# Kesha Cash

> Kesha Cash is the Founder and General Partner of Impact America Fund, the largest VC firm in America run entirely by a Black woman. Based in Oakland, California, she manages $65 million across two funds, backing technology-enabled startups that serve low-to-moderate income and overlooked communities. Her portfolio includes Esusu (a fintech unicorn), Mayvenn, SoLo Funds, and CareAcademy. A former Wall Street analyst who grew up on a farm in South Carolina and was the first in her family to attend college, Cash draws on lived experience of economic inequality to identify billion-dollar opportunities that traditional investors routinely miss.

- **Role:** Founder & General Partner at Impact America Fund
- **Organizations:** Impact America Fund, Jalia Ventures, Merrill Lynch, Bridges Ventures, Aspen Institute, Columbia Business School
- **From:** South Carolina, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Applied Mathematics, UC Berkeley, M.B.A., Columbia University
- **Known for:** Runs the largest VC firm in America led entirely by a Black woman ($65M under management), Managed two funds totaling $65M with 25 portfolio companies, Achieved one unicorn (Esusu, $1B valuation) and three acquisitions/exits

## Career timeline

- **2006-2008** — Mergers & Acquisitions Analyst at Merrill Lynch, New York
- **2008-2009** — Operational consultant to inner-city small businesses in Los Angeles and Puerto Rico
- **2009** — Impact Investments Associate at Bridges Ventures, London (summer)
- **2010** — Graduated with M.B.A. from Columbia University
- **2010** — Co-founded Jalia Ventures with Josh Mailman; deployed $5M across 10 mission-driven companies
- **2013** — Founded Impact America Fund in Oakland, California
- **2014** — Impact America Fund's first fund closed at $10 million
- **2016** — Stanford Graduate School of Business featured Impact America Fund as a case study
- **2018** — Named one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business
- **2020** — Second fund (Fund II) closed at $55 million with 67 limited partners including MacArthur, Ford, and Kellogg foundations
- **2022** — Portfolio company Esusu reached unicorn status ($1 billion valuation)
- **2025** — POWER100 Family Honoree

## Achievements

- Runs the largest VC firm in America led entirely by a Black woman ($65M under management)
- Managed two funds totaling $65M with 25 portfolio companies
- Achieved one unicorn (Esusu, $1B valuation) and three acquisitions/exits
- Named Forbes Top Five Gamechanger
- Named Essence Power Investor
- Fast Company 100 Most Creative People in Business (2018)
- Stanford GSB Case Study subject (2016)
- Co-founded Jalia Ventures, deploying $5M across 10 mission-driven companies of color
- Built a portfolio where 80% of companies are led by people of color and 46% by women
- Fund II backed by 67 LPs including MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation

## Latest updates

- **2025** — Named POWER100 Family Honoree
- **2022-01** — Portfolio company Esusu reached unicorn status with $1 billion valuation
- **2020-10** — Impact America Fund II closed at $55M with 67 limited partners

## Links

- Website: https://impactamericafund.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/keshacash
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/KeshaCashIAFund

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kesha-cash
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-18