We offer the following as a useful guide for entrepreneurs about what we look for in our investment process.
Tell a Compelling Story - Tell a story about how your company is effectively building an outstanding team, leveraging technology to create a highly attractive product or service, and taking advantage of changes in market and/or public sector forces.
Be Early (Not Seed) Stage – Be a company that has already produced a product/service, reached or achieved visibility to at least $1 million in annual revenues, and demonstrated the ability to use capital efficiently. We actively track but do not invest in companies that are short of these milestones.
Target High Growth & Returns – Focus on scalable, capital efficient business models that can effectively utilize venture capital financing to generate high levels of growth and high returns to investors.
Leverage & Measure Mission – Leverage your mission to create competitive advantages for your company (recruitment, marketing, partnerships) and clearly measure the economic, social and environmental value generated through the improvements your core products/services create.
Investment Process Overview
1. Place & Stage
- US based (but can focus on global markets/problems)
- early stage
- post product
- post revenue & <$25mm valuation
2. Selection
- Outstanding team
- Clear mission
- Big market undergoing changes
- Technology leveraged with capital efficiency
- Clear growth/exit (sale, IPO)
3. Investment
- $1-2mm first investment;$4-6mm over multiple rounds
- Syndicate (CLC can lead or follow)
- Board representation (Member or Observer)
- Compact/Side letter (defines the mission, metrics, accountability systems and reporting to turn mission into competitive advantage)
4. Support
- Goals set for for CLC’s value add
- Active business development (across For profit, Nonprofit and Government)
- Marketing/Distribution: leverage our network and tell the story to reach a wider community
- Leadership Development/Support:Community / network: online and in person, “Leadership Advisory Network”

