SunRun teams with Virgance to finance solar for consumers

SunRun teams with Virgance to finance solar for consumers

Hard economic times mean fewer consumers will shell out for expensive solar panels. Also hard hit are startups that offer no-money-down programs to lease panels or buy their power but can’t find banks to partner with. So, teaming with SunRun — one of the few… Continue Reading

Virgance gets funding, deal to install solar for businesses

Virgance gets funding, deal to install solar for businesses

Virgance, a San Francisco startup with multiple business lines all focusing on social activism, has scored $750,000 in seed funding and is also unveiling a new deal that should help it install more solar panels on roofs around the Bay Area.

We’ve covered Virgance before, although… Continue Reading

Virgance snaps up 1 Block Off the Grid to give solar buyers more power

Virgance snaps up 1 Block Off the Grid to give solar buyers more power

Social activism startup Virgance is no slow mover. The San Francisco startup, which last month took the wraps off two projects aiming to change the behavior of corporations through consumer buying power and help intelligently distribute philanthropic wealth, has acquired a solar-power cooperative effort called… Continue Reading

Will “social capital” be the next big industry to emerge?

Will “social capital” be the next big industry to emerge?

It’s new enough that there’s not even a commonly accepted term for it. Some call it “social capital” or “social entrepreneurism”, others “blended value”, and some choose the Starbucksian name “double-triple bottom line.” You might just call it making money from doing good.

Microcredit is the… Continue Reading

Virgance gives philanthropy a proletarian twist

Virgance gives philanthropy a proletarian twist

For many years, giving large amounts of money to charity, or affecting the moral choices of major companies, has mainly been the province of elite donors and the corporations themselves. Changing this status quo seems difficult — there’s simply a huge divide between those who have… Continue Reading