Summer-Fall 2012

Steven Hoberg

Emily McLaughlin Meet our Scouts, Steve Hoberg - India, Summer-Fall 2012 1 Comment

Location: India

Village Capital Partner: Kinara

Growing up in the Chicago area Steve received  his  B. S.  in Applied Plant Science from Northern Arizona University  in 1976 and then completed his  M.B.A. at the University of Arizona  in 1979.  Steve went on to work for 8 years at Georgia Power Company doing financial planning and internal management consulting. Leaving in 1987, he then went on to found his own company, Glass Rite, In Albuquerque NM.   Glass Rite manufactures and installs high efficiency windows throughout Northern New Mexico and Arizona . After almost 25 years, Steve turned his company over to his co-founder and joined Frontier Market Scouts seeking to begin the next phase of his career. Steve now live in Albuquerque New Mexico with his wife, Kim.  They have three grown children and one grandchild. Personal interests are travel, mountain biking, Skiing, and whitewater canoeing.

Be sure to read about Steve’s experience in India here!

Patrick Huang

Emily McLaughlin Meet our Scouts, Patrick Huang - India, Summer-Fall 2012 0 Comment

Location: India

Village Capital Partner: Village Capital – India

Patrick is a first-year Ross MBA student at the University of Michigan focusing on Finance and Strategy. For the summer, Patrick is focused on identifying high-potential, early-stage enterprises in India for Village Capital. Before starting at Ross, Patrick completed a pre-MBA fellowship with Vittana, an education microfinance non-profit, to design the first post-secondary education loan product for students in Rwanda. Prior to that, Patrick worked as a management consultant for IBM Global Business Services focusing on creating engaging customer experiences for Fortune 500 corporations. Outside of IBM, he also consulted for non-profits and social enterprises in the US and abroad. Patrick seeks to leverage his MBA and cross-sector management consulting experience to pursue a career in impact investing focused on the Base of the Pyramid. Patrick holds a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin.

Read Patrick’s insights and observations here.

Odunayo Arwolo

Emily McLaughlin Meet our Scouts, Odunayo Arwolo - Kenya, Summer-Fall 2012 0 Comment

Location: Kenya

Village Capital Partner: Growth Africa

Odunayo Arwolo grew up in Nigeria where she completed her primary, secondary and university education. Odunayo has a bachelors in Computer Science. Her interest in international development led her to pursue a dual masters degree in International Relations and Economics at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University.  Her regional focus is Africa and her concentrations include Global Development and Global Markets.

She recently completed the Frontier Market Scouts Program and was assigned to GrowthAfrica; Village Capital’s partner organization in Kenya. While on assignment, she will be working at the Growthhub, a platform, space and learning environment designed and delivered to incubate and accelerate startups to success. Odunayo will be assisting in recruiting prospective entrepreneurs that will participate in the Village Capital program.

Read her blog about her experience in Kenya.

Lisa Ravenel

Emily McLaughlin Lisa Ravenel - Colombia, Meet our Scouts, Summer-Fall 2012 1 Comment

Location: Bogota, Colombia

Village Capital Partner: HUB Bogota

Lisa has four years of professional experience working in corporate marketing with clients such as Ford Motor Co. and Microsoft. Through this time she worked to develop communications strategies that utilized the latest technologies in mobile, email and social communication.  Additionally, Lisa is the owner of a small social venture company, Torch Illumination Co. Torch is an environmentally friendly candle company that uses only natural ingredients and donates a portion of all profits to environmental conservation funds.

She is currently working to receive a Masters in Public Administration at the University of Washington Evan’s School of Public Affairs where she focuses on International Development and Environmental Policy.  She is dedicated to the work of improving people’s lives in the poorest countries in the world and believes that through business and entrepreneurship we can help provide large scale impacts in the world’s neediest areas.  Finally, she loves the thrill of experiencing foreign cultures and people and has spent time traveling in South America, Europe and Australia.  She is excited to take the lessons gained from these experiences to make the most out of her time as a Frontier Market Scout.

Read about her experiences here.

Kira Kramlich

Emily McLaughlin Kira Kramlich - Lebanon, Meet our Scouts, Summer-Fall 2012 0 Comment

Location: Istanbul, Turkey

Village Capital Partner: HUB Istanbul

Kira, a traveler at heart, has professional experience in Thailand as an Amicus Foundation sponsored volunteer, in England as an intern at Create partners, and in Switzerland as an exchange student at Kantonsschule Enge. Most recently, she worked with a German company, Umiwi, to promote economic independence, entrepreneurial development, and sustainable growth in rural Thailand through a business venture involving students from School for Life and a local family of craftsman. Kira is also a California State Championship winning and Junior Olympic participating volleyball player. Kira describes herself as an eternal optimist determined to improve the world.

Kimberly Nobella

Emily McLaughlin Kim Nobella - England, Meet our Scouts, Summer-Fall 2012 0 Comment

Location: London, England

Village Capital Partner: HUB Westminster

Kimberly Nobella is a Masters Candidate in International Policy Studies with a focus in Trade, Investment, and Development at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Prior to joining Monterey Institute Kimberly worked with Article 3 Advisors, a Human Rights Consulting firm, cementing her commitment to human rights. Through Frontier Market Scouts Kimberly is fostering her belief that human rights are best achieved through market solutions. Kimberly holds a BA in Political Science from UC Berkeley. She lives in Monterey, CA with her husband and daughter.

Read Kim’s blog.

Julie Lapidus

Emily McLaughlin Julie Lapidus - Brazil, Meet our Scouts, Summer-Fall 2012 0 Comment

Location: São Paulo, Brazil

Village Capital Partner: F123/Artemisia

Julie Lapidus is a recent graduate with a Master’s in Sustainable Business from HEC Paris and is currently completing an Executive MBA in Sustainability at Fundacao Getulio Vargas in Brazil. She has a wide range of experience in the sustainability sector ranging from organic agriculture, eco-design, green building certification, CSR, and corporate sustainability strategy, amongst others.

She has traveled extensively and has studied abroad in Ecuador, worked on a renewable energy project with students from India, and is in the process of completing 2 graduate degrees at the top business schools in Brazil and France. As a former Google employee, she also has experience in the technology sector, as well as worked with other companies in a range of sectors in the fields of corporate social responsibility and sustainability. She is looking forward to starting her own business following her experience as a Frontier Market Scout.

Be sure to check out her blog!

Jonathan Waldroup

Emily McLaughlin Jonathan Waldroup - Kenya, Meet our Scouts, Summer-Fall 2012 1 Comment

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Village Capital Partner: Growth Africa

Jonathan grew up in Atlanta and after receiving degrees in business and economics from the University of Georgia worked as a financial analyst for Kimberly-Clark Corp. for two years. This provided exposure to the business world and experience working through a wide range of business decisions. In 2011 he began a Master’s in International Affairs at American University in Washington, DC. He is very interested in international development, particularly education, water/sanitation, and social enterprise and hopes to work in these fields after graduating in 2013. He is married to his wife Ashley and enjoys reading, writing, cooking, and playing the piano.

Check out Jonathan’s blog.

John Lindquist

Emily McLaughlin John Lindquist - China, Meet our Scouts, Summer-Fall 2012 0 Comment

Location: Hong Kong

Village Capital Partner: Village Capital- China, One Earth Designs

John grew up in San Diego, California, and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies with an emphasis in Chinese business.  During his assignment, John will be co-facilitating a Village Capital social enterprise accelerator program and assisting venture-stage Chinese entrepreneurs.  In his free time, John is an avid golfer and enjoys working on his Chinese language skills.

Check out his blog, The China Frontier!

Jennifer Clessas

Emily McLaughlin Jennifer Clessas - Colombia, Meet our Scouts, Summer-Fall 2012 0 Comment

Location: Bogota, Colombia

Village Capital Partner: HUB Bogota

Jennifer is an MPA student at MIIS who graduated with a degree in International Economics from Valparaiso University in Indiana in 2008.  She has worked in administrative services for international students studying in San Diego, California, and she looks forward to being on the other side of studying abroad once again.

Jennifer will be serving from June – August 2012 at the HUB in Bogota, Colombia.  She looks forward to meeting social entrepreneurs in the Colombian capital and learning about the innovation occurring in Latin America.

Jen had a lot to say about her time at the Hub!

Irene Garcia

Emily McLaughlin Irene Garcia - Mexico, Meet our Scouts, Summer-Fall 2012 1 Comment

Location: Mexico City, Mexico

Village Capital Partner: New Ventures

Irene will work at New Ventures in Mexico. Prior to becoming a Frontier Market Scout, Irene worked at UBS Global Asset Management analyzing new investment opportunities and supporting the Transactions team with the set-up of new investment funds. She has a passion for social impact, and has been able to catalyze it by participating in “ESADE alumni solidario”, an alumni organization where she contributes to the completion of a strategic planning exercise for a non-profit organization.

Her background and previous experience also include working as the Finance Vice-president of AIESEC’s Madrid Committee, an international student run organization that promotes global understanding through international exchange, where she oversaw financial planning and management tasks.  She holds a Masters in Corporate Finance & Law from ESADE Business School, Spain, and degrees in Business Administration and Law. She is a Venezuelan and Spanish national, and is fluent in Spanish, English and German.

Read about Irene’s experience in Mexico here!

Erin Chmelik

Emily McLaughlin Erin Chmelik - India, Meet our Scouts, Summer-Fall 2012 1 Comment

Location: India

Village Capital Partner: ENZI

Erin Chmelik recently graduated from San Diego State University with her MBA. Prior to getting her MBA she was working in corporate America doing human resources and marketing. In going back to school she wanted to get more international experience as well as be able to explore different career fields. Erin was introduced to the idea of social enterprise in an International Business class. She fell in love with the concept because of the combination of the use of business practices with making a difference. Since then Erin have travelled to various developing countries and also wrote her master’s thesis on social enterprise. Through this experience she hopes to gain a better understanding of the impact investing industry as well as real experience in the field. Eventually Erin hopes to work in international development possibly teaching women business skills.

Read Erin’s blog!

Elliot Rosenberg

Emily McLaughlin Elliot Rosenberg - Brazil, Meet our Scouts, Summer-Fall 2012 0 Comment

Location: São Paulo, Brazil

Village Capital Partner: Quadrado Mágico

Elliot is a rising senior at the University of Virginia where he majors in Business and Latin American Studies. He is President of SEED, a social enterprise consultancy that had 50 students advise 14 clients last semester, and he is also working to institutionalize social entrepreneurship at the University of Virginia. His first exposure to the social sector came when he deferred college admission to volunteer teaching English and technology to at-risk youth in Santiago, Chile. Last year he studied abroad in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and has overall spent a year and a half in Latin America. He is originally from Los Angeles, California.

For more information about his experience in Brazil, read his blog.

Dana Warren

Emily McLaughlin Dana Warren - Guatemala, Meet our Scouts, Summer-Fall 2012 0 Comment

Location: Guatemala City, Guatemala

Village Capital Partner: Pomona Impact

Dana is a Chicago native who recently completed her undergraduate studies at Kenyon College.  She majored in International Studies with a concentration in Environmental Studies and a focus on Latin America. Dana has experience working in finance and in the non-profit sector and is excited to combine those skills as a Frontier Market Scout. She has studied Spanish for the past four years and spent five months living, studying, and teaching English in Quito, Ecuador. She is excited to enter the field and wants to pursue a career in impact investing with an environmental focus.

Read Dana’s blog here!

Christopher Hurtado

Emily McLaughlin Chris Hurtado - India, Meet our Scouts, Summer-Fall 2012 0 Comment

Location: India

Village Capital Partner: Village Capital – India

Chris just graduated with a J.D. from Yale Law School and an M.B.A. from Yale School of Management in 2012.  After taking the New York bar exam, he will be scouting new ventures in India with Village Capital.  In the fall, he will return to New York and begin work at the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.  Chris is also working on a concept for a publicly traded community development venture capital fund that is accessible to retail investors.

Earlier in his career, Chris worked as a consultant to nonprofits, private foundations, and public institutions at the Bridgespan Group in San Francisco.  He started his career in corporate finance in the Silicon Valley.  Chris is a southern California native and studied finance as an undergraduate at the University of Southern California.

Read about his time in India here!