JOHN LOUSSIA CANCER
JOHN LOUSSIA CANCER FOUNDATION Educating the community / Problem about the importance of prostate cancer screening and men’s health. Ark Angel Funds First Project BY PAUL NATINSKY When someone needs to get The their car Ark fixed, Angel Fund, created last year under the umbrella of the Chaldean The John Loussia Cancer Foundation provides financial assistance to those Arghhh.....It’s impacted by the high a nightmare American Chamber of Commerce, raised million, funded cost of medical expenses, in memory of the late its first project, and looks to hear John Loussia who passed away five years ago. two pitches a month going forward. “We’ve listened to a couple of Takes forever Expensivepitches,” said Inconvenient Fund Advisor Tommy Haj, “and have pulled the trigger on our first investment.” The name of the startup is Fix My Car. It provides mobile repair technicians to your home or office SECOND LEADING IN to handle common vehicle repairs, MEN service and inspections. The idea is to save on time and cost versus traditional repair shops. “The most appealing aspect of the investment is that there is very little competition and a lot of white space in this area (with room to expand). They are currently in four markets in the United States,” said Haji. “There was a million valuation cap and we invested 5k as part of that million valuation,” Haji explained. “The enticing part is they are planning to raise another AS MANY PHYSICIAN VISITS million by the end of the year, FOR PREVENTION AS WOMEN which would be good for us—that’s five times our investment.” WILL BE DIAGNOSED “Once they get acquired the investors are paid off,” Haji went on. “It WITH PROSTATE CANCER THAN could be a couple of years or we could WOMEN sell our options.” The Fund acts as a venture capital fund that earmarks 20 percent of its profits to the Chaldean Community Foundation. While the Fund plans to invest in a number of industry sectors, including education, health care, retail, manufacturing and innovation, Haji says the early technology focus will help the Fund and its investors reduce risk in a shaky economy. According to its website, the Ark Angel Fund serves as a catalyst for economic development. It was launched to support early start-up businesses and make investments in emerging companies that will make a difference in this region. The Fund is managed by a wholly owned subsidiary of the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce and is working with Ann Arbor Spark, a self-described “catalyst for economic development” that has been working with Did you know? PROSTATE CANCER IS THE CAUSE OF DEATH ON AVERAGE MEN LIVE ABOUT 5 YEARS LESS THAN WOMEN MEN HAVE A HIGHER DEATH RATE FOR MOST LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH INCLUDING CANCER, HEART DISEASE, DIABETES AND SUICIDE APPROXIMATELY 34,000 MEN IN THE U.S. DIE EACH YEAR FROM PROSTATE CANCER MEN MAKE HALF 1 IN 8 MEN MEN ARE LESS INSURED PLEASE CALL YOUR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN TO SCHEDULE YOUR ANNUAL EXAM area businesses for the past 10 years. Internally, the Ark Angel Fund plans to use a five-person committee 2 to hear and review pitches, ultimately deciding which projects are funded. Haji and Fund Manager Martin Manna will tap three members of the business community to join them on an ad-hoc basis to consider pitches. The three ad-hoc members will be selected based on their expertise in the industry being pitched. All Fund investors will be able to dial in and listen to pitches and deliberations, as well as invest directly if they so choose. Manna, who is an investor in the Fund, told a reporter in September of 2020 that the plan is to award four to eight projects per year. The end goal is for the companies to scale and sell, returning a profit to investors. For its part, the Fund will use its endeavors to benefit the Chaldean community. “We’re doing this primarily to raise funds for humanitarian efforts for the Chaldean Community Foundation. Our management fee will go toward our humanitarian efforts,” said Haji. Haji’s background is in manufacturing. He worked for 20 years in the executive offices at Ford Motor Company. He has experience in real estate, logistics and retail. He has engineering degrees from the University of Michigan and Wayne State, along with a Six Sigma Black Belt Certification. Manna is President of the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce. He has a history working in the philanthropy industry, and is skilled in nonprofit organizations, business planning, sales, team building and leadership. He has an MBA focused in banking, corporate, finance and securities from Wayne State University. 28 CHALDEAN NEWS APRIL 2021
CHALDEAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Help Wanted? As our Nation plans to rebuild after this unprecedented time, please consider investing in one of our many new Americans. HOW WE HELP: The Career Services Team at the Chaldean Community Foundation offers one-on-one assistance to help individuals identify their goals and develop their careers. SERVICES INCLUDE: • Resume Building and Cover Letter Writing • Job Application Completion • FAFSA Completion • Mock Interviews • Employer Referrals • Training Opportunities • Career Fairs • Access to Transportation via the Michael J George Chaldean Loan Fund To inquire about hiring one of our clients and having your business added to our job bank, please call or email Elias at 586-722-7253 or elias.kattoula@chaldeanfoundation.org CHALDEAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CHALDEAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 3601 15 MILE ROAD, STERLING HEIGHTS, MI 48310 586-722-7253 CHALDEANFOUNDATION.ORG
