Joel Solomon is Chairman of Renewal Funds, a $98-million mission venture capital firm. He has invested in over 100 early-growth stage companies in North America, delivering above-market returns while catalyzing positive social and environmental change. Solomon spent ten years building businesses in Nashville's deteriorating urban core, where he co-founded Village Real Estate, CORE development, and the Bongo Java chain of coffee houses. Solomon is a founding member of the Social Venture Network, Business for Social Responsibility, Tides Canada, and is Board Chair of Hollyhock. He a Senior Advisor to RSF Social Finance in San Francisco.