Jobs for the Future rolls out JFF Ventures to back diverse founders

• JFF Ventures will prioritize investments in startups founded or led by women of all backgrounds and men and women of color
• JFF has already invested in more than 35 technology start-ups
• Founding members of JFF Ventures’ new corporate innovation council include Todd Lewis, VP at Prologis Ventures

Jobs for the Future, a nonprofit focused on the American workforce and education system, has launched its new impact investing arm, JFF Ventures, which will prioritize investments in start-ups founded or led by women of all backgrounds and men and women of color.

“At a time of growing economic uncertainty and income inequality, it’s critical that we invest in tech solutions that can help meet the complex talent needs of employers by investing in the boundless potential of the American worker,” said Yigal Kerszenbaum, founding managing partner of JFF Ventures, in a statement. “This work is about investing in companies that are poised to make a major impact by unlocking opportunity for workers who have historically been the least well served.”

JFF will invest in seed- and early-stage companies with a focus on developing technology solutions that create opportunities for economic advancement for workers in low- and middle-wage jobs.

No financial terms were disclosed.

To date, JFF has already invested in more than 35 technology startups through ETF@JFFLabs, which will become JFF Ventures Fund I.

JFF Ventures will be supported by a newly formed corporate innovation council. Founding members include Jocelyn Caldwell, vice president, workforce strategy and planning at Walmart; Todd Lewis, vice president at Prologis Ventures; and Milan Suri, senior director, distribution growth ventures at Northwestern Mutual.