Known and Microsoft working to Evaluate Opportunities for Green Infrastructure While Creating Economic Sustainability for Tribal Communities
New York, NY, August 22, 2024—Known is serving as a consultant to Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund to advise and review innovative models for green infrastructure projects, given their expertise in project finance, green infrastructure, financial advisory, tribal finance, renewable energy and providing access to low cost capital from the private, public, and non-profit sectors.
In July of 2023, Microsoft engaged Known, a firm committed to promoting social and environmental sustainability through innovative financial strategies, to advise and review models for the financing of sustainable infrastructure projects with a variety of stakeholders, including Native American tribal nations. The financing structures include both equity and debt tranches, including federal dollars. Known is advising on initial project financing as well as mapping ways to replicate project design and funding.
“Infrastructure projects such as renewable fuels plants often have strong cashflow margins, so they have the potential to shift the economy for tribal nations while making a healthy impact on the planet.” said Jim Casselberry, CEO and co-founder of Known, and board chair of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI). “We see an opportunity to build a model for green infrastructure using low-cost capital that can be duplicated. Ultimately, we want to create a sustainable industry for communities that have historically lacked these opportunities.”
“When we announced our $1B Climate Innovation Fund in 2020, our investment initiative to accelerate technology development and deployment of new climate innovations, we made climate equity a critical piece of our approach,” said Morgan Collins, Microsoft Director of Impact Investments. “The potential for new green infrastructure facilities with tribal nations, with the guidance and expertise of Known, is a part of our desire to accelerate a clean energy future.”
Known’s leadership team, comprised of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian-American cofounders, is committed to creating transformative change in the financial sector. Since the firm’s launch in 2021, Known has rapidly emerged as a driving force in the financial world, with specialized expertise in generating growth, ownership and wealth in the economy powered by underrepresented founders and fund managers. They are supported by a team of accomplished financial professionals, seasoned investors and deeply experienced business leaders who share their vision for equitable and sustainable growth.
About Known:
Founded in 2021, Known works with founders, families and asset owners who value powerful, long-term impact. The firm manages, structures, and shifts capital in ways that are healthy for the planet and the people on it. Known’s diverse team of financial professionals, seasoned investors and experienced business leaders is passionately committed to promoting social and environmental sustainability through innovative financial strategies.
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This press release and its content are for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any particular security.
