Upstart Co-Lab

Upstart Co-Lab is an organization that connects impact investing to the creative economy, aiming to drive social and economic impact. Since its inception in 2016, it has mobilized $45 million in grants and impact capital, co-created the NYC Inclusive Creative Economy Fund, and garnered international attention for its work in the creative economy. The organization focuses on sectors such as fashion, food, film & TV, and video games, targeting seed and early-stage companies led by BIPOC and women entrepreneurs. Upstart Co-Lab's approach prioritizes investments that deliver quality jobs, vibrant communities, and sustainable creative lives. It also conducts an influence strategy to unlock artists, art patrons, and endowed cultural institutions as new cohorts of impact investors, viewing the creative sector as a new source of impact capital. The Inclusive Creative Economy Strategy is accepting program-related investments from foundations, recoverable grants from donor-advised funds, and mission-related investments from endowed nonprofit arts and culture organizations through December 2025. Upstart Co-Lab is a fiscally sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.