PRI Profile

Last year, Upstart Co-Lab (“Upstart”), in partnership with ImpactAssets, launched a portfolio of up to $100 million to invest in impact funds with creative industry exposure and Seed/Series A companies in food, fashion, film & tv, video games, and other creative industries. Through the Inclusive Creative Economy Strategy, Upstart demonstrates how the American creative economy can create people-focused impact while delivering market rate returns. The impact goals of the strategy include access to capital for BIPOC and women entrepreneurs, quality jobs, vibrant communities, sustainable creative lives, and an inclusive creative economy. Additionally, Upstart’s complementary influence strategy seeks to popularize the creative economy as a focus for impact investors and to unlock the creative sector as a new source of impact capital.

Highlights:

Since launching in 2016, Upstart has mobilized more than $17 million of impact capital for funds and companies in the creative economy.