Asking for Money, with Jenny Kassan

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Jenny Kassan. Jenny grew up with messages of rich people being evil, which created a chip on her shoulder about wealth. As Jenny created goals for her future, making money wasn’t on the list. But then she shifted her focus and as her career evolved, she interacted more and more with wealthy people. This allowed Jenny to realize that wealth doesn’t reflect a person’s heart, what they’re doing with the money reflects who they really are.

Jenny has over 25 years of experience as an attorney and advisor for mission-driven enterprises. She has helped her clients raise millions of dollars from values-aligned investors and raised over $1.5 million for her own businesses.

She is the author of “Raise Capital on Your Own Terms: How to Fund Your Business without Selling Your Soul” (Berrett-Koehler, October 2017).

Jenny earned her J.D. from Yale Law School and a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of California at Berkeley.

She served on the Securities and Exchange Commission Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies. She submitted the petition to the SEC that led to the passage of the 2012 JOBS Act and was present at the White House signing ceremony.

Jenny is also a fellow at Democracy Collaborative and the co-founder of the Force for Good Fund and Opportunity Main Street, an Opportunity Zone investment fund.

Jenny is the President of Community Ventures, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the economic and social development of communities. She also co-founded the Sustainable Economies Law Center, a nonprofit that provides legal information to support sustainable economies.

Jenny is on the board of directors for CfPA (Crowdfunding Professional Association) and formerly served as a director of Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

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