Through its New Markets Venture Capital program, SBA provides matching capital both for Community Ventures’s venture capital equity fund and for its Operational Assistance Program (OAP). SBA’s OAP contribution matches dollar-for-dollar funds and in-kind services Community Ventures has raised from its OA Partners, creating a $3M resource that can be used to support professional services to companies that are either candidates for venture capital equity or have received equity financing from Community Ventures.

For example, if Community Ventures is considering an investment opportunity with a company that needs a business plan written (or rewritten), Community Ventures may choose to fund the business plan out of the OAP pool, without obligation as to equity on either side — i.e. company is not obligated to take Community Ventures equity nor is Community Ventures obligated to provide equity having funded an OAP initiative. Should Community Ventures provide equity financing to a company, it may elect to provide additional OAP resources to the company, again at no cost to (or additional equity from) the company. Examples of qualified OAP projects include:

The Process
For a company to be considered for an OAP engagement, Community Ventures must either have an interest in considering an equity investment (see Criteria) or have already made an equity investment. Assuming that either of Community Ventures’s investment professionals has such an interest and has identified an OAP need prior to investment, Community Ventures will engage its Director of Operational Assistance to work with the company to identify and contract with a suitable professional service provider. Community Ventures will contract directly with the provider for any agreed services.