Mission Driven Finance® Co-founder and Chief Community Officer Lauren Grattan spoke on a panel at the Milken Institute 2025 Finance Forum with Samantha Berg (Next Street), Kim Folsom (Founders First Capital Partners), and Shaolee Sen (JPMorganChase)—moderated by Troy Duffie—about meeting small business owners where they are at, providing right-sized support at the right time.
Small businesses are essential to the US economy employing over 40 percent of workers, accounting for nearly half of GDP, and creating two out of three net new jobs. If we are to expand into new industries, cultivate the next generation of entrepreneurs, and support emerging fund managers, it will take collective action from the entrepreneur all the way to the federal government to unlock essential early risk capital, develop investment-ready enterprises, and co-invest alongside community financing institutions to catalyze this market. Join this panel in exploring collaborative models that work up and down the value chain to create the next wave of small businesses, and the unveiling of the new MI Partnerships Portfolio.
