Venture Capital & Private Equity - Portland, Oregon, United States
Upstream 21 is an Oregon corporation, based in Portland, that was formed in 2004 to put financial and other resources to work in successful, privately held small companies and help them improve their financial, social and environmental performance. We acquire small, locally owned, private companies with products or services and business practices that are designed to benefit and sustain their employees, their communities and the environment (Upstream Companies). Upstream 21's mission is to create a family of such businesses by acquiring them and operating them as wholly-owned subsidiaries. These companies will be diverse in the types of products and services they offer, but will share principles and business practices designed to improve their performance as companies and as members of their communities. The Company assists the growth and development of these Upstream Companies by providing expertise in management, strategic decision-making and social and environmental responsibility, as well as providing access to capital and other resources. By purhcasing these businesses and helping them grow, Upstream 21 becomes a catalyst for advancing local economies that build -- rather than erode -- the natural, social and economic capital in communities. This is community investing in its most direct form -- putting equity to work in rural and urban areas (including low-income areas) to build responsible, financially successful local companies with sustainable practices that will increase jobs and strengthen local economies and communities.