The Project
MSI Integrity, a research nonprofit working to redefine the corporate form to center workers in the governance and ownership of the economy, collected information on past and present catalytic capital deployments in employee ownership in the United States. There are estimated to be as many as 7,000 employee-owned firms in the U.S., with some employing as many as 200,000 workers. Finance has the potential to play a central role in scaling this sector. Given that there are more than 20,000 start-ups, mergers, and acquisitions transactions in the U.S. annually, there is a large opportunity for finance to support conversions to employee ownership. This project mapped the key catalytic capital providers along with an overview of different transaction types, sizes, and structures.
Value and Outcomes
MSI Integrity provided technical detail and updated analysis on employee ownership finance in order to inform potential investors on this growing opportunity. It is timely, offering the chance to study the recent experimentation in employee ownership, as investors increasingly consider ways to reimagine capitalism and support workers.
Through interviews with investors, worker/owners, and leaders in the employee ownership community, the project highlighted the impact of catalytic capital in the sector, considered under-explored vehicles for finance, and outlined potential pathways to scale.
For more information on MSI Integrity, visit their website.