Nikishka Iyengar, CEO of The Guild, discusses the democratization and Governance of assets Broadly

Vernon Interviews Nikishka Iyengar, founder and CEO of The Guild, a social enterprise, focused on building community wealth through real estate and entrepreneurship programs. Nakishka is also the owner of the Whole Systems Collective, an impact consulting and media firm with a focus on working towards a just and regenerative economy. Nikishka and Vernon discuss the democratization and governance of assets broadly, with a specific emphasis on business and real estate.

The Guild was recently awarded $25,000 as a recipient of the 2020 Co-op Innovation Award, to support its mission of building community wealth through real estate, entrepreneurship programs, and access to capital, creating equitable and sustainable communities by addressing the root causes of economic inequality.

The grant will help The Guild democratize ownership of businesses and real estate through a racial equity lens, and support its "whole systems" approach to providing technical assistance to Black and Brown enterprises through its Community Wealth Building Accelerator; launch its Integrated Capital Fund that will coordinate and deploy different types of capital and investments to entrepreneurs of color; and launch the Groundcover Community Investment Trust to introduce an alternative real estate development model to the Atlanta community.