An Update
A new Anchors Episode, the Small City Segment Portfolio, & What's Ahead
At the end of August I decided to take a break from writing on a weekly basis. I had a busy few months ahead, I needed a break, and to be honest, I just didn’t have anything new to say. I still feel that way now, but I thought it was time for an update about what I’ve been up to and what’s coming down the pipe for the rest of the year.
Anchors Ep. 4: WWVA (Wheeling, WV)
We just released our last episode in the Anchors - Wheeling series. The episode profiles the radio station WWVA - you can find it here:
If you’ve enjoyed the series and find Wheeling interesting, but still abstract, might I suggest checking out my friend Jacob’s new book, Walking in Wheeling. It’s a collection of photos from his two trips to Wheeling (I joined him for the second), along with historical quotes and writing by both he and I. If you’re so inclined, you can buy it here.
Up next for the Anchors podcast: Green Bay, WI!
Small City Segment Portfolio
In October, we made the final investment from our first fund. You can check out the entire portfolio on our website.
Since taking on the Small City Segment thesis back in July of 2023, we’ve made 8 investments into companies that we think improve life in small cities. We are already seeing some fun new collaborations happen as a result. For example, our first investment, Starlight, recently partnered with the City of South Bend in a pilot program sponsored by Georgetown University.:
Lightbend - LLMs for better resident experience — The City of South Bend Civic Innovation team and Starlight team (Lightbend) hopes to reduce rejection rates, improve approval rate, and streamline administrative processes for LIHEAP (Low Income Household Energy Assistance Program) in South Bend, Indiana by understanding the approval processes for LIHEAP and other related energy assistance programs and building LLM assisted agents to help social service workers, direct enrollment teams and outreach and support teams improve the net outcomes for eligible applicants.
Even with companies that aren’t in our portfolio, we have seen new connections happen. NuMarket, a company I profiled earlier this year, just launched their first South Bend-based campaign with one of my favorite restaurants, Cinco 5.
We are incredibly proud to be associated in a small way with these companies and look forward to sharing more about them as they progress.
Rest of the Year
Over the course of the next two months, I don’t anticipate writing much. I may pick up the weekly writing again come 2025, but that remains an open question. I’m going to be spending a lot of time on the Anchors series about Green Bay, so expect to see four new episodes released by the end of the year!
I’m also spending a lot of time researching and learning about employee ownership models, so if you’re interested in chatting more about that, please reach out. I’d love to hear from you.
As always, thanks for any time you find yourself spending reading/listening to my thoughts on small cities - I’m grateful for and humbled by it.
You can reach me at dustin@invanti.co if you want to chat more about the small city segment!