The push to move impact-focused investment opportunities from promising pilot to permanent institution has long been hampered by a missing layer of support. A new formalized partnership between two firms in this space aims to close that gap by combining investment expertise with fund-building technology.
Following multiple client wins, Mission Driven Finance and Known formalize long-term partnership designed to support innovative fund managers and businesses.
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, October 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Mission Driven Finance (MDF) and Known Holdings are deepening a strategic relationship aimed at addressing one of the most persistent challenges facing innovative fund managers and businesses: the infrastructure required to turn early traction into lasting scale.
The collaboration brings together MDF’s experience supporting allocators, investment managers, and businesses with Built, Fund as a Service, the fund infrastructure platform developed by Known, helping more capital reach the people and organizations already building impactful solutions in their communities.
At its core is a belief that MDF and Known share: many of today’s most promising private market opportunities have merit and are already showing early results, but need scaffolding to scale. Across the country, businesses, real estate projects, and fund managers are tackling real-world challenges and demonstrating traction. Many remain subscale, not for lack of performance or demand, but for lack of the infrastructure that attracting capital and growth requires. Investor appetite for these opportunities is growing, yet the systems to connect the two remain fragmented and underdeveloped.
“A decade ago, many of the opportunities we encountered were still working to prove what was possible. Today, many are looking for the infrastructure they need to reach the next stage. The challenge is ensuring the opportunities that are ready to scale have access to the support required to do it,” said David Lynn, CEO of MDF.
The announcement formalizes a partnership that began at the start of 2026. Since then, MDF and Known have partnered on multiple client engagements ranging from early-stage fund design to supporting investment strategies as they prepare to attract larger pools of capital. These engagements show how complementary investment and structural capabilities can create a stronger offering for clients and partners.
Together, MDF and Known aim to expand the range of infrastructure available to the people and organizations bringing new ideas to market, helping them translate early traction into durable institutions.
“What excites me most about this relationship is that it emerged from the work itself. We started collaborating, clients responded, and it became clear that some opportunities benefit from the best that both MDF and Known bring to the table,” said Nathalie Molina Niño, Co-Founder and President of Known Holdings.
“When builders have access to the right support, more good ideas make it into the world. For us, success means more capital reaching people who are already building solutions, whether that’s expanding child care, supporting employee ownership, financing small businesses, or investing in the long-term strength of local economies,” said Lauren Grattan, Co-Founder of MDF.
“One thing we’ve spent a lot of time discussing is how fragmented this market remains. There are exceptional managers, advisors, and service providers, but many of them are still operating as stand-alone businesses. We think the next chapter of the industry will be shaped by organizations that can bring capabilities together under one roof.” – Ushir Shah, Co-Founder, CFO, CTO of Known Holdings
The firms are advancing their work first through Built, Fund as a Service, with a long-term view to expand collaboration across client engagements, capabilities, resource sharing, and new opportunities that strengthen the broader investment ecosystem.
Additional details regarding future initiatives, partnerships, and market collaborations will be announced in the coming months.
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About Mission Driven Finance
Mission Driven Finance is an impact asset management firm dedicated to delivering competitive returns while moving capital where conventional finance doesn’t go.
About Known Holdings
Known is an asset management platform that manages, deploys, structures, and shifts capital in ways that are healthy for the planet and all people on it.
Damien WIlliamson
Mission Driven Finance
858-880-0252
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Why it matters: This partnership signals a growing recognition that the bottleneck for impact investing isn’t a lack of good ideas or willing investors, but the operational backbone needed to connect them. By formalizing a relationship that began with real client work, MDF and Known are positioning themselves to help more fund managers build the durable institutions needed to channel capital into communities that traditional finance often overlooks.
