Citi Leads Capitalization of SJF Ventures III, LP as the First National Impact Investment SBIC Fund

Citi Community Capital (Citi), the community development lending and investing group of Citi, and SJF Ventures announced today the initial closing of the first nationally-focused Impact Investment SBIC fund, SJF Ventures III, LP. The fund will provide equity investments to growth-stage cleantech and positive impact companies, and has been licensed by the U.S. Small Business Administration under its new Impact Investment initiative.

SJF Ventures’ third fund marks a continuation of the firm’s twelve-year mission to generate superior financial, community and environmental results. SJF’s areas of focus include efficiency & infrastructure, reuse & recycling, sustainable agriculture & food safety, and technology enhanced services. The third fund will build upon a successful track record of returns and impacts across 34 SJF portfolio companies from its first two funds.

“Citi’s commitment to communities across the United States is defined by investments like this and we are proud to partner with SJF Ventures on this initiative,” said Andrew Ditton, Managing Director and Co-Head of Citi Community Capital. “We believe that this fund is a powerful way to make a lasting impact through revitalizing communities and helping create a framework for greater entrepreneurship.”

“Citi has been a critical partner since SJF’s inception in 1999. By partnering with us on capitalizing a larger, national fund, Citi is playing an essential role again,” said David Kirkpatrick, Managing Director and Co-Founder of SJF Ventures. “We have several exciting high growth, positive impact companies we are eager to invest in with the fresh capital.”

Additional investors in SJF Ventures III, LP include Deutsche Bank, Calvert Equity Portfolio, Armonia, Abacus Sustainable Fund, Trillium Asset Management LLC, The CAPROCK Group, OpenBox, ImpactAssets, and multiple family and individual investors.

Press Conference Call – 11 AM EST, Thursday, March 8, 2012

Featuring Sean Greene, Associate Administrator for Investment and Special Advisor for Innovation at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and David Kirkpatrick, Managing Director and Co-Founder of SJF Ventures.

To receive access information for the press conference call, contact Cody Nystrom, Principal, SJF Ventures, at cnystrom@sjfventures.com .

About SJF Ventures

SJF Ventures is a growth capital fund focused on delivering superior financial returns through investments in high-growth, positive impact companies. SJF has a twelve-year successful record of assisting visionary and talented management teams in building industry-leading firms. SJF provides strong expertise and networks in the cleantech, sustainability and tech-enhanced services sectors. SJF Ventures aligns best with companies generating $1 to $20 million in revenue seeking expansion equity capital of $1 to $7 million. SJF has offices in Durham, NC, New York, and San Francisco. It invests throughout the United States. SJF Ventures is allied with the SJF Institute and Investors’ Circle, which foster early-stage impact investment and entrepreneurship nationwide.

Additional information may be found at www.sjfventures.com, www.sjfinstitute.org, and www.investorscircle.net.

About Citi Community Capital

Citi Community Capital (CCC) is a premier financial partner with nationally recognized expertise in financing all types of affordable housing and community reinvestment projects. CCC's origination, structuring, asset and risk management staff across the country provides creative financing solutions designed to meet their clients' needs. CCC helps community development financial institutions, real estate developers, national intermediaries and nonprofit organizations achieve their goals through a broad, integrated platform of debt and equity offerings. Additional information may be found at www.citicommunitycapital.com.

Citi, the leading global financial services company, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://new.citi.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi