"We do not exist for ourselves alone, and it is only when we are fully convinced of this fact that we begin to love ourselves properly and thus also love others." Thomas Merton's words carry greater meaning for many this time of year. The 20th century Trappist monk, Franciscan philosopher and social activist expressed them in one of his most notable works, "No Man Is An Island." Merton's spirituality was forged while he was a professor at St. Bonaventure University during The Great Depression. There, he spent time with mentors Thomas Plassman and Father Irenaeus Herscher, O.F.M.. What are Merton's words, or the word "love" doing on a venture capital fund's website? Brown and White Ventures was formed as an expression of support for the university where Merton taught. To appeal to its most likely investors (alumni) the fund seeks investments that apply Franciscan values to its choices. Portfolio companies—their founders and teams, their products and services—must seek to do well by doing well for others. Why would a new venture capital fund establish such a threshold? It appears to be one that could limit the fund's ability to do its most important job: make its limited partners as much money as possible? The fund finds it be be a benefit, driven by the passion of those involved who wish to contribute to the world, beyond their bottom line. Brown and White Ventures found this in KAV's designs on saving lives, through its helmet design. There is also its commitment to being the only cycling helmet maker in the U.S., a design that creates domestic jobs. GreenIRR and Paradigm Emissions Technologies share the mission of reducing carbon emissions, through accurate measurement and reporting and systematic reduction of the environmental hazard. In miRecule, we watch with great anticipation as its teams develop RNA therapy innovations that may help anyone receive more powerfully-directed treatment for significant disease. Hello Package deepens security, reliability, safety and efficiency in the service it provides to the package delivery and property development sectors. Finta's leveraging of AI and startup financing expands opportunity for any entrepreneur, creating ripples well beyond its Saas. To improve citizens' experience with the legal system, and make stronger legal counsel available for all, Counsel Stack built a citator to most effectively find accurate notations of legal precedent that attorneys and law firms may deliver to the courts. Our society's social safety net is unified through wellconnected. It allows nonprofits, public agencies and funders to best serve people most in need. And in each founder and CEO of the fund's portfolio, Brown and White Ventures sees in their actions, and hears in their words, Merton's outlook, and the values many of our limited partners manifested through their experience in the Enchanted Mountains. Being well-intentioned in venture capital investment could be considered admirable, or, something less. Brown and White Ventures believes in this ethos as much as the fund's co-founders do. It matches their acknowledgment of the fund's commitment to deliver at least ten percent of its net profits to St. Bonaventure University as a charitable contribution.

Respect, out of the gate: wellconnected has enjoyed it, and so has the startup's new lead on the frontlines. Mary Ruelle joined wellconnected in Q1 as its new Director of Higher Education and Workforce Development. Ruelle's arrival marked a significant step in the company’s expansion into new sectors. "It's a great next step in our journey," Ruelle said. "To be around such great people at wellconnected, and to share their vision for coordinated, collaborative care, is a mission I believe in with all my heart." In the newly created role, Ruelle leads efforts to introduce wellconnected’s ‘allco’ platform to colleges, universities, and workforce development organizations. Her work focuses on designing solutions that connect students and community members to coordinated care systems—supporting academic achievement, career readiness, and long-term stability. “This is a really exciting moment for wellconnected as ‘allco’ use cases continue to grow, and the higher ed/workforce industry has the same need of coordinated, collaborative support,” said Duane Conners, founder and CEO of wellconnected. “Mary is an emerging talent who already commands tremendous respect in that world and we’re so excited to watch her introduce our solution to a new group of customers.” Ruelle previously served as director of strategic talent initiatives at TechBuffalo, where she led the flagship PowerUp Tech internship program. During her tenure, the Buffalo native helped connect more than 500 high-performing college students with leading employers across the Buffalo region. It moves wellconnected forward, five years into its endeavor to strengthen the social safety net through technology. Its ‘allco’ platform enables nonprofits, funders, and public agencies to collaborate more effectively and addresses longstanding fragmentation across the sector. The company has already expanded into New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, and Illinois, where adoption is being driven by government partners and foundations reaching thousands of nonprofits. Conners said Ruelle’s skills enable wellconnected to accelerate its push into higher education and workforce ecosystems.

Shipping fleet operators are learning how they can prove the ROI of every operational decision their fleet makes with the Saas platform arriving from GreenIRR. The company operating out of the Brooklyn Navy Yards is an emerging “evidence engine” designed to bring hard data and accountability to fleet performance. As margins tighten and sustainability expectations grow, fleet operators are under increasing pressure to do more than optimize—they need to demonstrate results. GreenIRR is built for exactly that shift, transforming everyday operational decisions into measurable, verifiable outcomes. GreenIRR, fleets can: Quantify the MPG impact of new tractor purchases Measure the real-world effectiveness of idle reduction programs Compare alternative fuel performance at the individual asset level Automatically generate audit-ready emissions reports for CDP, EcoVadis, and SmartWay One fleet reduced emissions reporting time by 99%, turning what was once a manual, time-intensive process into a near-instant workflow. Another cut annual fuel spend by 3%—and leveraged that data to win 7% more business in competitive bids. The gains did not require new trucks or capital investment. The advantage came from better decisions—backed by defensible data. GreenIRR's impact signals a broader shift in the industry. Efficiency is no longer enough on its own. Verification becomes the differentiator. Fleets that can prove their performance are gaining an edge not just in cost control, but in customer trust and market positioning. GreenIRR’s message is simple: Operate efficiently. Prove it. Compete differently.