We launched the Inclusive Creative Economy Strategy – the first impact investing for vehicle for the U.S. creative industries – with nearly $15 million committed from the Ford Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, the Skoll Foundation, The Toledo Museum of Art, and others.

We closed the first 4 investments of the Inclusive Creative Economy Strategy, all led by diverse fund managers and founders: 6 women, 2 BIPOC, 2 immigrants to the U.S., 1 LBGTQ+, 1 person with disabilities.

We shared our learnings and insights with more than 4,700 people at events including the Skoll World Forum, SOCAP24, the MIE Conference, the 16th Deloitte Art & Finance Conference, the World Creative Economy Conference, the American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, and ImpactPHL.

Esquire, Ethic, ImpactAlpha, and others interviewed Upstart as the leading experts on the creative economy and impact investing. The first research study on impact investing in the creative economy of Central Asia cited Upstart as a case study.

As part of our commitment to building the field for impact investing in the creative economy, the Upstart team made nearly 200 introductions connecting entrepreneurs and fund managers with potential investors; organizations and individuals seeking help to experts in the field; peers to peers for information sharing; and job seekers and employers.

The Upstart team spoke with students from Columbia Business School, Duke University, New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service, Pratt Institute School of Art, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, University of Cyprus, and University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business as part of their academic research, regarding fellowship opportunities, and for informational interviews connected with their interest in working at the intersection of impact investing and the creative economy upon graduation.