“Our mission is to create clean, quality jobs in underserved communities, low-and-moderate income communities, and to grow generational wealth for women and people of color,” explains Tracy Gray, founder and managing partner of The 22 Fund. They do it by investing “in manufacturing companies to increase their export capacity, meaning their international sales.”
WorkingNation sat down with Gray at the Milken Institute Global Conference 2021 in Beverly Hills as part of our #WorkingNationOverheard interview series. With Charting a New Course as the guiding theme, thought leaders and innovators shared ideas about the changing economy, worker development, education, tech, philanthropy, and more.
“I entered venture capital about 20 years ago and more women and people of color are coming in and starting companies, yet the numbers receiving capital have actually gone down percentage-wise,” says Gray. “I work in startup, but I also work with existing businesses. Manufacturing i