Causeartist Weekly #309: The $1.2B Grocery Model Investors Rejected 50 Times + $500M for Clean Energy Infrastructure

Hey friends,

I hope all is going well this early February.

This week's newsletter lands at an interesting inflection point for the impact economy. On one side, we're seeing legacy industries finally embrace transparency through sustainability reporting.

On the other, innovative companies continue proving that mission-driven business models can scale without sacrificing principles.

The through-line this week is infrastructure.

Not just physical infrastructure, but the systems that support long-term change: the reporting frameworks that hold companies accountable, the nuclear technology that could power a million homes, and the membership models that democratize access to healthy food for 42 million food-insecure Americans.

We've also pulled together nearly $500 million in new funding announcements, from clean energy land investments to impact-focused venture funds backing science-based startups across Europe.

Plenty to dig into. Let's get to it.

— Grant

Featured Podcast

Another Tomorrow: Building a Sustainable Luxury Brand

This week's episode features Vanessa Barboni Hallik, Founder and CEO of Another Tomorrow, a B Corp certified sustainable design company reshaping luxury fashion.

We discuss her transition from a career at Morgan Stanley to launching a brand built on three pillars: human, animal, and environmental welfare.

Vanessa shares how Another Tomorrow uses technology-enabled transparency and authenticated recommerce to create a circular economy approach within an industry known for waste.

Key insight: the future of fashion requires treating clothing as an asset rather than disposable goods. Particularly valuable for founders navigating the balance between premium positioning and genuine impact.

Listen to the full episode

Introducing Causeartist Studio

For years, Causeartist has been built by doing the work, not outsourcing it. Content, design, web, SEO, newsletters, podcasts, distribution, all shipped by me, end to end.

Causeartist Studio opens that same execution to a small number of companies.

You work directly with me, not an agency. No junior team. No handoffs. No busywork. Just senior level execution across content, design, web, SEO and AI search, and modern media, for the cost of a part time hire.

For many teams, this replaces multiple hires and saves over $290,000 per year compared to building the same capabilities in house.

This is for teams who want real output, fewer meetings, and clear accountability.

Learn more

Featured Event: Stanford Do Good Now Career Fair

Stanford University's Do Good Now Career Fair brings together mission-driven companies, nonprofits, local governments, and worker unions actively seeking talented young people committed to advancing the common good.

The event opens with a keynote panel featuring innovators from each impact area, followed by a conference-style setup where organizations staff booths for direct conversations with candidates.

When: Wednesday, March 4th, 1:30pm to 4:30pm Where: Simonyi Conference Center, Stanford University

Ideal for impact-focused job seekers and organizations looking to recruit purpose-driven talent.

Register here

The $1.2B Grocery Model Investors Rejected 50 Times - Thrive Market Case Study

Thrive Market is a membership-based online grocer offering organic and non-GMO products at 25% to 50% below traditional retail prices. The company has grown to serve over 1.5 million paying members and achieved a valuation exceeding $1.2 billion as a Public Benefit Corporation.

What makes this case study particularly instructive: Thrive Market became the first online-only grocer to accept SNAP EBT payments, bridging the digital divide for 42 million food-insecure Americans.

Their one-for-one membership donation model through Thrive Gives demonstrates how social impact can be embedded directly into financial architecture rather than treated as an afterthought.

Read the full case study

🗞️ News and Headlines

Chobani Awards $400K in Community Impact Grants

Chobani and La Colombe announced the recipients of their eighth annual Community Impact Fund, distributing $400,000 in grants to 40 nonprofit organizations addressing hunger, expanding access to nutritious food, and strengthening local food infrastructure.

Since 2018, Chobani has contributed nearly $2 million to more than 70 organizations. This year's grants extend beyond their Central New York and Idaho hometowns to include La Colombe's home communities of Philadelphia and Muskegon, Michigan. Grant recipients include school food pantries, mobile pantries, and programs supporting SNAP enrollment. Learn more

CAF and Rockefeller Foundation Partner on School Meals Across Latin America

CAF (the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean) and The Rockefeller Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen sustainable development across the region.

The partnership focuses on food security, innovative financing, climate change adaptation, and regenerative agriculture.

The first joint initiative: a pilot project co-financed by The Rockefeller Foundation to strengthen school feeding programs in Barbados, Colombia, and El Salvador.

This aligns with the Foundation's commitment of $100 million to serve 100 million children nutritious school meals within five years. Read more

Rolls-Royce SMR and Yokogawa Partner on Small Modular Reactors

Rolls-Royce SMR and Yokogawa Electric Corporation announced a strategic partnership to deliver data processing and control systems for the UK's first domestic nuclear technology in more than 20 years.

Each small modular reactor will produce enough emission-free energy to power approximately one million homes for at least 60 years.

The partnership brings Yokogawa's industrial automation expertise to develop the "central nervous system" of the SMR program. Rolls-Royce SMR has been selected as the preferred bidder by Great British Energy-Nuclear to build the UK's first SMRs and by Czech utility ČEZ for up to 3GW of new nuclear capacity. Read more

🌎 Fellowships, Grants, and Accelerators

Citi Foundation's $35M Community Finance Initiative

The Citi Foundation has announced a $35 million Request for Proposals for its 2026 Community Finance Initiative, recognizing the critical role community organizations play in helping households navigate affordability challenges.

Through this initiative, 70 nonprofits will each receive $500,000 to advance financial resilience among low-income households. Grants focus on three areas: stabilizing households during financial stress, strengthening credit and asset-building, and safeguarding households against fraud and predatory practices.

Open to 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving Citi Foundation's target geographies including major metro areas across the U.S.

Deadline: February 18, 2026 at 12pm ET Apply here

💰 Funding and Capital Watch

Renewa Secures $502 Million for Clean Energy Land Investments

Renewa, a renewable energy land financing company, closed $502 million in financing from several institutional investors to grow its portfolio of land and lease receivables supporting energy development nationwide.

The impact: By making it easier and cheaper for clean energy developers to secure land, this capital can accelerate the build-out of wind, solar, and storage projects that displace fossil fuel generation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

It also gives landowners a more stable, long-term income stream tied to climate solutions, helping rural and frontline communities benefit economically from the energy transition. Read more

Modern Milkman Raises £10M for Sustainable Doorstep Delivery

UK-based Modern Milkman has raised £10 million to scale its sustainable doorstep grocery delivery model built around reusable packaging and local sourcing within a circular economy framework.

The company delivers milk, dairy, and grocery essentials in returnable glass bottles and containers, eliminating single-use plastic while supporting local producers.

The impact: Modern Milkman’s reusable, returnable packaging model can sharply cut single-use plastics and packaging waste while strengthening local food systems and shortening supply chains, which lowers emissions and supports small producers. By normalizing circular delivery for everyday essentials, it also nudges mainstream consumer behavior toward reuse, making low-waste lifestyles more accessible at scale.

Daphni Closes €260M Fund for Science-Based Startups

Paris-based VC firm Daphni has closed its Blue fund at €260 million, targeting early-stage science-based startups in Europe addressing environmental and social challenges.

The fund focuses on "scientist-entrepreneurs" with strong IP in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and life sciences.

Early portfolio companies include OWLO (non-invasive 3D microscopy for fertility research), EverDye (green chemistry textile dyeing), and Karavela (brain foundation model for digital biomarkers).

Ticket sizes range from €500k to €10 million. Learn more

The impact: Daphni’s new fund channels significant capital into deep-tech teams working on hard science solutions to environmental and social problems, helping translate lab breakthroughs into deployable tools for cleaner industry, greener materials, and better health outcomes.

Obvious Ventures Closes $360M Fifth Fund

Obvious Ventures, co-founded by Twitter's Evan Williams, closed its fifth fund at $360 million for investments across planetary, human, and economic health.

The firm invests in seed and Series A startups with check sizes ranging from $5 million to $12 million.

Notable portfolio companies include geothermal energy startup Zanskar (recently announced a $115 million Series C), AI molecule development platform Inceptive, and Dexterity Robotics (valued at $1.65 billion).

The firm aims to make approximately 10 investments annually and has seen meaningful cash distributions to LPs across all core funds. Learn more

The impact: Obvious Ventures’ latest fund expands the pool of mission-aligned capital available to founders tackling climate, health, and economic inequality, increasing the odds that high-impact solutions get the runway they need to scale. Its track record and distribution back to LPs also help prove that impact-driven investing can be financially competitive, encouraging more mainstream capital to flow into world-positive innovation.