Philosophy
Radicle Capital’s investment philosophy is built on a core focus in sprouting change by helping companies, organizations, and funds who foster the ideals of generating a social and or environmental impact.
Because of their impact focus, Radicle Capital is a patient source of capital. Beyond providing funding, they help in areas of board representation, fundraising, scalability, business development, strategic partnerships, and more. Many of their existing portfolio companies have grown from early to growth stage ventures with seed stage to follow on capital from Radicle Capital, as well as advisement in the aforementioned areas.
By making responsible investment decisions, funding the brilliance of its own local community, and reaching across borders around the globe, Radicle Capital hopes to develop a greater, more global community and appreciation of resources by germinating the world’s seedlings in businesses who are sprouting change.
Strategy
Radicle Capital possesses a diverse portfolio with targeted interest in ventures with a socially and or environmentally conscious mission. Current investments range from:
food and beverage products with positive social and or environmental impact
solutions that aid an underserved market
health tech innovations with social impact
solar energy solutions
eco-friendly consumer goods producers
farm-to-table food producers
Criteria
Radicle Capital considers investment in ventures:
+ Solving a social and/or environmental problem
+ Technology, product, and or service-based innovations
+ Possessing a minimum viable product with proven sales and/or customer traction and validation
+ Who’ve reached an inflection point in their business and are poised for accelerated growth
+ With a strong, dedicated, experienced founding team
Prospects can be rooted local to Radicle Capital in Louisville, Kentucky, or in states across the nation, and even globally. It is the idea of Radicle Capital that prospects be primed to grow even larger by way of their owners’ dedication to doing well by doing good.
Our Team
Benton Keith
Principal
Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Benton grew up as a member of the Boy Scouts of America where he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He continued refining his abilities and passions, attending St. Xavier High School and then college at Southern Methodist University where he received a degree in Art History. His time at SMU led him to study abroad in Italy where he learned a great deal about himself and the world.
Since his return to Louisville from SMU in 2004, Benton has been a licensed Property and Casualty Insurance Agent with Sterling Thompson Company in Louisville, KY. For nearly 14 years, he’s made a career in insurance focused on insuring medium to larger sized companies. Benton is a committed member of his community as a seated board member for several nonprofits, and assists in planning community fundraisers. He strives to create a local impact and has a profound respect for those who devote their lives to finding healthy, sustainable ways to support their communities.
In 2014, Benton had the desire to begin Radicle Capital to provide capital to companies in their earliest phases of growth. With this strategy, Benton hopes to bring positive and lasting change not just to his own community, but also to the world. Benton appreciates the efforts, progress, and impact of those companies he’s invested in within the Radicle Capital portfolio. Those who desire to create, do good for their community, and foster a cause they are passionate about excite Benton.
Candice Rezvanian
portfolio manager
Raised in a small town just outside Louisville, Kentucky as a fourth generation agriculturalist, and being the first in her family to graduate college, Candice’s background has shaped her to be a self-starter who is motivated by working for a cause. She is a professionally trained public speaker and speech writer, has career experience in advertising, marketing, impact investing, and social enterprise management. Her studies at the University of Louisville (Biology & Communication) and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (Social Enterprise Management & Impact Investing) have molded her interests and passion for supporting entrepreneurs.
With a strong background in early to growth stage investment and entrepreneur support, Candice joins Radicle Capital to manage the growing portfolio of ventures. Previous to her role at Radicle, Candice was one of two founding team members at Endeavor Louisville, a non-profit that supports high impact entrepreneurs in the local ecosystem. Before joining Endeavor, Candice was the Global Recruitment Manager for Village Capital where she was responsible for managing all deal flow and a team of global associates, sourcing the best early-stage ventures seeking training, mentorship, and investment.
Candice adds the most value building relationships with entrepreneurs, mentoring ventures in such areas as business development, strategic marketing, branding, and more, and guiding the investment process. With a prideful upbringing in agriculture, involvement in community development, and career experience within the entrepreneurial and impact investing ecosystem, Candice is passionate and excited to add value to organizations who strive to make a difference, work for a cause, are mission driven, and wish to create a lasting impact.
Current Investments
Innovators in biotechnology focused on the discovery and early development of novel cancer therapeutics.
Manufacturing and export business committed to improving the lives of Himalayan villagers and the state of our environment.
Producing the best vodka in the world for you and the environment; crisp, natural, clean and thoroughly enjoyable.
Rooibee Red Tea is America's #1 ready-to-drink Rooibos tea brand. Caffeine-free, organic, and naturally sweet.
At Sproutel, they employ an empathy-driven design process to scope, develop, and launch products that help children build a foundation for healthy lives.
TriLinc Global is an impact fund whose mission is to demonstrate the role that the capital markets can play in helping solve some of the world’s pressing economic, social, and environmental challenges.
First impact investment firm focused on marketplace lending.
Industrial computer vision company connecting plants, facilities, and people through a single interface, LUNA.
Oliberté is the only fair trade, sustainable shoe brand in the world.
Patamar Capital exists to unlock better economic opportunities for Asia’s low-income communities, making investments in high-growth companies solving South and Southeast Asia’s most pervasive problems at scale.
Stony Creek Colors offers US grown natural colorants that are a cleaner and safer replacement for synthetic dyes used in the textile and fashion industry.
Village Capital finds, trains, and invests in entrepreneurs solving real-world problems.
Provide Americans healthy, year round, wild-caught USA fish products.
Kuli Kuli is America’s leading moringa brand. They provide the highest quality and most nutritious moringa available.
Allows organizations to communicate with their non-desk, non – @company.com email, hourly workers in real-time via its mobile app.
Gathers information about solar projects to be instantly shared with project steakholders, creating a marketplace for commercial and industrial properties to gain access to the best price for a commercial solar system.
SunFunder is a solar finance business based in San Francisco and Tanzania with a mission to unlock capital for solar energy in emerging markets.
Exits
Social Finance, Inc. is an online personal finance company that provides student loan refinancing, mortgages and personal loans.
Spensa Technologies is a precision ag company pioneering innovative pest detection and scouting technologies such as Z-Trap, MyTraps, and OpenScout.
