Rooted & Rising: How We Got Here
Our journey is written in the stars. Tap one to begin exploring.
2016
Jessica Norwood founds RUNWAY Roots, and launches the organization with the support of strategic partners Konda Mason and Rani Langer-Croager to redefine friends-and-family funding and close the capital gap for Black entrepreneurs. Seeded by the Nathan Cummings Fellowship, the organization launches with a mission to disrupt economic structures and build Black wealth.
2017
RUNWAY Roots partners with Self-Help Federal Credit Union to pilot Friends & Family Funding, an innovative CD investment strategy, deploying our first loans in Oakland and supporting Black entrepreneurs with flexible capital.
2018
We expand to Boston through a partnership with Berkshire Bank, introducing community-led underwriting and building deeper, trust-based funding relationships rooted in care and commitment. The lessons we learned through this partnership would go on to shape the very foundation of the funds we build today.
2020
As the pandemic takes hold, The Runway Project evolves into RUNWAY, marking a bold new chapter. In the same year, we launch a groundbreaking Universal Basic Income program to support Black entrepreneurs and work with banks to renegotiate compassionate loan terms in response to the pandemic crisis. We also co-create the REAL People's Fund, a democratically governed capital fund designed to serve BIPOC-owned businesses across the Bay Area.
2021
RUNWAY Roots announces the intention to launch the RUNWAY ROOTED Fund, a bold investment initiative for Black entrepreneurs in the South. This fund pioneers the concept of reparative capital—funding designed to repair historical harm and build lasting, equitable financial infrastructure.
2022
Jessica Norwood introduces Believe-in-You Money and a framework of six principles to transform financial relationships by centering love, trust, and economic justice for Black entrepreneurs.
2023
Jessica publishes Believe in You Money: What Would It Look Like If the Economy Loved Black People?, capturing the philosophy behind RUNWAY Roots and offering a blueprint for trust-based investing in Black communities.
2024
The ROOTED Fund scales to a $50M national effort, offering wraparound support and community-driven policy advocacy—positioning RUNWAY Roots as a national leader in reparative capital.
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