Our Investment in 2045

Porter Braswell has been an entrepreneur on our radar for a while. We were observers on the sidelines while he was building Jopwell. A few months ago, we got a call from Doug Roth at Connecticut Innovations, asking if we had ever met Porter and knew about his “next play.” We hadn’t and jumped at the opportunity to finally meet him.

Porter meets the profile of some of our most successful founders. He’s a second-time entrepreneur with massive ambition and a desire to create greater social impact. After a few phone calls with Porter and his team, along with a collaborative diligence process with Connecticut Innovation, we are excited to join as investors in his newest company, 2045.

2045 is building the future of leadership, focused on accomplished, underserved leaders. 2045 combines the reach of a digital network with curated, in-person experiences to ensure members have every level of support they need. We have evaluated dozens of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) platforms over the last 5 years but most have focused on reporting the problem of DEI, not solving it.  

Decades and even centuries of community and networks have assisted many of today’s leaders and managers to progress and succeed. Networks are massive soft power, and they often benefit participants without them even being aware of the network effect. They provide opportunities that others don’t see.  To fundamentally shift DEI from reporting to impact will require building new, inclusive forms of network and community. Regulatory drivers, while important, are not enough. We believe DEI needs to be addressed at the top. It requires large scale, systemic change, both on the demand and supply side. By building and developing leaders with the background, skills, and networks to make it a priority, we believe 2045 can make a massive difference. 2045 has the right team, solution and ambition to build an enduring company. And empower meaningful change.

2045 is a new form of investment for us. While they sell a subscription-based service, the core of their product is building community. We are excited to work with Porter and the team. They have assembled a fantastic investor base that know how to build community and we are thrilled to be on board. 

Check out the launch on Bloomberg today and learn more about 2045 at www.2045studio.com.

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