RECAP: The Quarterly FCI Forum: Evangelical Christian approaches to faith-consistent investing

At the FCI Quarterly Forum held on December 4, FaithInvest explored Evangelical Christian Approaches to Faith-consistent Investing​ with guest speakers from Sovereign's Capital, a leading provider of capital and strategic partnership to companies and funds led by faith-driven teams with the potential for outsized returns and impact.

Our guest speakers were Jake Thomsen, Managing Partner, Venture Capital, who addressed the ways Biblically-centered companies come into being and grow, and Matt Monson, Partner and Portfolio Manager, who discussed how the Equity team at Sovereign's Capital invests in public companies led by faith-driven CEOs seeking both performance and human flourishing. 

Our two presenters provided powerful examples of how faith values can inform not only the early stage founding of companies from a wide range of industries but also how the faith-based nature of such organizations can persist once they become larger, publicly traded companies.

Jake's presentation, A Redemptive Approach to Venture Capital, focused on the nature of start ups that have embraced human flourishing as foundational to their mission. Jake shared examples of start up companies that demonstrate this philosophy, such as Passage Health, which is 'on a mission to improve the quality and accessibility of care available to autistic individuals through software solutions', and Valar Atomics, which seeks to 'deliver abundant clean energy to power humanity's future,' and in doing so address the concerns of many over climate and fossil fuel emissions.

In addition to supporting portfolio companies in their business activities, Jake described how 'faith driven investors have a unique role to encourage and equip founders from the perspective of their faith', stressing the critical importance of community and networking to keep on track, a philosophy that FaithInvest shares.

Next, Matt Monson delivered remarks on A Redemptive Approach to Public Equities, using the process of Sovereign's Flourish Fund (SOVF) as an example of faith-driven equity investing in practice.

Within public equities, the Flourish Fund's focus on the inclusion of faith-aligned companies, rather than simply the exclusion of companies that don't fit with faith values, speaks to a proactive approach that will resonate with many faith-based asset owners who are looking to be more impactful in their portfolios. 

As with Jake's presentation, Matt stressed the importance of networking, fellowship, and support for faith-based investing, describing a program of CEO Roundtables, where Sovereign's invites public company CEOs to adopt best practices and learn from one another. So far they have conducted five such roundtables, with the CEOs of companies representing approximately 400,000 employees.

As an example of a company that evokes strong Christian values, 'the ROI of caring for your team', Matt described the remarkable faith and business journey of Dan Fachner, CEO and Chairman J&J Snack Foods. A link to a Faith Driven Investors video about Dan was included in the deck or can be viewed HERE - highly recommended!

To see the slide deck and watch the recording, click the buttons below.

We'll have information soon regarding the Quarterly Forum schedule for 2026 and we look forward to seeing you!