gener8tor Earns B Corp Certification

MADISON, Wis. – gener8tor announced today it has earned B Corp Certification from the nonprofit B Lab, becoming one of the few venture capital funds to certify as a B Corp. B Corp Certification requires an in-depth review of a business’ social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.

“Our mission at gener8tor has always been to help communities invest in themselves by providing access to capital across race, place and gender and doing right by doing good. We see becoming a Certified B Corp as a natural way to cement our commitment to that mission,” said Joe Kirgues, Co-founder of gener8tor. 

Through its startup accelerator programming, gener8tor has helped over 1,000 startups raise more than $1.4 billion in funding and create 9,700 jobs. What’s more, 40% of these startups have women founders and 45% have founders of color. And 93% of them are based outside of major metros such as San Francisco, Boston and New York City, where startups have historically received the majority of venture capital funding. gener8tor’s Skills Accelerator programming has helped 1,400 participants learn new job skills and placed 637 of them in new jobs, with an estimated average salary of $53,907. gener8tor celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2022.

There are just 1,700 certified B Corps globally. As a certified B Corp, gener8tor joins the likes of  industry leaders Patagonia, TOMS, Ben & Jerry’s, Athleta and Warby Parker in working to transform the global economy to benefit all people, communities and the planet. Companies applying for the designation undergo a rigorous process to: Demonstrate high social and environmental performance; make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders; and exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance to be publicly available.

“We are thrilled to join the global family of Certified B Corporations,” said Chelsea Linder, Partner at gener8tor. “We will use this certification to catalyze our business as a force for good. Completing the certification process provided us an opportunity to reflect on our organization as a whole and identify the areas where we can increase our impact moving forward.” 

As part of the B Corp Certification process, gener8tor updated its internal policies to heighten its focus on environmental sustainability and refined its onboarding and training processes.

About gener8tor

gener8tor is a global venture firm and accelerator network that supports startups, workers, employers, artists and musicians across race, place and gender. gener8tor partners with companies, governments, universities and nonprofits to operate programs and conferences in more than 41 communities across 22 states and two countries. Fast Company named gener8tor one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2021 and 2022. The International Trade Council recognized gener8tor as the Global Venture Capital Firm of the Year in 2022.

About B Lab

B Lab is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good. Its vision is that one day all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the Best for the World® and as a result society will enjoy a more shared and durable prosperity. B Lab drives this systemic change by:

• Building a global community of Certified B Corporations who meet the highest standards of verified, overall social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability;

• Promoting Mission Alignment using innovative corporate structures like the benefit corporation to align the interests of business with those of society and to help high impact businesses be built to last;

• Helping tens of thousands of businesses, investors, and institutions Measure What Matters, by using the B Impact Assessment and B Analytics to manage their impact -- and the impact of the businesses with whom they work -- with as much rigor as their profits;

• Inspiring millions to join the movement through compelling story-telling through the digital platform B the Change. 

For more information, visit www.bcorporation.net, www.bimpactassessment.net, www.b-analytics.net and www.benefitcorp.net.