Scroll along to learn about major milestones in Jenna's career, and how they have interconnected to lead to her current mission.
Jenna Nicholas is the founder and CEO of Impact Experience, an organization focused on building collaborations and addressing equity across climate, healthcare and education. She also founded Phoenix Global Impact, a firm specializing in impact investing and strategic philanthropy. As an Investment Partner at One Planet VC, Jenna invests in transformative early-stage businesses, especially those with a focus on contributing to the betterment of the world. Her leadership has been key in shaping corporate development strategies, including mergers, acquisitions and integrations, and she serves as the Vice President of Stanford Angels and Entrepreneurs, a community of over 1,500 investors and entrepreneurs.
Jenna is deeply committed to promoting equity through impact investing, focusing on areas such as climate, healthcare, education, and sustainable finance. She prioritizes socially conscious businesses, with much of a focus on investing in founders who have been overlooked and underestimated. Her work extends to capital-building initiatives for overlooked communities and promoting equitable investment processes. She previously helped to build a coalition of over 170 foundations representing over $50 billion in assets under management and worked with them to align their investments with new economy solutions.
Jenna is a Stanford MBA graduate. She has also co-taught a course on business ethics and sustainability at Tsinghua School of Economics and Management in China. In addition, Jenna received an International Relations Honors Degree from Stanford University, and studied International Development at Oxford University. She is also an Advisor to Tulane University’s Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Her global engagement includes advising on impact investing and ethical business practices in both local and international settings. Jenna is fluent in bridging cultural and geographical divides, using her expertise to influence global sustainability and development efforts.
As a leader in sustainability, Jenna spearheads projects aimed at mitigating climate change through initiatives such as Business Climate Finance, which she founded to inspire corporations to decarbonize their financial assets. She has also worked on post-hurricane recovery efforts and sustainable agriculture, ensuring that communities hit hardest by environmental challenges have the resources to rebuild and thrive. Her work with the World Bank Treasury on green bonds further reflects her commitment to integrating sustainability into finance and business practices.
Jenna has served as a trusted advisor to several influential organizations, including the Nexus Global Youth Summit and Apollo Global Management's Impact Fund Advisory Committee, where she helped shape sustainable investment strategies. She has been recognized for her leadership and contributions to social entrepreneurship, having spoken at TedX Portland and earned accolades such as Forbes 30 under 30 and the Stanford Social Innovation Fellowship. Jenna is actively engaged in guiding businesses, investors, and communities toward more ethical and equitable practices.
Jenna Nicholas is the co-founder and CEO of Impact Experience which is focused on addressing equity across climate, healthcare, education and investments. Impact Experience applies insights from the disciplines of systems transformation and organizational development, design thinking, somatic psychology, and experiential learning to build bridges between organizations and among people that catalyze collaboration and investment. Impact Experience tackles society's most pressing issues including post-hurricane rebuilding efforts in New Orleans, Houston and Puerto Rico, workforce training programs in former coal economy driven communities in West Virginia, building capital in people of color and women-run businesses, equitable and inclusive investment processes, supporting sustainable agriculture practices and working with corporations to integrate more of a climate focus into their retirement accounts and bank deposits. Jenna is currently spearheading the Business Climate Finance initiative through Impact Experience to decarbonize corporate bank accounts and retirement funds.
Jenna is also the Investment Partner of One Planet VC where she invests in early-stage businesses in transformative industries, such as climate, healthcare, education technology, marketplaces, media, and the future of mobility. There is a focus on investing into socially conscious companies, at least 60% of which are run by women and people of color. Jenna has also led Corporate Development for One Planet Group which incubates, operates and invests in businesses. She has led the acquisition and integration of three companies over the course of 15 months. Jenna formerly founded Phoenix Global Impact, a firm that specializes in impact investing, social entrepreneurship, and strategic philanthropy. Through her firm, she project-managed Divest-Invest Philanthropy, a coalition of foundations, divesting from investments in fossil fuels and reinvesting in new economy solutions. Jenna spoke at TedX Portland about the Divest-Invest work.
Jenna is also an active angel investor and has invested in over three unicorns. Jenna has also worked with the World Bank Treasury on green bonds and other sustainability projects and with Toniic helping to support an impact investing community. She has worked closely with the Calvert Special Equities team, actively investing in companies and funds in the areas of education technology, financial inclusion, renewable energy, and sustainable agriculture. She is an advisor to the Nexus Global Youth Summit and Ethic, an online impact investing platform. Jenna graduated from Stanford University with an International Relations Honors Degree during which time she also read International Development at Oxford University.
Jenna is a Stanford Graduate School of Business MBA graduate, a PD Soros Fellow for New Americans, recipient of the Stanford Social Innovation Fellowship, an Echoing Green Fellow, Forbes 30 under 30 for Social Entrepreneurship, a Summit fellow, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a coach for the Roddenberry Foundation and a Young Leaders Council member of Milken Institute. She also serves on the Investment Committee of the Wayfarer Foundation. Jenna also served on the Impact Advisory Committee for Apollo Global Management. Jenna has special links with China and co-taught a course at Tsinghua School of Economics and Management on Business Ethics, Sustainability, and Impact Investing. Jenna also co-chairs the Emerging Leaders Council of LISC, a community development finance institution that has invested over $1.5 billion into community development projects. Jenna is the Vice President of Stanford Angels and Entrepreneurs, a community of over 1500 entrepreneurs and investors. She is an active member of the Baháí Faith.
Companies Jenna is currently working with, as well as past projects & investments.
Impact Experience is focused on addressing equity across healthcare, climate, education and investments. Impact Experience applies insights from and combine elements of the disciplines of systems transformation and organizational development, design thinking, and somatic psychology and experiential learning curricula that builds bridges not only between organizations but between people. Click here to visit the Impact Experience website.
Impact Experience is the Secretariat for The Business for Climate Finance Initiative (www.businessclimatefinance.org) which is focused on working with companies to decarbonize their bank deposits and retirement accounts.
Leading investments for One Planet VC into early stage companies in transformative industries such as climate, education technology, healthcare and media. More info here.
Previously led Corporate Development for One Planet Group, including mergers and acquisitions.
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Tech Crunch Article
In this role, Jenna reviews and analyzes impact investment opportunities for the Wayfarer foundation.
Jenna is coaching current and alumni Roddenberry fellows.
The Milken Institute Young Leaders Circle (YLC) includes intellectually curious, motivated and philanthropic young professionals
Ethic is an automated investment advisor that helps responsible investors build and optimize investment portfolios based on their specific needs and values.
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