Organic Ventures finds funding for green companies
Business Plan Master, Oct. 5, 2005

There's a mother/daughter team in Scottsdale, Arizona, that is capitalizing on a unique niche: finding financing for socially responsible companies.

Rochelle and Stephanie Lebhar, the owners of Organic Ventures, specialize in in seeking out companies and investors interested in sustainable industries, such as solar power, the "green" building industry, organic food and body products, and wind energy.

Once a viable company has been located, Organic Ventures writes the business plan, and then submits it to their investor base. Organic Ventures takes a cut when the company is funded.

What more could a new company ask for?

The women come with strong credentials. Stephanie Lebhar has worked in the financial industry for 15 years. She traded commodities, equities, and fixed income securities for international brokerage firms in New York and Arizona.

While people have been surprised by the "green company" focus, the Lebhars know this is an exploding market. According to the Organic Trade Association, the U.S. organic market alone is projected to reach $30.7 billion by 2007 -- a compound growth rate of 21.4 percent from 2002.

Rochelle and Stephanie say that their only regret is that so few companies that they focus on actually come from Arizona. Their client base now stretches across the country.

Organic Ventures is on the outlook for new companies to sponsor. If yours is a "green" company, this is your target.