“At the end of the day, nothing replaces boots-on-the-ground, local experience when launching an initiative.”
Bryce Butler works to put investment capital to use not just for financial gain, but for social progress as well. He is the founder and managing partner of Access Ventures, an impact investment firm focused on a range of mission-based investments including affordable housing and microbusiness lending. Before starting Access Ventures, Bryce was the executive director of the BlueSky Network, a venture philanthropy firm.
Previously, Bryce served as executive producer of a documentary called "BBOY For Life," the real-life story of how the break-dancing subculture in Guatemala City helped some young men escape violence. It premiered at the United Nations in April 2014.
Bryce has worked in organizational development and design at Samtec; he served as an executive pastor, and was a captain in the Armor Branch of the U.S. Army.
He has a master's in theology and a bachelor's in economics, and he teaches a social enterprise course as an adjunct instructor at the University of Kentucky. He also serves on multiple boards, including: Village Capital (chair); Greater Louisville, Inc; EnterpriseCorp; 1804 Entrepreneurship Center; Marketplace One and the Community Development Advisory Council of the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank.
Organization:
Access Ventures; Louisville, KY
Area of Focus:
Small business lending
Fellowship Project:
Refine the playbook for the Kiva small business loan program implementation so that communities across the country can attract the capital they need to seed entrepreneurs, expand small businesses, create jobs and fuel growth in places that struggle to attract investment capital.