Jenna Nicholas

CEO of Impact Experience

(Forbes 30 Under 30)

26 March 2019 7 Min Read

Jenna Nicholas on Unlocking Capital and Partnerships

Meet Jenna Nicholas, a young social entrepreneur whose work focuses on bridging the gap between investors, entrepreneurs, foundations, and marginalized communities. Jenna is the CEO of Impact Experience, a company that addresses issues of structural racism and confronts the historical and ongoing realities of inequality and racial bias. Her hard work has landed Jenna on Forbes’ 30 under 30 US & Canada 2019: Social Entrepreneurs.

Jenna graduated from Stanford University with an International Relations Honors Degree. Before becoming the CEO of Impact Experience, she founded Phoenix Global Impact, a consulting firm specializing in impact investing, social enterprise, and strategic philanthropy. Jenna has also worked as a consultant at The World Bank and a Co-Teacher at the Tsinghua School of Economics and Management on Business Ethics, Sustainability, and Impact Investing.

Join me in hearing her story and how bringing people together has always inspired her. Jenna has also shared her words of wisdom and told us about her daily routine, business, and faith. Enough from me; let’s hear from Jenna!

The Logician

First, thank you for taking the time to do this interview today! Primarily, would you like to introduce yourself? Who is Jenna Nicholas, and what do you do for a living? What was the reason for choosing your current career?

Jenna Nicholas

I am the co-founder and CEO of Impact Experience.

We build bridges between impact investors, foundations, entrepreneurs, innovators, and marginalized communities.

Previously I worked in the impact investing space with the Calvert funds, the World Bank and helped to build a coalition of foundations that were divesting from fossil fuels and investing in new economy solutions.

I observed the disconnect between investors and entrepreneurs and wanted to find a way to co-create solutions between different groups who traditionally don’t engage on a level playing field together.

A big part of my inspiration comes from my faith, the Baha’i Faith which emphasizes the importance of unity in diversity and putting one’s faith into action.

The Logician

Have you ever had the dream of doing what you do today? Did you ever think you would be among the Forbes’ 30 under 30? How was that experience for you?

Jenna Nicholas

From a young age, I was inspired by the idea of bringing people together from a diverse range of backgrounds.

I had the opportunity to engage with people from a broad set of perspectives and it greatly influenced how I thought about myself and place in the world.

I am inspired by the idea of how we can use different platforms to have an impact in the world, whether this is Forbes or otherwise.

The greatest honor and privilege is to able to engage in the work and try to create a positive impact in the world.

The Logician

Regarding the company, can you tell us more about Impact Experience? How was the idea behind your business born? What are you most proud of?

Jenna Nicholas

We work with marginalized communities across the country and around the world to unlock capital and partnerships. This is based on the idea that insights lie within the communities and we seek to create opportunities for those ideas to be recognized and invested in.

Much of our work is also around implicit bias and investing and creating mechanisms to unlock greater pools of capital into women and minority-run companies and funds. We partner with an impact investing fund of funds, Illumen Capital, as well as a research team at Stanford.

A big part of the inspiration came from observing the disconnect between investors, foundations, entrepreneurs and marginalized communities. We had a goal of bridging this gap.

Part of my background was helping to build a coalition of over 170 foundations representing $10 billion in assets under management divesting from fossil fuels and investing in new economy solutions. When this coalition began, there were only 17 foundations.

It was a joy and a privilege to be able to work with this community of practice to build it out and alongside universities, municipalities, faith-based institutions, and individuals create opportunities for shepherding in a new investment paradigm where there was the opportunity for alignment between investments and values.

The Logician

Being young and successful must be a challenging task at times. What is the best time-management tactic you would like to share with us? What do you do to ensure you do not miss out on life? How challenging is it for a CEO like you to remember you are still young?

Jenna Nicholas

I pray, meditate and work out every day!

This definitely helps to keep me grounded.

I love having fun with my friends, dancing, visiting art galleries and skiing.

For me, much of the process on a daily basis is about integrating my work life and my personal life and seeing all as manifestations of my core values.

I also believe in having fun along the way!

The Logician

How do you define success? What does success look like for you? Why?

Jenna Nicholas

I love the passage from the Baha’i writings,

“To try, to persevere is to achieve ultimate and complete victory.”

So often we can be so focused on the end goal that we lose sight along the way of the importance of the journey, how we treat people, how we show up on a daily basis, the intentionality with which we engage in all of our work.

Of course, outcomes and impact are incredibly important but we can’t lose sight of the day to day little things that ultimately make up the big things.

The Logician

What is your biggest motivation? Is there any specific person you would like to thank for your success? If yes, who and why?

Jenna Nicholas

My biggest motivation is my faith.

Each day my goal is to manifest my faith in reality.

I often fall short of this but this is what I strive towards.

I have been fortunate to have many dear friends and mentors along the way that has helped to guide my path.

My mother and grandmother have definitely been two of my greatest sources of inspiration and I am incredibly grateful to them.

Their belief in me, the constant pushing of me outside of my comfort zone and unconditional love helped to create a strong foundation within me for all that I engage in.

The Logician

What kind of example are you setting for your team, and why is it so important?

Jenna Nicholas

I am deeply inspired by Jim Collins’ leadership approach to servant leadership.

So much of our work is about creating spaces for personal and societal transformation.

It is therefore incredibly important that we inculcate these concepts internally, as well as externally.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are also core components of our work and are integrated into all that we do.

The Logician

I read that you are very curious as a person. Since I am, too, can you tell me which fields outside of business you are interested in? Does curiosity play a huge role when running a business? What are some other personal characteristics a CEO should have?

Jenna Nicholas

I love art, poetry, spirituality, yoga, and dancing.

I think curiosity and humility are essential characteristics of any CEO and any successful business.

I am also committed to constantly working on self-improvement and development and never taking anything for granted.

The Logician

Where do you see yourself and your company 5–10 years from now?

Jenna Nicholas

My goal is to continue to build out the different elements of our platform to serve a greater number of communities and people.

Our core convening work, the investment vehicles and the technology components of our work.

I am also very open to the opportunities that life presents us with and seizing upon those opportunities to further advance our mission and goals.

The Logician

Lastly, is there anything I forgot to ask you but you believe is worth sharing with the audience? What is the best life advice the readers should know about?

Jenna Nicholas

I am a fundamental believer in the power of taking a positive and optimistic outlook to the world and our lives.

There are a plethora of challenges confronting our world right now and it can be easy to focus and see the negative elements of life.

I am however constantly inspired by the exhortation in the Baha’i writings of, “Do not despair.” Life is short and we have a choice and an opportunity to try to leave this world that little bit better.

The Logician

Thank you, Jenna, for sharing how your passion for bringing together people from different backgrounds has led you to create amazing organizations that bridge gaps globally. I am amazed by your inspiration - the idea of using other platforms to impact the world. I was also thrilled to learn more about your Baha’i faith. I can’t wait to witness all of the different opportunities life presents to you and how you keep achieving your future goals and wish you the best of luck in making the world a better place to be!

The Logician

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