The posting
About Bama Kicks Foundation
The Bama Kicks Foundation works to eradicate poverty by creating pathways to economic equality.
We believe in a future where communities share ownership in the systems they sustain — and where opportunity is both accessible and regenerative.
We pursue this mission through research, advocacy, and equitable wealth distribution models such as cooperatives, unions, and employee-owned enterprises (ESOPs). Our approach is grounded in collaboration, evidence, and long-term community impact.
Our Ecosystem
To turn our mission into measurable impact, the Foundation anchors a family of aligned initiatives that work together to create sustainable economic systems:
1. Bama Kicks — Impact Investment Company
Bama Kicks is an impact-driven investment and venture-building company wholly owned by the Foundation. It funds and scales businesses that advance economic inclusion and community ownership through:
- BKVC Venture Fund – invests in early-stage, mission-aligned startups.
- SmaBizFund – offers $10K microloans to small businesses and local entrepreneurs.
- Idea Factory Venture Studio – incubates and launches new ventures rooted in community needs and equitable design.
All profits from Bama Kicks flow back to the Foundation to expand its programs and impact.
2. BKG — Agency & Consultancy
BKG is the Foundation’s in-house agency and consultancy, providing strategic, design, and operational expertise to both internal ventures and external partners.
By offering consulting services in product, brand, and systems design, BKG helps organizations adopt equitable practices while generating revenue to sustain the Foundation’s broader mission.
3. Human Development Center
The Human Development Center serves as our research and learning arm, focused on understanding how humans can progressively build and sustain equitable systems as our world evolves.
Using cross-disciplinary models, data, and human-centered research, the Center explores areas such as:
- Future of work and ownership
- Inclusive governance and cooperative economics
- Human potential, creativity, and well-being within equitable systems
Our Vision
To build an economy where ownership, opportunity, and dignity are shared — not scarce.
About the Idea Factory Venture Studio
The Idea Factory is the venture studio of the Bama Kicks Foundation, created to design, build, and launch businesses that embody economic equality through shared ownership.
We believe that the future of economic progress depends on creating systems where communities — not just investors — hold the power and benefit from the value they create. The Idea Factory exists to turn that belief into action.
Our studio develops and supports ventures such as:
- Worker cooperatives and employee-owned enterprises that give people a stake in their labor.
- Community-driven startups and social enterprises that reinvest profits locally.
- Impact-driven commercial ventures that combine financial sustainability with measurable social good.
Through a combination of research, funding, and operational expertise, the Idea Factory helps transform promising ideas into scalable, equitable businesses. Each venture is built using a cross-disciplinary model that integrates data, human development research, and inclusive design to ensure long-term viability and community benefit.
At its core, the Idea Factory is not just about building companies — it’s about building new models of prosperity that redefine what ownership, opportunity, and success look like.
About the Role
The Venture Manager leads the design, development, and scaling of new ventures emerging from the Idea Factory — including cooperatives, employee-owned organizations, and other equitable business models. This role blends entrepreneurship, product strategy, and systems thinking to help turn early-stage ideas into self-sustaining enterprises that advance economic justice.
Key Responsibilities
- Venture Development: Build and manage the lifecycle of new ventures — from ideation and validation to launch and early-stage growth.
- Equitable Business Design: Develop and test models for co-ops, community-owned enterprises, and employee-owned organizations that create shared prosperity.
- Strategy & Execution: Build business models, go-to-market strategies, and operational plans tailored to each venture’s mission and market.
- Collaboration: Coordinate with founders, community partners, researchers, and foundation teams to ensure ventures align with Bama Kicks’ values and equity goals.
- Funding & Partnerships: Help ventures access early capital through the foundation’s funds, grants, and outside partners.
- Systems & Playbooks: Create frameworks and shared processes that enable efficient, equitable venture building.
- Impact Tracking: Define and track both financial and social performance metrics — emphasizing inclusion, ownership distribution, and community benefit.
- Portfolio Support: Guide multiple ventures at once, providing leadership, structure, and accountability across the studio.
Qualifications
- 6+ years in venture building, entrepreneurship, product management, or social innovation.
- Experience designing or managing co-ops, employee-owned models, or community-based ventures a plus.
- Strong understanding of inclusive business design, impact measurement, and sustainable economics.
- Skilled in lean startup, business modeling, and cross-functional leadership.
- Passionate about economic justice, shared ownership, and building new systems for equitable growth.
What We Offer
- Opportunity to shape and launch ventures that model new forms of equitable ownership.
- Work in a mission-driven ecosystem connecting funding, operations, and human development research.
- Collaboration with experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and community leaders.
- Competitive compensation, performance-based incentives, and equity opportunities within ventures.
