is done in four key ways:

1) Existing projects and companies are eligible if they have a legal entity older than six months, and if they are not otherwise disqualified from issuing exempt securities under Regulation Crowdfunding.

2) Issuers can now start marketing their offering once an Offering Statement is available without the financial statement attached, to be followed by the financial statements that will allow investment commitments to be taken. For smaller offerings no more than $250,000,   financial statements need only be certified by the principal executive officer (rather than a public accountant).

3) Offerings may now close sooner than 21 days if the target funding amount for the project is committed by investors.

4) The investment commitment cancellation period is changed from 48 hours before the close of an offering, to 48 hours after the investment commitment is made (barring any material change in the company or offering).

*Please see the below Chart for a more complete listing of the changes.*

All offerings using the temporary amendments must comply with disclosure requirements in the temporary SEC rule ([Rule 201(z)](https://www.sec.gov/rules/interim/2020/33-10781.pdf)). As the SEC said in the temporary rule: “The Commission recognizes that, in the current environment, **many small businesses are facing challenges accessing urgently needed capital in a timely and cost-effective manner. A securities offering under Regulation Crowdfunding may be an attractive fundraising option for some small businesses at this time**, particularly as a means of allowing an issuer to make use of the internet to reach out to its customers or members of its local community as potential investors as well as to existing investors.”

At **Raise Green**,  we are intent on using our powers for good, just like all of the owners and (dreamers of being owners) of distributed clean energy projects and community businesses.  There is an urgent need for capital in a “timely and cost-effective manner”. **Raise Green** enables anyone and everyone to participate in inclusive financing that is designed to benefit local small to medium businesses and community organizations. We encourage you to check the SEC’s [press release](https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2020-101) about these changes, as well as the full temporary [rule](https://www.sec.gov/rules/interim/2020/33-10781.pdf).

Please reach out to us at [info@raisegreen.com](https://calendly.com/raise-green/15min?month=2020-05) if you are interested in raising funds on Raise Green or would like to learn more about what we do.

The following table summarizes the current rules and temporary amendments:

![Img](//a.storyblok.com/f/77953/1560x3941/6a69341448/sec-table.jpg)

*This Blog is for discussion purposes only, expresses the views of Raise Green, and is not investment research. This is not investment advice, and does not constitute a solicitation to sell or an offer to buy any securities.  Certain information is from or links are to third party sources. Although they are believed to be reliable, we do not guarantee their accuracy, completeness or fairness. Raise Green is a licensed Funding Portal with the SEC and FINRA, and is not a Municipal Advisor.  Prior to being approved to list a company on the Raise Green portal, a diligence review is completed. Prior to investing. investors must sign up for an account on the portal. Raise Green does not provide tax, accounting or legal advice. Investing in crowdfunded offerings involves risk and you should review the risks of a particular investment prior to investing. You are strongly encouraged to consult your professional advisors before investing. Go to [www.raisegreen.com](/) for additional information on services, the funding portal, regulation, and investment  risks. Or, direct inquiries to [info@raisegreen.com](https://calendly.com/raise-green/15min?month=2020-05). Copyright © 2020*

Raise Green enables project finance options for existing clean energy and community projects

SEC UPDATES resulting from COVID-19

The SEC now allows small businesses to pursue faster crowdinvesting offerings because of (you guessed it) #COVID19


# Equity crowdinvesting makes clean energy and climate finance accessible to everyone

This global pandemic is forcing us to examine a lot about our lives. It’s time to shift our thinking so we emerge from this crisis with a more healthy, inclusive and sustainable economy that makes our communities more resilient. We each have the power to vote, not just at the ballot box, but also with our dollars and our time. Raise Green is focused on the latter two -- we offer you tools to create or invest in local clean energy projects or climate solution companies.

Private equity investing isn’t new, but in the past, for the most part only “accredited investors,” or wealthy people who earn more than $200,000 a year or have a net worth of over $1 million, were allowed to take part. In theory, this was to protect new and vulnerable investors  from making bad decisions and to help them avoid financial ruin, but the flip side was that ordinary citizens were denied the opportunity to invest as they saw fit. Research shows that investors who seek impact should allocate capital to sustainable companies whose growth is limited by external financing conditions (i.e. private companies), so if non-accredited investors want to have impact, their choices are severely constrained. For example, AngelList, the world’s most popular online investing platform, only allows accredited investors to invest.

That all changed in May 2016, when the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) launched the new rules under the name "Title III" (full name: Title III of the Jumpstart Our Business and Startups (JOBS) Act, also called Regulation Crowdfunding, or Reg CF for short). President Obama signed the bipartisan act making it easier for small companies to fundraise. For the first time in the U.S., this change enabled any and every American to "be able to go online and invest in entrepreneurs that they believe in", as  President Obama said. What makes this policy exciting is: 

1. Entrepreneurs can now raise up to $1 million in a 12-month period from non-accredited investors through crowdinvesting offerings; and 

2. Investors can invest a limited amount per 12-month period based on their income and net worth, so they’re still have some protection.


Fast-forward to today. A global pandemic is bearing down on our communities and families, economic uncertainty, climate change, and income inequality are escalating on a daily basis. These impacts are damaging public health and endangering lives and livelihoods, hitting the poorest and most vulnerable disproportionately. Many small businesses are failing, and the Federal government and big banks are failing to lead or provide sorely needed relief. There has never been a more important time to enable inclusive growth.

Thankfully, most world leaders are acting to manage the crises. In the U.S., State and local elected officials are stepping up to lead the response to the coronavirus and the ensuing economic downturn. On the more long-standing climate crisis, nations of the world have agreed in the Paris Agreement on climate change that "holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change”.  Nations also agreed to Sustainable Development Goals that seek to eradicate poverty, hunger, and other societal-ills by the end of this decade. But individuals need something to do to get involved. We have the frameworks in place, now we need people to implement.

In the United States, the new economy is taking shape, and it is a distinctly local economy. There is a renewed call for "community-driven" climate solutions, and people are looking for empowering tools to take action in the face of these mounting societal challenges. The Green New Deal is an attempt by the government to strengthen local economies, and proposes "directing investments to spur economic development, deepen and diversify industry and business in local and regional economies, and build wealth and community ownership, while prioritizing high-quality job creation and economic, social, and environmental benefits in frontline and vulnerable communities, and deindustrialized communities". But we don’t have to wait for the government to act, we already have many of the tools to make this a reality, and crowdinvesting gives everyone the ability to do just that.


## Why we're fired up


Raise Green aims to democratize the ownership of the clean energy and green infrastructure needed to transition the global economy away from harmful carbon pollution. The verified local impact that this type of blended capital and collective action creates will help move us toward an inclusive and prosperous sustainable society that we all own and benefit from. It means a level playing field for inclusive economic growth, by giving all citizens opportunities to originate climate solutions, and invest in a climate-resilient future. 

President Obama used to have a plaque on his desk that read: “hard things are hard”. To solve hard problems like climate change without exacerbating issues of social justice and wealth inequality, we need to work together. Because more impact investors mean more climate solution projects, and more climate solution projects means more social and environmental innovation and progress. This is what it looks like to finance a safe, inclusive, and climate-resilient future that we all can own and benefit from.


## Why you should be ready to go


We need you to be a part of the new local clean energy economy. We started this company to answer the question: What do we do at the end of the march? Today, it seems the better question is, what do we do at the end of the quarantine? Whether you invest your time, or your money, we hope you will join our growing collective of dedicated changemakers building a brighter future together. If you’re interested in sustainable community development, impact investing, climate action, or inclusive growth, Raise Green is the place for you.

As we often say here on the Raise Green team, there is wood to chop! Let's get to work. [Sign up today](/originator-program) to get started.

![Img](//a.storyblok.com/f/77953/910x605/a13263a08c/solar-energy-photovoltaic-wood.jpg)

*This is not a Research Report,  should not be construed as investment advice,  and does not constitute a solicitation to sell or an offer to buy securities relating to any products referenced herein  This blog represents a business discussion only and the views of individuals at Raise Green. Investing in Crowdfunded investments is risky and speculative. Please see FAQs on this Site for more information.  *

**Citations:**
 1- https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/162661/
2- https://www.sec.gov/smallbusiness/exemptofferings/regcrowdfunding
3-  https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2012/04/05/remarks-president-jobs-act-bill-signing
4-  https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement 
5- https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300
6-  https://www.scribd.com/document/456454101/Evergreen-Action-Plan#fullscreen&from_embed 
7- https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-resolution/109/text

Energy Democracy for All

# Raise Green founding story

*April 22, 2020 - Franz Hochstrasser, CEO and Co-Founder, Raise Green*

Like many entrepreneurs before us, our early business plans had a lot of twists and turns. For Raise Green, those twists and turns were quite literal since our first business involved making air pollution sensors that live-tweeted from the handlebars of bikes.

Our earliest turn came in a press [interview](https://www.greenbiz.com/article/can-pollution-sniffing-sensors-drive-climate-action) after winning a Climate Change Solutions grant from Yale. We were in the middle of sharing how our mobile air sensor business raised public awareness about the challenges of public health and climate change when we realized we were focused on the wrong half of the problem.

Most people know that polluted air and greenhouse gasses are disrupting our planet. Air pollution is actually even more deadly than the current pandemic in many ways, [killing an estimated 8.8 million people annually](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/air-pollution-may-be-a-leading-global-cause-of-death#Air-pollution-a-pandemic,-say-researchers) around the world. That’s nearly 6x the monthly death rate of COVID-19, which killed 125,966 people in its current deadliest month. All of these problems disproportionately impact the poorest and most vulnerable. And while we may not see the same response to climate change as we’re seeing for COVID-19, we now know that systemic and individual behavioral changes can happen very quickly. We also know that the more long-standing crisis of [climate change is disrupting lives and livelihoods, already displacing close to 70 million people](https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-climate-crisis-migration-and-refugees/).

As a community, many of us see these statistics and want to take action. We may protest, sign petitions and march in the streets, but it often feels like our efforts stop short of solving the problem. We need something to do after the march that affects meaningful change.

It was this realization that led us to the first big evolution of Raise Green, and after that interview we decided to grow Raise Green from a company that helped highlight the interrelated social injustices, climate and public health crises we are facing, to a company that solved the other half of the problem- providing everyone with **direct ways **to take climate action.

So, what does direct climate action look like?

First, we need to rebuild a clean energy and low-carbon climate resilient infrastructure, no small task. There needs to be [at least $1T](https://www.ceres.org/initiatives/clean-trillion) in global investment each year between now and 2050 into clean energy and climate solutions. In order for us to achieve this, we need affordable and reliable clean energy powering every block, and we need regular people literally buying-in to and benefiting from that infrastructure as a solution.

Community leaders taking direct action are the only ones that can ensure that we don’t just transition to a healthy and sustainable future, but that we have a just transition that we all own and benefit from. If we want to do something truly meaningful to counteract global problems that impact us everyday at the local scale, we need a lot more finance flowing to the technologies that need to be deployed to keep us safe and healthy, and we need a lot more local leaders taking responsibility to create, finance, build and run those projects. 

We believe Raise Green can help empower individuals and communities to rapidly shift to clean power in 2 key ways: 

1) Reduce barriers and complexity - We provide communities with the tools they need to create, finance, build and run their own clean energy projects or climate solution companies.

2) Fundamentally shift incentives- We give anyone the ability to invest directly in a climate action project with a chance to earn a return on their investment. 

Most people want the ability to take real action, but they need support, they need funding, and crucially, they need to feel empowered to know that if they act, and they get their friends and families and neighbors to join them, that it will have an impact. In these days of uncertainty surrounding the global pandemic and economic freeze, community resiliency and natural security in the face of immediate and long-standing crises is even more pressing, and we’re all stuck at home wondering what we can do.

[Sign up](/) now to create or invest in a project.


*Raise Green is the first marketplace in the U.S. for local and inclusive impact investment with verifiable and demonstrable environmental benefits. Up until 2016, most Americans were excluded from investing in private companies, but now participatory investment is possible for everyone.*

**#Give power back to the people. **


Raise Green founding story

Our founding story

Like many entrepreneurs before us, our early business plans had a lot of twists and turns. For Raise Green, those twists and turns were quite literal since our first business involved making air pollution sensors that live-tweeted from the handlebars of bikes...



Our progress

Our Founding Story

Raise Green Blog

Blog Posts