Village Capital, with support from the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact and Dream.Org, announced that ConConnect, Good Call Technologies, and Rasa will receive capital investment from Dream.org as part of the Justice Tech Fellowship Program in the United States. The program supported ten startups helping individuals impacted by the criminal justice system.
Washington, D.C., (January 19th, 2022) – Village Capital, with support from the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact and Dream.Org, announced that ConConnect, Good Call Technologies, and Rasa will receive capital investment from Dream.org as part of the Justice Tech Fellowship Program in the United States. The program supported ten startups helping individuals impacted by the criminal justice system.
Over 45 startups from over 20 states applied to be a part of the accelerator. The final cohort was composed of the top 10 companies, with 60% headquartered outside of US tech hubs (NY, CA, MA) and 80% led by a BIPOC founder and/or CEO. These companies are creating solutions around reducing inequities in the criminal and civil justice system and creating opportunities for justice-impacted individuals and communities.
The final couple of days of the program, the startups traveled from coast to coast (from NYC to Oakland) to pitch their businesses in both cities and meet with investors, mentors and ecosystem leaders. All Fellows will receive an equity-fee participation stipend of USD $10,000 and an additional USD $10,000 non-dilutive capital upon milestone completion from the AmFam Institute. Additionally, Dream.org will deploy USD $100,000 in investment capital to ConConnect, Good Call Technologies, and Rasa after careful consideration of the companies based on Village Capital’s peer selection process, the ability for the company to scale, and the innovation that will disrupt the US justice system.
The three startups that will receive investment are focused on the following:
For more information, reach out to Sofía Cándano at Village Capital (sofia.candano@vilcap.com).
About Village Capital
Village Capital is reinventing the system to back the entrepreneurs of the future. Known for its groundbreaking approaches to supporting founders who are building solutions to emergent social, economic, and environmental challenges, VilCap unlocks critical social and financial capital for early-stage companies to maximize business and impact growth.
Since 2009, Village Capital has supported over 1,400 startups that have raised over $5 billion in investment capital. It has made more than 150 investments through its various affiliated funds, including Vilcap Investments, which has invested in 110 peer-selected companies. Over 20,000 entrepreneurs have improved their investment readiness through its network of entrepreneur support organizations and its platform, Abaca. Learn more at www.vilcap.com and follow @villagecapital.
About the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact
The American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact is a venture capital firm and partner of choice for exceptional entrepreneurs who are building scalable and sustainable businesses in a long-term effort to close equity gaps in the U.S.
We also believe in capacity building and supporting organizations which are working tirelessly towards creating resilient communities, healthy youth development, economic opportunity for all, and learning and academic achievement.
Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin with portfolio companies and partners nationwide, American Family Institute was established as one of the first public benefit corporations in Wisconsin — and one of the first among the Fortune 500 group of companies nationwide.
About Dream.Org
Dream.Org is a national advocacy organization committed to closing prison doors and opening doors of opportunity. We bring people together across racial, social and partisan lines to create a future with freedom and dignity for all. The Dream.Org Justice program advances criminal justice reform policies at the state and federal level by centering the voices of directly impacted leaders, members of our national Empathy Network. Dream.Org also works with unlikely allies to build powerful coalitions that transcend ideology. This theory of change allowed Dream.Org to take the lead on passing the historic First Step Act in 2018, which has brought nearly 20,000 people home from federal prison. Dream.Org was founded by Van Jones in 2015.
