What if financial success and social impact aren’t competing goals?
On this episode of On The Fly!, Donna Zaring talks with Jenna Nicholas, a social entrepreneur, investor, founder, and author whose career has focused on bringing purpose and financial models together.
Jenna shares the personal experiences that led her toward social entrepreneurship, from growing up in London to studying at Stanford and discovering the work of pioneers like Muhammad Yunus and Bill Drayton. She talks about her work with Calvert Funds, the World Bank, One Planet VC, Impact Experience, and her current work with Lightpost Capital.
The conversation explores one of the biggest misconceptions in impact investing: that you have to choose between financial returns and social and environmental impact. Jenna shares examples of companies demonstrating that both can reinforce one another, and explains what investors look for when evaluating purpose-driven founders.
Jenna also introduces the HEAL framework — Hope, Empathy, Abundance and Legacy — and explains how these ideas can become practical guideposts for entrepreneurs, investors, and organizations.
From building strong founder communities to thinking seven generations into the future, this conversation asks a bigger question: What does it look like to build businesses around a deeper sense of purpose and meaning?
Connect with Jenna
About On The Fly!
On The Fly! is a podcast from Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub featuring conversations with entrepreneurs, coaches, investors, and community leaders working to create meaningful social impact.
On The Fly! is a podcast from Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub featuring conversations with entrepreneurs, coaches, investors, and community leaders working to create meaningful social impact.
At Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub, we pair experienced professionals with purpose-driven founders to make a real difference in our communities. Interested in coaching, mentoring, or starting your own social venture? Visit flywheelcincinnati.org to learn how you can get involved.
On The Fly! is produced by Joan Kaup and Joey Scarillo, with support from Gianna DiMona. Music by Ben Hammer. It is recorded at 1819 Innovation Hub, courtesy of the University of Cincinnati.
