1% of every sale, into the fund
One cent of every dollar Visneo invoices, every month, goes into a dedicated fund. We publish the running balance once a year. The fund covers down payment, store buildout, first inventory, and a runway cushion.
Our pledge
The next operator.
One percent of every Visneo sale goes into a fund that helps a new independent grocery operator open their first store. Capital from us, lending partners on the senior side, and priority access to the Visneo platform from day one.
Why we built it
The store you grew up near is the one we are trying to help open.
The independent grocer is one of the most important small businesses in any neighborhood. A new one rarely opens, because the gap between knowing how to run a store and being able to open one is mostly capital and software. We can close some of that gap.
How it works
Three pieces. One operator.
Visneo, our lending partners, and the operator. Each part shows up where it belongs.
Lending partners on the senior side
We are working with SBA-aligned lenders and community CDFIs to cover the rest of the capital stack on the senior side. Visneo's pledge sits as the patient, mission-aligned slice underneath.
Priority access to the platform
The recipient runs their entire store on Visneo from day one. Operations, Finance & Compliance, Procurement, the Monday brief. Front of the line on the full roster, ahead of the waitlist, with hands-on onboarding from our team.
Who we're looking for
A first-time operator with a real plan.
This is for someone who has been around grocery their whole life, or close to it. A floor lead, a department manager, a buyer, a butcher, a baker, a long-time bagger turned manager. Someone the team already calls when things go wrong.
What we look for:
- ·Operator experience. Five-plus years on a grocery floor, in any role.
- ·A specific store in mind. A neighborhood, a building, a community that needs one.
- ·A plan we can stress test. Pro forma, vendor list, staffing plan. Not perfect, real.
- ·Independent, not corporate. Single store, owner-operator, community-owned. No franchises, no chains.
The selection
How we pick.
Open nominations, transparent shortlist, one operator funded per year.
Nominations open year-round
Anyone can nominate. Self-nominations welcome. We accept submissions through this page, our customer success team, and the Monday brief.
Shortlist published in Q4
Every fall we publish a shortlist of finalists with their stories, locations, and plans. The community helps us pull on the threads we miss.
One operator picked, every year
One recipient announced at year-end. Capital and platform access deployed in Q1. We tell their story all year and stay close through the first three years of the build.
The independent operator built the corner of the economy that we all rely on. We owe the next one a runway, not a paywall.
BT
Birju TrivediFounder, Visneo
Frequently asked
The honest questions.
Why one percent?
It is the smallest number that scales with us. As we grow, the fund grows. As we slow down, so does the fund. It stays honest both ways.
Why one operator a year?
Because we want to do it right. One full underwrite, one full buildout, one founder we can stay close to for the first three years. Volume comes later, not first.
What does Visneo get?
A story, a relationship, and one more independent operator running on Visneo. We learn from a brand-new store from day one, and we get to walk it from blueprint to opening day. That is the whole return.
What if you do not raise enough?
Then the fund waits. We are not in a rush. Patient capital is the entire point. We will fund the first operator when the math is real, not when it is convenient.
Can lenders or partners co-fund?
Yes. We are actively talking to SBA-aligned lenders, CDFIs, and community foundations. If you build capital for small business and want to participate, we want to talk.
How do I nominate someone?
Open the nomination form and tell us about the person, the neighborhood, and the store they want to build. A real person reads every one and replies inside two business days.