From France to California, Bart finds fulfillment in uplifting those in her community.
A lot can be said about the value of following one’s instincts. Isabelle Bart, executive director of RevHubOC, can attest to those claims, as she followed her instincts to lead her where she wanted to be — geographically and professionally.
ALL BUSINESS
Isabelle Bart came to Orange County in 2001 as part of an exchange program through her business school in France and what would become UC Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business. During her time in California, Bart had the opportunity to explore all the state has to offer. Before heading back to France, however, she recalls a deep feeling while walking on a beach that she was meant to be in Orange County. With that, Bart immediately began planning her return to California.
It wasn’t long after her graduation that Bart found herself back in Southern California where she worked at various organizations before eventually finding work at Abbott Medical Optics, a large medical device company in Orange County. A few years into this position, Bart started to realize that she was no longer interested in the traditional corporate career.
“I wanted to do something bigger for the world,” said Bart. “I wanted to give back and I wanted to have more of an impact.”
VALUES-FIRST MINDSET
Bart used that drive and took a position with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, a nonprofit organization, which allowed her to build a career with a values-first mindset. There, she built the entire Marketing and Communications Department and implemented the organization’s digital strategy. Bart then sought more volunteer opportunities to share her talents, which led her to serve on the boards of Child Creativity Lab and Cancer Kinship. She also took her talents to UCI Beall Applied Innovation as an Innovation Advisor, where she could use her business and marketing prowess to guide entrepreneurs working on big ideas.
“I knew I always had a passion for startups in the sense of planting a seed and seeing it grow,” said Bart. “From a professional standpoint, I love the opportunity to see a company start from an idea — that’s really something that excites me.”
As her involvement in volunteer opportunities grew, Bart was compelled to do even more.
“I began thinking about where I should work,” said Bart. “Where I can have the biggest impact not just with my business skills but with my drive and mindset.”
A NEW CHAPTER
In early 2020, Bart decided it was the year she was going to make a big career move and find work that was the most impactful to her and her community. Then she was hit with the unexpected: a global pandemic and a breast cancer diagnosis.
Rather than let the unexpected take control, Bart found meaning in her situation and took it as a sign that she was indeed ready for a new chapter in her life and career. Following cancer treatment, Bart started a coaching and consulting business, allowing her to positively impact a multitude of clients, which is where she felt most fulfilled.
“When I saw how much I can help clients by sharing something that seems obvious to me, I wanted to do it all day,” said Bart. “I can say something that is common knowledge to me and it can make a huge shift in someone else’s life and they are so happy.”
REVVING SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
Through talking with friends about how she wanted to do even more in her community on a larger scale, Bart was introduced to RevHubOC, an organization in Orange County that seeks to accelerate social enterprise — a business model closely tied with achieving a social objective. RevHubOC, which has office space at the Cove, does this by providing resources, talent and capital to entrepreneurs looking to achieve social objectives through business. And at that time, RevHubOC was searching for an executive director to lead the organization.
“I don’t have much faith from a religious standpoint, but I have faith in the universe, and I knew it was meant to happen,” said Bart.
Bart was hired soon after and now serves as RevHubOC’s executive director. Under Bart’s guidance, RevHubOC supports entrepreneurs who want to create social impact from the moment they have an idea and helps build their companies with incubation and acceleration through partnerships with Impact Hub, one of the largest social enterprise global networks, and Applied Innovation. RevHubOC-backed startups gain access to social enterprise-focused workshops through Impact Hub and access to the Wayfinder program through Applied Innovation.
RevHubOC also assists with funding through nondilutive grants and an exclusive social enterprise fund. Bart points out that having a fund is vitally important, as traditional investors looking for a return on investment are unlikely to fund companies that are not only solely focused on profits, but also on social impact. Social justice and making entrepreneurship accessible for underrepresented groups is another large part of the organization’s mission, which includes opening centers in low-income areas to support and promote the idea of inclusive entrepreneurship.
Learn more about RevHubOC.
Photography: Julie Kennedy