The Benefit Corp Revolution:
What it Means for Businesses,
Non-Profits and You

Hanson Bridgett LLP and Full Circle Fund are teaming up to bring you an exclusive opportunity to learn from the experts about the new Benefit Corporation revolution taking place in California. Benefit Corporations are a new and innovative corporate charter, available in only seven states, allowing a company's governing board to consider social or environment objectives ahead of profits.

The legal structure of a Benefit Corporation is designed to shield the board from investor lawsuits, so companies that care about more than just their bottom line now have the opportunity to do well AND do good. Hanson Bridgett Partner Jonathan Storper was instrumental in passing the new legislation which went into effect on January 1, 2012.

Moderated by Hanson Bridgett attorney and Full Circle Fund Global Economic Opportunity Circle Co-Chair Leslie Keil, our presenters will dig into the nuts and bolts of the B-Corp designation and Benefit Corporation charters, how they differ from non-profits and other for-profits, and why this is an exciting development for entrepreneurs and investors.

Don't miss your chance to find out why California Benefit Corporations and B Corp designations nationwide will have groundbreaking ramifications for the for-profit and non-profit sectors.

About The Presenters:

Jonathan Storper
Partner, Sustainable Business Group Chair
Hanson Bridgett


Jonathan Storper is a partner in Hanson Bridgett's Sustainable Business and Corporate practices. He represents companies and their investors in a full range of business and intellectual property transactions. He was one of the key attorneys who helped to author and pass the Benefit Corporation legislation. Jonathan also played an integral role in helping Hanson Bridgett become a Founding B Corporation.

Dermot Hikisch
Director of Business Development
B Lab

Dermot oversees B Lab's community development of Certified B Corporations, focusing primarily on North America with new inroads beginning globally.  Dermot is the former Head of Research for ENDS Carbon and Wind Power Intelligence in Edinburgh, Scotland.  His work included producing intelligence reports, developing climate-risk indices for FTSE, and rating Europe’s largest brands on carbon performance.  He has produced reports on water insecurity, true cost accounting, and worked with SMEs, Fortune 500 companies, the UNPRI, municipalities in Europe and North America.  He has a MSc. in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability from Sweden and resides in San Francisco.

Josh Becker
General Partner, New Cycle Capital
Full Circle Fund Board Chair


Josh has a long history as a business entrepreneur and a social entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and General Partner of New Cycle Capital, an early stage venture capital firm working with entrepreneurs who want to want to change the world. New Cycle's investments include OPower, Renewable Funding, PeoplePower, GoalSpring, Saber es Poder, and Terrapass. Josh is a National leader in clean energy policy as well as clean energy investing. He is a co-founder of both Cleantech for Obama and the Clean Economy Network. Previously he was at Redpoint Ventures, DCM, McKinsey & Co, Netscape, and Agile Software. He was the 2nd employee at EarthWeb, which went public in 1998. In 2000 Josh founded Full Circle Fund and continues to serve as Board Chair. He was recently a project lead in building GreenCitiesCalifornia.org. For the last six years he has been on the Board of Full Circle Fund grantee, One Economy, and is Treasurer of the Board of Trustees for the University of California at Merced. He has a MBA and JD from Stanford and serves on the Advisory Board for the Stanford Business School Fund.

Hosted by

Hanson Bridgett LLP
425 Market Street, 26th Floor
Directions »

Pre-registration is required.
Space is limited.
Cost:  $30 / Free for Full Circle Fund Members, Alumni & Grant Partners

Questions or Additional Information

Please contact Brandi Hewlett at bhewlett@hansonbridgett.com