# Praxis

> Praxis is a VC fund in New York backing Non Profit and Social Assistance. See 178 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: New York, United States
- Total investments: 178
- Last investment: Aug 2025
- Lead investor: 17%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/praxis-labs
- X (Twitter): http://twitter.com/praxislabs
- Website: http://www.praxislabs.org
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PraxisLabs

Praxis is a VC fund in New York focused on Non Profit and Social Assistance. We are in a moment in history where entrepreneurs have disproportionate influence on everything from the social problems they work on to what they consume, practice, believe, and desire. As Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter and Square, recently declared on the cover of Forbes, "the most efficient means to spread an idea today is corporatestructure." Moreover, according to the Kauffman Foundation, 54% of millennials have started an organization or have the desire to start one. Given all of this, we believe the future of our world depends largely on the ventures the next generation creates. To create an institution for this context, we've created Praxis as a venture group, structured as a non-profit, that focuses on equipping and resourcing a growing portfolio of faith-motivated entrepreneurs who have committed their lives to cultural and social impact, renewing the spirit of their age one organization at a time. Praxis was conceived in 2010 by Dave Blanchard, then a Principal Designer at IDEO and Josh Kwan, the Director of International Giving for the David Weekley Family Foundation, and developed in collaboration with Q, a learning community that mobilizes Christians to advance the common good in society.Each year, Praxis welcomes 12 businesses and 12 nonprofits into their two Accelerator programs, where they provide the top-decision makers in these organizations with the knowledge, network, and personal discipleship necessary to build sustainable, high-impact organizations. In summer of 2014, they'll also launch Praxis Academy, a summer program focused on training Christ-following undergraduates at the intersection of faith, startups, and culture. Academy graduates will have a chance to apply for their Future Founders program, where they'll have an unique opportunity to do a summer apprenticeship with their Accelerator alumni.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for Praxis. Shizune tracks 4 team members at Praxis. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/praxis-2?utm_source=investor_profile

## Round sizes

| Stage | Round size |
| --- | --- |
| Seed | $250k–$10M |
| Venture - Series Unknown | $4.5M–$15M |

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Non Profit | 51 | 29% |
| Social Assistance | 17 | 10% |
| Education | 15 | 8% |
| Health Care | 12 | 7% |
| Social Impact | 11 | 6% |

149 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Seed | 96 | 54% |
| Venture - Series Unknown | 11 | 6% |
| Grant | 7 | 4% |
| Pre-Seed | 3 | 2% |
| Series A | 2 | 1% |

7 stages tracked in total.

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | 102 | 57% |
| Nigeria | 4 | 2% |
| Kenya | 3 | 2% |
| Malawi | 2 | 1% |
| United Kingdom | 2 | 1% |

12 countries tracked in total.

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ben Chelf | Venture Lab | 1 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ben-chelf |
| Dave Blanchard | CEO & Co-Founder | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/dave-blanchard |
| Jessica Nam Kim | Venture Partner | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/jessica-nam-kim |
| Peter Court | Fellow | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/peter-court |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Orb Aerospace | Orb Aerospace is a manufacturing company that focuses on developing an electric aircraft to revolutionize the aviation sector. Orb Aerospace was founded in 2017 and was headquartered in Lowell, Michigan. | $4.5M | Venture - Series Unknown | Aug 13, 2025 |  |
| Kokari Coconuts & Company | Kokari Coconuts & Company is an integrated coconut processing company to the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries in Nigeria and across Africa. The company uses an ERP system to track the supply of raw materials all the way to the finished product and to the inventory. |  | Non-equity Assistance | Apr 15, 2025 |  |
| OPL Academy | OPL Academy is a Lagos-based workforce development initiative that empowers artisans and construction workers through technical training, soft skills education, and ethical workplace practices, improving employability and income opportunities. |  | Grant | Jan 01, 2025 |  |
| iDebate Rwanda | iDebate Rwanda is a Kigali-based nonprofit founded in 2012 that empowers youth through debate, critical thinking, and communication training. The organization runs student training programs, debate leagues, and leadership development initiatives. |  | Grant | Jan 01, 2025 |  |
| Sharpen Recovery | Sharpen Recovery is a Texas-based nonprofit providing structured, Christ-centered recovery housing for men and women overcoming substance use disorders. Through peer support, accountability, and a 12-step foundation, it helps residents build life skills, stability, and lasting sobriety in safe community homes. |  | Grant | Jan 01, 2025 |  |
| UNDIVIDED | UNDIVIDED is a nonprofit movement dedicated to advancing racial healing, solidarity, and justice through experiential learning and community engagement. The organization equips faith and community leaders with tools to foster honest dialogue, build meaningful relationships, and promote equitable outcomes across diverse groups. Through cohortprograms, workshops, coaching, and gatherings, UNDIVIDED helps individuals and communities confront racial divisions while cultivating empathy, shared understanding, and long-term social transformation rooted in learning and action. |  | Venture - Series Unknown | Jan 01, 2025 |  |
| Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries | Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries is a Christian nonprofit dedicated to improving mental health awareness within faith communities. It offers courses, youth programs, podcasts, and church resources to help reduce stigma and promote compassionate wellbeing. |  | Grant | Jan 01, 2025 |  |
| Abara | Abara is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering peace and understanding around migration through education, dialogue, and community engagement. It creates immersive learning experiences, supports borderland communities, and promotes dignity, empathy, and cooperation across cultural and social divides. |  | Grant | Jan 01, 2025 |  |
| Corner to Corner | Corner to Corner is a Nashville-based nonprofit that co-creates economic participation with underestimated entrepreneurs through business training, mentorship, and community support, helping residents launch and grow sustainable small businesses. |  | Venture - Series Unknown | Jan 01, 2025 |  |
| Common Good Marketplace | Common Good Marketplace is an exchange for impact assets to transparently create, verify, and trade impact that advances sustainable goals. The company is driven by the purpose to direct capital to unrecognized value and the organizations delivering it. Common Good Marketplace was founded in 2020 and is based in Greensboro, North Carolina. |  | Venture - Series Unknown | Jan 01, 2025 |  |

10 of 178 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Alumni Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alumni-ventures-group) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Portfolio Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/portfolio-ventures) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Prime Movers Lab](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/prime-movers-lab) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Shadow Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/shadow-ventures) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [SOSV](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/sosv) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/the-draper-richards-kaplan-foundation) — VC Fund, 2 deals together

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## FAQ

### What does Praxis invest in?

Praxis invests primarily in Non Profit, Social Assistance and Education startups, most often at Seed and Venture - Series Unknown stage. Most of the 178 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### What is Praxis's check size?

Praxis typically joins rounds of $250k–$10M at Seed and $4.5M–$15M at Venture - Series Unknown. These ranges are 10th–90th percentile round sizes calculated from confirmed public funding rounds, so they are a realistic guide to the rounds Praxis participates in.

### How do I contact Praxis?

Public channels for Praxis include LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at Praxis?

The team at Praxis includes Ben Chelf (Venture Lab), Dave Blanchard (CEO & Co-Founder) and Jessica Nam Kim (Venture Partner). The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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