We're hosting Jeff Cherry, founder and CEO of The Porter Group, founder and CEO of the Conscious Venture Lab, and General Partner of SHIFT Ventures. We're going to explore the concept of conscious capitalism and showcase and celebrate all of the great work that our mid-Maryland minority and under-served entrepreneurs are executing.  

ABOUT JEFF

Over the last 29 years Jeff has been a designer, CEO, educator, consultant and investor. He enjoys the creative process, both from an artistic and organizational perspective. Currently he’s bringing these divergent experiences together in order to help companies develop more conscious, purpose-driven business models; and to help investors build societal as well as financial value. He tries to bring right and left brain thinking to problem solving, business creation and investing ideas; hopefully asking better questions and using his expertise to make the lives of those around him more fulfilling and successful.

As the CEO of The Porter Group and Founder and Executive Director of Conscious Venture Lab, Jeff is an evangelist for the transformation of capitalism. The Porter Group is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage and growth-stage companies that are operating at the intersection of profit and purpose. The Conscious Venture Lab is an accelerator for these same types of business using the tenets of Conscious Capitalism® and societal purpose as the foundation for creating long-term sustainable value. With the Conscious Venture Lab as an emerging brand in this fast growing field, Jeff is also a frequently invited speaker on the topic of impact investing and new models of business. He has recently had the honor to present at The University of Maryland, The Darden School at the University of Virginia, Yale University, and Columbia University, The Booth School at the University of Chicago, Howard Community College and The University of Baltimore.

Jeff is a recovering NCAA DIII Football player, has a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and currently studies Krav Maga, the martial art and self-defense system developed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

Learn more about Jeff, his Conscious Venture Lab and Conscious Capitalism here.

OUR FEATURED LOCAL STARTUP

Come out and meet our June Featured Local Startup, MoJoe Brewing Company, and co-founders Joseph Hyman and Alexandre Wing.  They are a rapidly growing food and manufacturing tech company whose mission is to fundamentally disrupt the way we get our daily cups of Joe (coffee for those of you who aren't familiar with the language).  Started in 2013 they have demonstrated the grit and grind that the best entrepreneurs possess as they have navigated their startup journey including using their resources to find ways to get themselves funded.  

You can learn more about Joseph, Alexandre, and MoJoe Brewing's products here.

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