S3E21 | The Entrepreneurial Investor: Sabari Raja on Venture Capital for the Frontline Workforce & the $1 Trillion Infrastructure Boom

Sabari Raja, Managing Partner at JFF Ventures, joins us to discuss her unique journey from founder (NEPRIS, now Pathful) to leading a pioneering venture fund focused on economic mobility. JFF Ventures operates at the intersection of philanthropy and venture scale, proving that investments focused on the middle and low-wage worker can achieve both high returns and massive social impact.

In this powerful conversation, Sabari breaks down the three main investment themes that target the worker's full journey, from skills access to career advancement. We dive into the most difficult areas of the market, including the challenge of investing in wrap-around support like childcare and credit access.

Sabari shares the questions every investor and founder should be asking about AI—is it taking away agency or expanding it? Finally, she reveals a surprising area of alignment for future capital: the $1 trillion investment needed to support the industrial backbone of the AI economy (power grids, data centers, and semiconductors).

Key Takeaways You Won't Want to Miss:

• Impact as an Enabler: Why JFF Ventures views strong outcomes (like reduced transfer credit loss via companies like Advisely) as a direct line to revenue and growth.
• The AI Agency Test: The fundamental question investors should ask to gauge a startup’s longevity: Does your AI give the worker more agency or less?
• The Industrial Investment Thesis: How JFF Ventures is aligning with the global infrastructure boom, targeting the massive labor shortage in energy and utilities.
• The Lived Experience: Why founders with a lived understanding of problems—like the transfer credit crisis or lack of social capital—are better positioned to build mission-driven, scalable solutions.