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Good Things Happen Season 2Podcast14 Feb 2023

Good Things Happen Episode 7: Investing in Social Impact

Season 2

Social and environmental projects can be amplified through thoughtful, scalable investments whose goal is to generate as much return for the investor as they do for the cause. But what does that look like in 2023, and how do conscious investors ensure their money goes where it’s needed most?

 

We sat down with investor, founder and author Eva Yazhari, general partner of the women-led impact venture capital firm Beyond Capital Ventures, as well as Jorge Rubio Nava, Global Head of Social Finance at Citi, to learn more about how banks and social entrepreneurs are using their portfolio as a catalyst for social progress, and how they’re re-tooling capitalism for those historically excluded by it.

 

The views expressed herein are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. or its affiliates. All opinions are subject to change without notice. Neither the information provided nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. The expressions of opinion are not intended to be a forecast of future events or a guarantee of future results.

Citibank N.A. and Beyond Capital are not affiliated and are independent companies. The speakers views are their own and may not necessarily reflect the views of Citi or any of its affiliates.

Jorge Rubio is the global head of Citi Social Finance based in London, UK. Citi Social Finance works across Citi businesses globally to develop scalable business platforms and client solutions that enable the bank, its clients and partners to expand financial inclusion, accelerate access to basic services, boost job creation and scale social infrastructure development. Since 2005, Jorge has participated in the design of Citi's strategy to support the expansion of financial services through Citi's businesses in over 40 countries. Since inception, Citi Social Finance has helped mobilize over $4 billion in funding for clients serving the last mile, with emphasis in women empowerment. Jorge’s work around social and financial inclusion spans sustainable value chain development, digital financial services reaching the unbanked, and innovative models that expand access to basic services including power and electricity, water and sanitation, housing, education, and agricultural finance for lower income populations in emerging markets. Citi’s efforts in this area have been externally recognized, including with the Inaugural Euromoney award for World’s Best Bank for Financial Inclusion.      .  
 
Interested in digital financial innovation and the development of cashless ecosystems and mobile money, Jorge has formed public and private sector partnerships to expand access through innovative channels. He introduced new crowdsourcing models to develop financial technology solutions that leverage deeper Internet and smartphone penetration among underserved customer segments, which constitutes a new approach to product development in financial services.  
 
Jorge holds an MBA from Columbia Business School in the city of New York and the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa in Barcelona, Spain. 
 
In 2009, Jorge was an Associate to the David Rockefeller Centre for Latin-American Studies at Harvard University where he worked with thought leaders in the areas of impact investment and commercial solutions for lower income markets at the Graduate School of Education, the Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Business School.  

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Eva Yazhari is a seasoned investor, entrepreneur, and CEO with sixteen years of experience working in the venture capital and asset management industries. She’s the cofounder and CEO of Beyond Capital, a pioneering impact investing fund dedicated to the belief that investing can inspire good and sustainably improve access to basic goods and services. She also co-hosts The Beyond Capital Podcast.

Eva launched her weekly magazine, The Conscious Investor, in 2019. She has appeared in interviews with the lifestyle brands Goop and Thrive Global, and in Authority Magazine and Cheddar. She also has been a guest on numerous podcasts, and a speaker at family office and impact investing conferences.

Eva lives in Dallas, Texas with her family.

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