Benjamin Vann

Dallas’ Nonprofit Impact Ventures Announces New Dates for Inclusive Capital Summit, Celebrates Cohort 8 Graduates, Adds Board Members

by | Jul 19, 2024
Amid planning disruptions and system outages, Impact Ventures also got a fresh look for its HQ and a "generous grant" from the Meadows Foundation. The nonprofit unveiled initiatives to expand its support for "underestimated" entrepreneurs.
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Barbara Bush, co-founder and board chair of the nonprofit Global Health Corps, right, in conversation with Shena Ashley, vice president of Capital One community impact and investment and president at the Capital One Insight Center. [Photo: Capital One Reimagine Communities Summit 2024]
Reimagine Communities: The Keys to Unlocking Nonprofit’s Access to Opportunities
by | Jun 13, 2024
Innovators and experts share how nonprofits and corporations can work together to spur socioeconomic mobility at Capital One’s eighth annual summit.
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Tech Talk and ‘Meaningful Connections’: 10 Takeaways From Venture Dallas 2022

by | Nov 7, 2022
At last week's Venture Dallas conference, more than 400 VCs, angel investors, startups, and business leaders gathered for a showcase of North Texas' entrepreneurial and venture ecosystem. Here's a look at the highlights—from Troy Aikman saying "There are no shortcuts" to Alto Founder Will Coleman on the power of doing "the opposite" to Mark Cuban's "ready, fire, aim" approach. “Regions like Texas and Dallas-Fort Worth, we’re the model for the rest of the nation on how to get things done," Ross Perot Jr. said at the conference kickoff.
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Venture Dallas Brings ‘the Premier Venture Capital Conference in North Texas’ to George W. Bush Presidential Center this November
by | Oct 4, 2022
Venture Dallas 2022—a full-day conference to be held Nov. 3 at the George W. Bush Presidential Center—will connect investors from all over the U.S with the “best founders in our region” with the goal of sparking “collisions” and “meaningful connections," co-founder Aaron Pierce says. He adds that those could potentially lead to fundings—and successful exits. Here's a look at why the North Texas startup and VC scene is hopping, and what Venture Dallas 2022 could mean for you.
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Impact Ventures Raising $20M Dallas Inclusive Capital Fund to Make the Region a Hub for Diverse Entrepreneurs
by | Apr 14, 2022
“Entrepreneurs of color are over-mentored and undercapitalized. While others are saying, ‘Here’s a program or mentorship,’ we’ve been one of the first groups to say, ‘Here’s that, plus capital, to get you there,’” says Benjamin Vann, founder and CEO at Impact Ventures.
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From Dumpling Makers to VR Job‑Trainers, Impact Ventures Welcomes its Newest Startups
by | Apr 4, 2022
Dallas-based nonprofit accelerator Impact Ventures has unveiled the lineup of its latest cohort, made up of nearly 20 companies that span from Nepalese dumpling makers to virtual reality job-training platforms.
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#HackTheCulture: Impact Ventures Debuts Hackathon Series Focused on Social Justice

by | Sep 17, 2020
The virtual hackathon will kick off on Sept. 22. Developers, activists, and anyone in between is invited to participate.
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Entrepreneurs celebrate a 2019 Impact Ventures' cohort, photographed in the time before COVID. [Photo: Impact Ventures]
Apply to Accelerate: Diversity‑focused Impact Ventures Opens Applications for Fall 2020 Program
by | Sep 15, 2020
Founder and CEO Benjamin Vann says the startup accelerator aims to create more diverse and inclusive ecosystems.
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Denton is Getting a New Startup Incubator Exclusively for Female Entrepreneurs
by | Aug 18, 2020
Launched by TWU and Stoke, the AccelerateHER incubator program reflects Denton's culture with a focus on creative, education, and lifestyle early-stage startups.
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Dallas-based fintech Exgratias co-founders Emanuel Green and Thomas Langehennig [Photos: Courtesy Exgratias]
Impact Ventures: Meet Exgratias, a Financial Platform for Entertainment Gig Workers
by | Jul 16, 2020
Dallas Innovates is highlighting startups in Impact Ventures' accelerator program, which aims to assist the underrepresented startup community. First up is Exgratias, a first-of-its-kind financial platform for the entertainment industry that helps contractual workers get paid quickly and effortlessly.
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accelerator Impact Ventures

Applications Open for Impact Ventures’ Minority-Focused Technology Accelerator

by | Oct 2, 2019
The nonprofit’s accelerator is intended to boost minority- and women-run startups in the tech sector. The deadline for startups to apply is Nov. 22, with the program set to kick off in March.
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Collective Impact: ‘Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming.’
Roundtable | Our panel talks about what we can do better, right now. In the final installment of the latest Dallas Innovates roundtable series, we look at systemic issues that still need to be addressed, and the areas ripe for innovation. The discussion closes with a look into the future.
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Collective Impact:
Making Dallas-Fort Worth a Hub for Social Innovation
What makes North Texas a place—or a potential place—for social innovation? In part two of our roundtable series, eight experts discuss how Dallas-Fort Worth may be a unique breeding ground for social good, what attracts (and keeps) talent in the nonprofit sector, and more.
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Collective Impact: Social Innovation in Dallas-Fort Worth
ROUNDTABLE | In this three-part series, a panel of experts explores Dallas-Fort Worth as a destination for global impact work.

Part one kicks off with eight thought leaders who explore what social innovation looks like from their unique perspectives — nonprofit, corporate, and startup — and how that is impacting the region.
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