Hello ICA Community Members, 

I’m Jessica, the new Development Associate at ICA Fund! 2024 was a big year for me – I started my role at ICA Fund in April and immediately jumped into learning and writing about the small business support world. It’s been an incredible journey so far at ICA and I’m excited to share what I have been most inspired by this year:

‍The strength of our mission

When I first learned about ICA Fund, the thing that stood out to me the most was how closely aligned its mission was with my own personal values: righting systemic wrongs, redistributing wealth, and empowering local communities. It’s what made me so excited to join this organization and get to work, supporting local businesses and working to close the racial and gender wealth gaps.

‍The dedication of this team

It’s been thrilling to join ICA at a growth moment – we hired seven new employees this year, bringing our total staff to 25! Each and every person is deeply dedicated to our mission and the companies that we serve, going above and beyond to innovate and iterate our programming to ensure we can serve these businesses to the best of our ability. Our staff knows that despite the fact that inflation has lowered and substantial shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic have lessened, small businesses are still struggling in an environment with increasing costs and insufficient access to capital. Our team has been focusing on continuing to provide wraparound support that addresses many of the substantial challenges that small local businesses face today.

‍The uniqueness of our work

ICA is a part of a sprawling, small business support ecosystem in the United States, and yet we are one of only a few organizations that does what we do: provide culturally competent coaching, wraparound support, and equity investments to early and growth-stage small businesses. Since joining ICA, I have attended several events with other community-based organizations and community development financial institutions (CDFIs), and have always been surprised to learn that no one is doing what we’re doing, the way we’re doing it. We are able to see a founder and a company for the full picture, not just the stats. For me, especially in fundraising, it just emphasizes how critical the niche we fill is as an organization.

‍The depth of our impact

It has been incredible to see the impact that our work is having on local businesses and the Bay Area community. As someone new to the small business sector, I have had a lot to learn about how to best support entrepreneurs. I’m really proud to work for ICA because I’ve seen that for a small business, having a partner in your corner can make all the difference – and ICA is one of those partners for our companies. I was really inspired by founder Ryan Armistead’s post about how ICA Fund and his company, Happy Moose Juice, have collaborated over the last year. 

As I look forward to next year, I am most excited to see how this team continues to redefine what it means to support small businesses in the Bay Area. We have some exciting plans coming up in 2025 so stay tuned! If you are looking for a way to give back or get more involved in your community, we would love for you to deepen your relationship with us, whether it’s through making a tax-deductible donation, becoming an advisor, or just sharing our work with the people in your lives this holiday season. Wishing you all a very Happy Holidays and cheers to 2025!