See the Great Companies We're Considering at the Next Impact Cherub Club Meeting

I’m not a financial advisor; nothing I write in Superpowers for Good should be considered investment advice. You should seek appropriate counsel before making investment decisions.

As we gear up for the 1:00 PM Eastern, December 19, meeting of the Impact Cherub Club, we invite you to join us. The club is an informal gathering of friends who meet up to review impact investments everyone is eligible to make, and virtually anyone can afford. We share responsibility for completing basic due diligence before making investments. No one is required to invest.

There are no dues or fees to participate, and we don’t touch the money. When members invest, they do so directly for their own accounts. We benefit from new members only by the fresh perspectives they bring. Please join us! Register here.

Next Meeting—December 19, 2023, at 1:00 PM Eastern

At our next meeting on December 19, at 1:00 PM Eastern/10:00 AM Pacific, consistent with our plans for future sessions, the agenda will have three items:

• Diligence Reports

• Education Moment

• Preliminary Consideration of New Candidate Investments

I’ll review those items in reverse order.

New Company Consideration

After some preliminary screening, I’ve shared some candidate offerings with the members of the club to choose which we’ll review this month. Members chose the following:

Karis Family Daycare

Karis Family Daycare is raising funds on MainVest. It is a daycare business that operates two play-based childcare facilities in Glendale and Burbank, California. Karis Family Daycare specializes in infant and toddler care and development and uses modern and reliable childcare methods to support communities. The business plans to open a third daycare in Burbank under its umbrella to expand its services and attract more customers. Brenna Karis founded Karis Family Daycare in May 2016. The current crowdfunding campaign has a minimum target of $30,000 and a maximum target of $124,000. The campaign proceeds will be used for a land fee for the new location. (Courtesy of KingsCrowd.)

Poppy

Poppy is raising funds on SMBX. It is a neighborhood restaurant in San Francisco, California, known for its well-curated menu of delicious food and warm service. Poppy serves an all-day menu of California-inspired American breakfast classics and lunch options. The restaurant has a sophisticated and comfortable atmosphere and is well-known for its aesthetic and nourishing menu, and knowledgeable staff. Jessica Sullivan and Laurel Robinson founded Poppy in March 2021. The current crowdfunding campaign has a minimum target of $20,000 and a maximum target of $75,000. The campaign proceeds will be used for working capital, equipment, and inventory for the new location. (Courtesy of KingsCrowd.)

Education Moment

Each month we take just a few minutes to discuss a relevant topic for helping us become better investors. This month, we’ll take a look at Checkbook IRAs; these are fully self-managed, self-directed retirement accounts. For some folks, these accounts save money and maximize discretion for investing.

Diligence Reports

We’ll begin with the due diligence reports from the Impact Cherub Club members who volunteered to research the companies after we briefly learned a bit about them last month. After hearing the members’ reports, we’ll vote to determine whether or not to recommend investment in the companies. The decision will be made available to everyone who registers to attend, including those who don’t make it. Register here.

Here are the companies we’ll learn more about this month:

The Drivers Cooperative

The Drivers Cooperative is one of the most well-known and respected social enterprises to have used crowdfunding. The co-op is at it again, raising money via a revenue-sharing agreement, preserving ownership for the drivers. The company has notable investors, including Impact Assets and the Mozilla Foundation. The company is raising via Wefunder.

MiKashBoks

MiKashBoks (think my cash box) has created a mobile app for use around the world with small lending groups. It is customary in many cultures for small groups to pool resources, lending the collections in turn to one of the group members until each has had a chance to be the borrower. Traditionally, this practice required paper and pencil and offered no connection to the wider financial system. MiKashBoks is designed to facilitate lending groups and connect users to the broader financial system. MiKashBoks is raising on Wefunder.