ENVESTED D U R H A M ’ S
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Basing her tech company here wasn’t part of the plan, but Isa Watson fell in love with the Bull City’s vibrant entrepreneurial community
ask anybody for advice or guidance. Some of these people are world names, world-renowned in their field. I just thought that this was too amazing to walk away from.
ISA HONED HER SKILLS IN CORPORATE America but found herself eager to use her talents to give back. She was also motivated to honor her late father, Doval, who tragically died when the bus he had chartered to bring local teens to Hampton University’s Open House Day crashed in April 2013. With the development of her social networking/giving platform Envested, Isa bridges the gap between millennials and nonprofits by connecting younger community members with causes they care about.
How has being here shaped your company? “From a talent perspective, I’ve gotten so lucky in being able to recruit and retain some really talented people who are just great individuals. Durham also has such a strong, vibrant nonprofit community. The response from them … I was so impressed. I don’t think in some other cities I’ve lived in, I would have been able to get so many responses from people just by calling them cold. A lot of times you’ll hear investors and entrepreneurs from other places just trying to focus on what’s best for them; I think that here, being around the types of people and companies that I am, it’s a reminder that I can actually do something that’s not only in my best interest, but in the community’s best interest. And they can exist together. – Laura Zolman Kirk DM
Did you plan to start Envested in Durham? No. I said, “I’m building a technology platform, so that means I need to be in Silicon Valley.” And I had a lot of mentors out there as well. I said, “I’m just going to move home for two months, build out this product, and then pack up my bags and move to Silicon Valley.” What changed your mind? I came home to Chapel Hill, literally Googled co-working spaces, and found American Underground. I thought I was going to be here for a second, but when I got here, it was so unbelievable – the amount of resources and support you find within the AU community, but also being in Durham, which has this amazing entrepreneurship flavor right now. I feel like I can
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PHOTO BY RICK CRANK
Isa grew up in Chapel Hill, graduating from Chapel Hill High School, but started her professional life in New England, beginning in Connecticut at biopharmaceutical giant Pfizer before moving to JPMorgan Chase in New York City. In 2015, Isa moved back to the Triangle and launched Envested soon afterward.
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Launched in September 2015, Envested was conceptualized just a few months beforehand.
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Beginning with two employees, Envested’s first office was in the general co-working space of American Underground @Main Street. Their current office is also in AU @Main, but they have now upgraded to a five-person office.
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60 Triangle nonprofits joined Envested during its first enrollment wave.
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The app was downloaded more than 200 times during its first weekend on the Apple Store, no marketing needed.
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