Sophia Collier
Sophia Collier | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, investor, artist |
| Known for | Co-founder of Soho Natural Soda; founder of Citizens Advisers Inc.; large-scale art installations |
Sophia Collier is an American entrepreneur, investor, and artist. In 1977, she co-established Soho Natural Soda and subsequently sold it to Seagram Beverage Company. She later launched Citizens Advisers Inc., a mutual fund management firm dedicated to socially responsible investing, before turning her focus toward large-scale art installations inspired by natural water surfaces. Her artwork has been displayed internationally and is part of the U.S. Department of State's Art in Embassies initiative.
Biography
At the age of 21 in 1977, Sophia Collier created Soho Natural Soda in her Brooklyn kitchen and partnered with Constance Best to form American Natural Beverage Corp for product distribution. As one of the pioneering young female entrepreneurs in the early 1980s, she was honored in Crane's New York Business "40 under 40" list.
The business expanded to $25 million in revenue before being acquired by Seagram Beverage Company in 1989 for approximately $15 million.
Collier authored Soul Rush (1978), which explores her spiritual journey during adolescence and her exploration of Eastern mysticism.
In 1991, she founded Citizens Advisers Inc., overseeing the Citizens Index Fund that achieved a five-star rating from Morningstar and ranked within the top 10% of its peer group. She also managed the E-fund, which rapidly attained the number one position in its category and introduced a debit card that returned a portion of retailer fees to investors. Collier concentrated on emerging wireless technologies and was instrumental in obtaining regulatory approval for a system that enhanced wireless data transmission capacity.
Citizens Funds was sold to Sentinel Investments in April 2008. Collier attributed the sale to concerns about market bubbles and her personal recovery from breast cancer.
She was actively involved in New Hampshire Democratic politics, serving as Treasurer and Finance Chair of the State Democratic Party from 1994 through 2006.
Following the sale, Collier partnered with Chula Reynolds to establish an investment office and opened an art studio in Sausalito, California, where she employed software and machine tools to produce sculptural reliefs depicting water surfaces. She described her artistic inspiration as capturing the perpetual shimmer of water.
Linking her financial expertise with her artistic practice, Collier highlighted how it facilitated software development capable of modeling complex data such as financial flows and water movement. Her notable piece Plank of Water has been exhibited at the Grand Rapids Art Museum and is included in the U.S. Department of State’s Art In Embassies collection.
Since 2008, Collier has concentrated on early-stage venture capital investing, real estate ventures, and financial markets. She remains active within the San Francisco Bay Area angel investing scene, participating as a judge and panelist at Pitchforce and similar forums. Among her significant real estate endeavors is the $10 million renovation of Houston’s Zocalo Apartments, where she and Reynolds initiated an artist-in-residence program.
Bibliography
- Collier, Sophia. Soul Rush: The Odyssey of a Young Woman of the '70s. Morrow, New York, 1978. ISBN 0-688-03276-1