Washington, DC (April 12, 2021) — Village Capital announced today that Kader and Houm will be the first two investments from its new Financial Health Innovation Fund, an early-stage investment program funded by MetLife Foundation.
Kader (Jordan) is an online recruitment and on-demand platform focused on quality, speed and creating financial security for gig workers in the hospitality, retail and service sectors. Kader is leveraging technology to provide a wide network of gig workers with better access to nearby job opportunities.
Houm (Chile) is an end-to-end real estate management platform that leverages technology and innovation to create transparent, online, and safe buying, selling, and rental processes for both tenants and landlords. On one hand, the company removes the guarantor requirement for tenants, thereby addressing a significant barrier in access to affordable housing. On the other hand, it offers a fast and safe service for landlords renting their properties by assuring punctual and guaranteed payment of their rent besides the administration.
Both companies were identified for investment through Village Capital’s Finance Forward initiative, a global coalition created with MetLife Foundation and PayPal to support early-stage entrepreneurs building tech-enabled solutions around financial health.
“MetLife and MetLife Foundation have a long history of providing flexible investment capital to organizations that strengthen low- and moderate-income communities,” said Evelyn Stark,MetLife Foundation. “Partnering with Village Capital enables us to accelerate the growth of impact-driven startups through investments made by the Foundation and pro bono support from MetLife’s employees. From helping people find jobs to providing access to affordable housing, these startups are giving their low-income clients confidence to pursue their dreams.”
“We are thrilled to have Village Capital join our investor network,” said R’ad Radaideh, Founder and CEO of Kader. “Kader is helping shape the future of jobs in the MENA Region by leveraging technology to enable the on-demand labor market. We look forward to continuing our work from Finance Forward MENA 2019 with Village Capital to serve all sides of the exponentially growing gig economy.”
“We could not be more excited to receive an investment from Village Capital’s Financial Health Innovation Fund,” said Benjamín Labra, Co-Founder and CEO of Houm. “At Houm, we have a vision to democratize access to homeownership for everyone. We are excited to continue our work from Finance Forward Latin America 2019 with Village Capital to make this vision a reality.”
The Financial Health Innovation Fund is part of Village Capital’s Family of Funds, announced in early 2020 — a series of funds and impact investing activities focused on investing in early stage, impact-driven startups through a variety of mechanisms, including revenue share and convertible debt.
“At Village Capital, we have a vision to facilitate ten billion dollars in investment capital by 2030, and we know we can’t do this alone,” said Allie Burns, Village Capital CEO. “Supporting early-stage, high growth startups can be expensive and time consuming. We’re excited to continue to work with MetLife Foundation to support some of the most promising financial health startups around the world.”
For more information, reach out to Rustin Finkler at Village Capital (rustin.finkler@vilcap.com) or Rachel Pokay at MetLife (rpokay@metlife.com).
About Village Capital
Village Capital helps entrepreneurs bring big ideas from vision to scale. Our mission is to reinvent the system to back the entrepreneurs of the future. Our vision is a future where business creates equity and long-term prosperity. Since 2009, we have supported more than 1,000 early-stage entrepreneurs through our investment readiness programs. Our affiliated fund, VilCap Investments, has invested in more than 100 program graduates, including 8 early-stage US fintech companies like Vault, Fig Loans, and Finix.
About MetLife Foundation
At MetLife Foundation, we are committed to expanding opportunities for low- and moderate-income people around the world. We partner with nonprofit organizations and social enterprises to create financial health solutions and build stronger communities, while engaging MetLife employee volunteers to help drive impact. MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 to continue MetLife’s long tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. From its founding through the end of 2019, MetLife Foundation provided more than $860 million in grants and $85 million in program-related investments to make a positive impact in the communities where MetLife operates. Our financial health work has reached more than 13.4 million low- and moderate-income individuals in 42 countries. To learn more about MetLife Foundation, visit metlife.org.
.png?width=2638&name=VC-Metlife%20(1).png "Village Capital - MetLife Foundation")