Alexandria Lafci is a social entrepreneur and venture capitalist dedicated to closing the housing gap.[1] For her efforts towards building affordable housing, she has been named a Forbes 30 Under 30.[2]
Early life
editAlexandria Lafci grew up in Section 8 housing and endured housing instability growing up.[1]
She attended Boston University where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in international relations.[3]
Career
editAfter graduating from college, she worked for Teach for America for two years teaching sixth grade English, and then worked in operations management for an industrial supply firm in Atlanta.[3] She has said that nearly one-third of all the students she taught in Washington, DC experienced homelessness during the school year.[4]
New Story
editIn 2014, Lafci met her co-founders at a social entrepreneurship gathering, and they started the non-profit New Story with the aim to build affordable homes for people living with inadequate shelter. They applied and were accepted into Y-Combinator in 2015. Since then, New Story has built more than 2,000 homes across Haiti, El Salvador, Mexico, and Bolivia; it focuses on building clusters of houses and gives full ownership to families.[5] New Story has partnered with 3-D printing companies and has stated that they can print a new, 600 square foot home for under $4,000 within 24 hours.[6]
Hometeam Ventures
editIn 2021, Lafci founded the venture fund Hometeam Ventures with the goal of investing into startups in the construction and housing industries in order to close the housing gap. The fund raised $18 million dollars, which is one of the largest fundraises for a Black female general partner; a notable investor was Alexis Ohanian.[7]
External Links
edit- Hometeam Ventures
- Alexandria Lafci on Instagram
- Alexandria Lafci on X
- Alexandria Lafci on LinkedIn
- Alexandria Lafci at Crunchbase
- New Story's channel on YouTube
- "Mexico: 3D Printed Home" Season finale. Two innovative companies team up to create the world's first 3D-printed community for an impoverished Mexican town. at IMDb
References
edit- ^ a b Peters, Adele (August 24, 2023). "Why this new VC fund is using drones and steel to tackle the housing crisis". Fast Company. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Brett Hagler, 22, Alexandria Lafci, 26, Matthew Marshall, 25 - 2016-07-07 - 2016 30 Under 30: Social Entrepreneurs". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
- ^ a b "Making a Better World, from Neuroscience to Sandwiches". Bostonia. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "3D Printing For Good: How One Nonprofit Is "Printing" Homes For Families In Need". unfoundation.org. 2018-08-02. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ Avery, Dan (2017-11-01). "In the Midst of Political Crisis and Uncertainty, Affordable Housing Remains Scarce in Haiti". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "3D Printing For Good: How One Nonprofit Is "Printing" Homes For Families In Need". unfoundation.org. 2018-08-02. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
- ^ "How Alexandria Lafci Exceeded Her Goal And Ended Up Behind One Of The Largest Raises For A Black Female General Partner". Yahoo Finance. 2023-08-24. Retrieved 2024-07-15.