About me

I am a duel degree MBA / MA International Environmental Policy graduate student at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.  Through the institute, I am in Belize for two months working for the social enterprise, Maya Mountain Cacao, and conjointly Village Capital, as a scout in the Frontier Market Scouts program.  For Maya Mountain Cacao, I am working on numerous business development projects including designing and implementing a hybrid model and helping to finalize and publish the 2013 Impact Report.  For Village Capital, I am their initial eyes and ears on the ground scouting social entrepreneurs as potential participants in a future VilCap accelerator program.

Frontier Market Scouts

The Frontier Market Scouts Program selects and trains passionate and capable young professionals in impact investing and social enterprise management before sending them out into the field in search of up and coming social enterprises in developing markets around the world. The scouts provide due diligence for socially and environmentally conscience investors and technical and business development assistance for entrepreneurs.

Maya Mountain Cacao

Sources premium organic cacao (cocoa beans) from smallholder Belizean farmers for makers of luxury chocolate products. Their triple bottom line mission dictates all operational activities: SOCIAL To grow prosperous farming communities by providing meaningful market access; ENVIRONMENTAL To promote reforestation and encourage organic, sustainable agroforestry; PRODUCT To profitably produce an increasing volume of the highest quality, organic cacao. Check it out at www.mayamountiancacao.com

Village Capital

Village Capital sources, trains, and invests in impactful seed-stage enterprises worldwide.  It is a one-of-a-kind start up accelerator program that uses the power of peer support to build enterprises that change the world. Village Capital’s unique model puts the hard tasks of building companies in the hands of the participating entrepreneurs, who after a 12-week business development program, participate in an intensive peer review process where the entrepreneurs themselves choose the two companies in the cohort who receive an investment of $50,000 at the program’s end.  Over the past two years, Village Capital has launched 18 programs worldwide, supporting over 300 entrepreneurs from more than 30 countries. Participants have raised $12 million, created over 500 jobs, and served thousands of customers. Please see www.vilcap.com for more information.