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The Ripple Effect: Reflections from the Boston Day of Impact - June 12, 2026

Events Sponsored by Investors Circle, JSC Impact, and Foley Hoag, LLC

Investors Circle Reunion: Shaun Paul, David O'Leary, Jeff Soble, Deb Scott, Diane Keefe, Jon Scott, Babbie Jacobs, Sky Lance, and Dan Chapman

There is a unique kind of energy that builds when capital meets true purpose. If you walked into our Boston Day of Impact this month, you didn't just hear investment pitches—you witnessed a collective re-imagining of what an economy can look like when it’s designed to serve people, communities, and the planet.

From the stage to the reception at Democracy Brewing, the theme of the day was clear: Traditional boundaries are shifting, and the most exciting returns are happening where human dignity and financial innovation intersect.

Here are the stories, the faces, and the shifting models that defined our gathering.

The Front Lines of Innovation: 8 Entrepreneurs to Watch

We began by hearing from eight extraordinary entrepreneurs who are actively proving that deep social impact and scalability are not mutually exclusive. They are tackling massive, systemic challenges with elegant, market-driven solutions.

To learn more, connect, make introductions and fund these innovators directly, please reach out via the contact information below:

Wash Cycle Laundry | Gabriel Mandujano, CEO — Changing lives through a social employment cooperative that provides stable, upwardly mobile jobs. g@washcyclelaundry.com
Salus | Brad Kain, CEO — Empowering care teams with essential tools for smarter, faster case management. brad.kain@salus-cm.care
Folia Materials | Jonathan Levine, CEO — Creating breakthrough sustainable paper coatings designed to revolutionize microwave cooking. Jonathan@foliamaterials.com
Knip Bio | Jessica McLear, COO — Commercializing advanced microbial functional feed to make global aquaculture truly sustainable. jmclear@knipbio.com
Reflection Sciences | Isaac Van Wesep, CEO — Providing science-backed tools to accurately measure and improve vital cognitive skills. isaac@reflectionsciences.com
MaineWorks | Margo Walsh, CEO — Dignifying labor by creating meaningful employment opportunities for people in recovery and re-entry. margo@Maineworks.us
Dottir Labs | Nili Persits, CEO — Pushing boundaries in advanced optical analysis to make spectroscopy better and more accessible. nili@dottirlabs.com
change: WATER Labs | Diana Yousef, CEO — Developing low-cost, plumbing-free toilets to bring safe sanitation to underserved communities worldwide. diana@change-water.com

Rewriting the Rules of Capital

But brilliant founders need capital that matches their vision. This month, our network leaned heavily into alternative, founder-friendly structures that challenge standard equity models.

Janice St. Onge, President of the CDFI Flexible Capital Fund, guided us through the mechanics of Revenue-Based Financing (RBF). It’s a model gaining massive traction because it aligns investor returns directly with a company’s actual revenue growth—freeing founders from forced exit timelines and keeping them focused on their mission.

We also explored the massive, untapped potential of philanthropic angel investing. Tim Freundlich, Co-Founder & CEO of CataCap, illuminated how investors can seamlessly deploy philanthropic dollars, appreciated assets, and Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) into high-impact private markets.

The power of this model was felt instantly: just hours before the event, the CEI Climate Note via CEI Coastal Enterprises (led by Kelsie Bouchard) went live on the CataCap platform. For as little as $250, investors can now mobilize DAF capital toward critical climate resiliency. The platform is also hosting Global Round Table Leadership, where Tristan Toleno is pioneering collaborative leadership models. Add a link to their website https://www.globalroundtableleadership.com/

"Investors Circle was instrumental in connecting CEI with the Catacap platform, recognizing the strong alignment between the CEI Climate Note and Catacap’s investor community. IC’s thoughtful leadership and long-standing commitment to impact investing continues to help open the door to new relationships, new sources of capital, and greater visibility for mission-driven organizations – we are excited to be a CataCap partner and deeply appreciate Investors Circle for fostering the connection." - Kelsie Bouchard, Chief Lending and Investment Officer, Coastal Enterprises, Inc.

Coming Soon: To help our network navigate these creative vehicles, Investors Circle will be hosting a dedicated webinar in the coming months on maximizing DAFs and appreciated assets. Stay tuned for registration details.

This grassroots economic groundwork is kept solid by our vital CDFI partners—including Shannon Bean (CEI Ventures), Alex “Brave Journey” Sterling (Turtle Island Community Capital), and Lubna Maria Elia (Boston Impact Initiative)—who continue to act as the bedrock of localized, equitable growth.

Investors Circle Student Impact Initiative Members: Jeremy Evans | University of Michigan, Babbie Jacobs - coordinator of the initiative, Arina Qian | New York University Impact Investing Club | NIIF https://www.niifonline.com/, not pictured: Nandini Anand | Northeastern Impact Initiative

A Toast to Democratic Wealth

We closed our day by looking at the ultimate model for closing the wealth gap: Employee Ownership. There is a quiet revolution happening here, particularly within the care economy, and we heard moving funding pitches from a group of organizations currently raising capital:

Jobs Worth Owning | Jonathan Ward, Director of Lending
Center for Cooperative Development and Solidarity (CCDS)
Renacer Home Care Cooperative | Andrea Yepes
Wonder Kiddos Child Care Cooperative | Diana Colwell

It was only fitting that we culminated our day at Democracy Brewing, Boston’s (and soon Maine’s) first employee-owned brewery. Over a beverage served by worker-owner and founder James Razsa (james@democracybrewing.com), we watched a brief policy overview on employee ownership and listened to stories from the people who actually own the businesses they work for. Democracy Brewing is also raising for the final permitting for the Lewiston, Maine location.

Looking Forward

As we look to the future, we are also investing in the next generation through our newly launched Investors Circle Student Impact Investing Initiative, bridging the gap between student brilliance and real-world capital.

Thank you for your continued partnership, your capital, and your shared belief that a better economy isn't just a dream—it's actively being built.

Investors Circle in Berkeley & Silicon Valley | June 15–17

From June 15-17, 2026 – Investors Circle's Don Megrath and Gary Tomchuk invested three energizing days connecting with the West Coast impact community across three Bay Area events: our Growing the Impact Economy Investor Networking Mixer in Berkeley, the FOOD FUNDED 2026 Entrepreneurship & Investor Fair, and Venture Summit West in Silicon Valley. From regenerative food systems to climate and frontier tech, they met with principled founders, investors, and ecosystem partners building a more just and sustainable economy—and sparked a number of promising new collaborations along the way.

IC California Region Coordinator Gary Tomchuk (pictured) leads a round-table discussion with early-stage founders and investors on How to Interact with Angel Investors—and What They're Looking For at FOOD FUNDED 2026 in Berkeley.

Over 15 people joined IC's Don Megrath and Gary Tomchuk at the Investors Circle Growing the Impact Economy Investor Networking Mixer on June 15 in Berkeley, CA. These principled changemakers, investors, advisors, and entrepreneurs from across the San Francisco Bay Area came together to connect with peers and leading impact investors, share insights, and explore collaborative pathways for deploying capital toward regenerative and impactful business solutions. We had a fantastic time reconnecting with friends old and new in the impact investing community, and several future California and national collaborations were sparked at the gathering. Look for announcements about developments tied to IC and these influential forces for good in the weeks and months ahead.

Joining us were: Igor Felipe, Blueprint Collaborative; Erin Axelrod, LIFT Economy; Monette R. Stephens, SF Growth Capital; Matt Esposito, Birch Road Associates; Phil Dillard, Thruline Networks; Kevin J. Bayuk, Purpose Capital | LIFT Economy | RiverStyx Foundation; Les Szabo, Dr. Bronner's / Purpose Capital; Jeffrey Mendelsohn, LocalCode; Arno Hesse, Food Funded & Slow Money; Lina Constantinovici, Innovation 4.4; Scott Leonard, Indigenous Organic; Sara Blenkhorn, Buckminster Fuller Institute; Muhammad Fuzail, ValueIQ; and Jason Rissman, Starlings.

Investors Circle was also proud to serve as a community co-host of the FOOD FUNDED 2026 Entrepreneurship & Investor Fair, a dynamic gathering of food entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, and ecosystem builders working toward a healthier, more resilient, and regenerative food system. Held June 16 in Berkeley, FOOD FUNDED combined educational sessions, curated investor presentations, and meaningful networking designed to catalyze capital flow into mission-driven food and agriculture businesses. As the organizers put it: food makers are change makers, and funding them is a meaningful bet on our future.

The 2026 summit featured conversations and workshops on regenerative food systems, climate action, equitable ownership models, funding pathways, culturally relevant food innovation, and scaling mission-driven food enterprises, along with the annual Food Investor Showcase highlighting curated food and ag ventures.

IC California Region Coordinator, Gary Tomchuk, and IC Executive Director, Don Megrath, led two dynamic round-table discussions with early-stage founders and investors on How to Interact with Angel Investors—and What They're Looking For.

Lina Constantinovici, Innovation 4.4, shares insights at the How to Interact with Angel Investors—and What They're Looking For round-table discussion moderated by Gary and Don.

Gary also served as a panelist and start-up pitch judge for the Regenerative: Starts with Ingredients—Selecting and Growing Supply Webs That Do Right by Soil and People session with Grace Belangia, Make Startups, and presenters Matt Cohen, SIMPLi; Susan Buckwalter Hartman, recoup; and Tracey Mason, Conscious Beverages.

We look forward to continuing as a community co-host of FOOD FUNDED, and more, in the days ahead. Your Investors Circle team shared many wonderful moments and connections in Berkeley last week—heartfelt gratitude to everyone we met. Future collaborations are in the air.

Don and Gary also attended Venture Summit West – Silicon Valley on June 16–17 in Mountain View, CA, representing Investors Circle as investor judges and ecosystem partners. Hosted by youngStartup Ventures at the Computer History Museum, Venture Summit West is one of the West Coast's premier deal-making events, linking venture capitalists, corporate VCs, and angel investors with a curated group of more than 100 top innovators across sectors including AI, climate and clean tech, fintech, digital health, and deep tech. The energy across the two days was electric, with back-to-back pitches, one-on-one matchmaking, and candid investor conversations making it one of the most dynamic startup gatherings of the season. Don and Gary were impressed by several of the impactful companies that pitched and the founders and investors they connected with—look for a few to potentially appear at future IC monthly meetings to share their stories.

The summit brought together:

170+ venture capitalists and investment leaders
200+ presenting companies and innovators

Learn more about Venture Summit West → VENTURE SUMMIT LINK

Antony Millin, Chair, NEXT for Startups & Emerging Growth Companies, Shulman Rogers, moderates the Climatetech & Cleantech at Scale: Funding the Induistrial Transition investor panel at Venture Summit West 2026.

Taken together, last week's three San Francisco Bay Area events—our Berkeley mixer, FOOD FUNDED, and Venture Summit West—reflect Investors Circle's deepening commitment to the West Coast and California impact investing and entrepreneurship community. From regenerative food systems to climate and frontier tech, we're building relationships with the founders, funders, and partners shaping a more just and sustainable economy. We're grateful to everyone who made these gatherings so energizing, and we're excited to carry this momentum forward into new collaborations and friendships in the months ahead.

Portfolio Company News

Photon Marine – June 2026 IC Portfolio Company Progress Report

Some images from Photon Marine’s Port of Friday Harbor, WA project.

Photon Marine is electrifying one of the last fossil-fuel-dependent transportation sectors: commercial marine fleets. Report from Marcelino Alvarez, Founder & CEO; email for more information: marcelino@photonmarine.com.

“We build high-performance electric outboard motors and fleet intelligence software for workboats, aquaculture, tourism, ports, and other mission-critical operators. Over the last twelve months, we’ve booked $5.5M in sales, including a $7M Washington State DOT grant to electrify the Port of Friday Harbor, a Port of Detroit (Michigan) contract for two zero-emission patrol/survey vessels, CARB/CORE voucher-backed deployments with customers including Scripps and the Port of Oakland (CA), and a Washington Tribal Electric Boat Program award supporting the Quinault Tribe.

We also have a term sheet and loan documents for a $40M credit facility designed to fund leasing, demo fleets, and working capital, a major unlock for scaling commercial adoption.

To bridge to that credit facility close and our Series A this fall, we are wrapping up a $2M SAFE, with $497k remaining at a 30% discount and a $10k minimum check size.

You can learn more in our pitch deck and our overview video.”