DBL Partners was formed with a “Double Bottom Line” investment strategy to invest in companies that can deliver top-tier venture capital returns (First Bottom Line), while working with our companies to enable social, environmental and economic improvement in the regions in which they operate (Second Bottom Line).
DBL Partners uses venture capital to accelerate innovation in a way that positively affects an organization’s social impact, as well as its financial success. We strongly believe these two drivers –positive social change and a healthy financial performance– are inherently connected. DBL invests in and helps nurture outstanding entrepreneurs and companies in Cleantech, Information Technology, Sustainable Products and Services, and Healthcare.
DBL Partners assists its portfolio companies in achieving a “double bottom line”: that is, strong long-term financial success, as well as positive social, environmental and economic impact in the local community. We have found that double bottom line practices that companies choose to adopt can be significantly beneficial to the fiscal bottom line both via direct benefits of cost savings and value creation, and via indirect benefits of creating goodwill with their market, customers and community, and enhancing employee morale and retention.
DBL Partners utilizes its staff, partners and resources to help its portfolio companies develop double bottom line practices that are uniquely appropriate and effective for their business. We encourage companies to implement double bottom line programs at a pace and scope that follows each company’s financial objectives and stage of growth. Some examples of double bottom line practices:
DBL Partners was formed with a “Double Bottom Line” investment strategy to invest in companies that can deliver top-tier venture capital returns while working with our companies to enable social, environmental and economic improvement in the regions in which they operate. We accomplish this two-fold return by adhering to a strict investment discipline honed over 40 years of collective venture capital experience while at the same time implementing a proprietary approach to leveraging public sector, university and not-for-profit resources to the benefit of our fund’s portfolio companies and to regional environmental and economic development goals.
Our first fund, the Bay Area Equity Fund I, has successfully implemented this double bottom line investment model in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our second fund, the DBL Equity Fund – BAEF II is implementing this investing approach with a larger size and an expanded geographic focus of the Western U.S. DBL Partners Fund III, a $400 Million fund, is one of the largest impact investing funds in the venture capital asset class.
Our funds make investments in private growth companies with a strong emphasis on investments in Clean Tech as well as investments in Information Technology, Sustainability-Oriented Products and Services, and Healthcare.
At the same time that our portfolio companies deliver tangible benefits to the community, such as job creation in low-income neighborhoods and corporate community engagement, their businesses are global in scope and many are international leaders in their fields.