How Mission-Driven Film Directors, Social Media Influencers, and Other Creatives Are Shaping the Narrative for a Fair Financial System
We launched Flourish five years ago with a venture capital business model focused on improving the financial system so it works better for households and small businesses. The majority of our work involves investing in like-minded fintech entrepreneurs who are bringing new ideas and better ways of providing financial services to the market. We also engage with the broader ecosystem through different types of investments and partnerships. We work with policymakers, industry thought leaders, regulators, researchers, and others to help advance our financial system for the better.
To this end, we’re excited to formally announce a new ecosystem effort in Media & Money and our partnership with amazing entrepreneurs in that space.
A Deeper Dive into Our Media & Money Investment Approach
We know that a key part of helping shape a fair financial system depends on customers’ knowledge, expectations, and comfort with managing their finances. And with today’s conversations taking place largely online, through streaming movies, and across social media platforms at a phenomenal rate, the stories and advice provided are creating lasting impressions.
Through Flourish’s media efforts, we support entrepreneurs and build partnerships to create compelling content that helps improve people’s financial lives.
To launch our first set of investments, we started with a focus on narratives around women and money to promote more diverse voices, challenge biases and stereotypes, and foster greater engagement with money-focused content. We’re thrilled to highlight some of our portfolio of inspiring entrepreneurs that include social media influencers, podcast hosts, film directors, and comedians to help amplify new narratives and reach broader audiences:
The Dough Podcast – A Show for Women to Talk About Money
The Dough is a comedic podcast hosted by X Mayo (The Blackening, The Daily Show, Swarm). It features weekly conversations with reality stars, entrepreneurs, and financial experts who get real with her about their relationship with money. Our partner, Lemonada Media, produces The Dough to promote more candid and inclusive money conversations through comedy for a diverse audience of women.
The Dough was launched in the fall of 2023 at the top of the charts, landing at #11 overall on Apple Podcasts and #1 in the Business category. Amazon selected The Dough as a Top Podcast of 2023, “Ones to Watch.”
We Strangers: An Independent Film About The Challenges of Economic Inequality, Class, and Race in America
We Strangers is the debut feature film written and directed by Anu Valia, a fast-rising Hollywood writer and director known for She-Hulk, Lucia Before and After, and Afterparty. Flourish backed this film to help shift narratives around the systemic challenges that tangibly impact financial health. This film explores how women, particularly those marginalized due to class and race, navigate the daily challenges and uncomfortable situations that arise when living paycheck to paycheck in America.
The film premiered at SXSW in March 2024, and the production team is currently seeking a film buyer. A recent review in Variety said: “‘We Strangers’ proves invigorating as it captures the distance between people of different social strata and closes the gap on the dizzying individual experience of navigating America as a minority.”
Mrs. Dow Jones, Zillennial Finance Expert
Haley Sacks, aka Mrs. Dow Jones, is a financial influencer and entrepreneur known for her unique approach to making finance more accessible and entertaining for younger audiences through comedy and pop culture. Sacks was named to the Fortune "40 Under 40 in Media and Entertainment,” a “Creator of The Year” by Adweek, and The Wall Street Journal called her the “Financial Guru Millennials Listen To.” She gained popularity through her social media presence on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, with more than 1.4M followers (May 2024). We're excited to partner with Haley to empower the Gen Z and Millennial generations to shift narratives and normalize conversations about money.
Looking Forward
Flourish Ventures' media investments to-date are just the beginning. While our initial portfolio focuses on narratives around women and money, we will expand our partnerships as we explore additional themes grounded in our Fair Finance Principles. As we look forward, we will continue to strive for a financial system that works better for everyone. We believe that it takes an ecosystem to make that happen.