Africa is the second-largest and second most populous continent on earth, representing over 15% of the population. Not only that, but it is estimated that 41% of their population is under the age of 15, even with high infant mortality. This creates challenges as well as opportunities for African countries, that innovative finance can help scale-up.
In the past years, we have thus set-up & studied blended finance mechanisms to serve various issues in African countries.
Shreeya joined Kois in 2022 after working at Nomura India where she was an investment banking analyst focused towards equity capital markets. She holds a Masters degree in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics and a Bachelors degree from Jesus & Mary College, University of Delhi.
Amit Garg
Principal, Mumbai office
Amit has over 10 years of experience in co-creating, managing & informing catalytic grants from philanthropic and bilateral donors focused on creating economic opportunities for disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. Prior to KOIS, Amit managed corporate philanthropy for Godrej and Credit Suisse in India, South Asia grants for GFEMS.org and strategy consulting for the Global Development Incubator in India. He specialises in co-designing development programming and innovative financing mechanisms in South Asia.
Colin Godbarge
Associate Partner, Paris & Brussels office
Colin holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University, and a Master of Science in Business Management from HEC Paris.
He has developed over 12 years of experience across the private, public & non-profit sectors. He led strategy consulting projects at the Boston Consulting Group for 5 years, focusing on healthcare and social impact. He also managed humanitarian and development operations in Sri Lanka and Haiti with the NGO ACTED.
Colin joined KOIS in 2019, with a role focused on designing & structuring innovative finance instruments as well as leading advisory teams across all KOIS’ offices.
Charles-Antoine Janssen
Founder & Managing Partner, Brussels office
Charles-Antoine holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from ULB and followed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
Thereafter, he spent 5 years at Merril Lynch London & held several management positions at UCB, notably in the M&A division. He currently remains a Board Member of UCB & Tubize. He also co-founded Toolbox, an NGO & volunteered in several others such as MSF or UNHCR.
Charles-Antoine co-founded KOIS in 2010, with the aim to scale impact solutions through collaboration between the for-profit & not-for-profit sector.
Ladislas de Guerre
Principal, Paris office
Ladislas hold a Master’s degree in Accounting & Finance from the London School of Economics and a Master’s degree in Finance from Université Paris Dauphine.
Before joining KOIS, he developed 9 years of experience in corporate finance by working at J.P. Morgan and General Electric. He has been actively involved in several NGOs in France and abroad as well.
Ladislas joined KOIS in 2017 and has since notably structured the second Belgium Social Impact Bond, aiming to reduce long term unemployment in Brussels and the largest French SIB, aiming to improve foster care. He is also involved in KOIS’ investment activities in Europe.
Juliette Averseng
Principal, Brussels office
Juliette holds a Master Degree in Management from HEC Business School in Paris and spent 6 months at the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore.
She since built 3 years of experience in social business and sustainable development consulting, in New Delhi and Paris, working both for social entrepreneurs and large corporations.
Juliette joined KOIS in 2018 and has been working on developing innovative finance mechanisms on topics such as accessibility to eye care & improving the livelihood of young women in Africa.
Salma Badr
Senior Analyst, Paris office
Salma studied at ESSEC Business School, majoring in finance and business law. She also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from Cergy Paris University.
She has experience in impact investing through her role as an Impact Investment Junior Analyst at AlphaOmega Foundation where she helped manage a portfolio of seven leading associations in education regarding structuring and scaling challenges.
Salma also volunteered as the president of a nonprofit promoting blood donation and had the opportunity to work with various actors of the French healthcare system. She joined KOIS in 2020.
Clara Marköö
Senior Analyst, Paris office
Clara holds a master’s degree in International Economic Policy from Sciences Po Paris as well as a BSc. in economics from Uppsala University. During her studies, she completed internships at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as at the Economics Department of the OECD, where she was contributing to the Economic Survey of Chile and conducting research on the impact of new digital technologies on the labour market. She has also worked at the strategic communication consultancy JKL Kekst CNC, focusing on corporate communications and public affairs.
Clara has spent several years volunteering at Plan International Sweden where she was responsible for a local branch office working with awareness raising.
She joined KOIS in 2020.
Pooja Monga
Associate, Mumbai office
Pooja holds a Masters degree from the London Business School and a Bachelors degree from Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi.
Prior to KOIS, she was a Manager at Invest India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. As a founding team member of the AGNIi Mission– the National Technology Commercialization Program, she has hands-on experience working with stakeholders across the innovation spectrum in India.
Pooja joined KOIS in early 2021 as Senior Analyst to work on innovative finance and asset management projects.
Priyanshi Mishra
Associate Mumbai office
Priyanshi joined KOIS from Boston Consulting Group where she worked across consumer goods, industrial goods and healthcare sectors. She did her Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.
Diana Denke
Principal, Paris office
Diana is a Candidate for Sustainability Leadership Master’s at the University of Cambridge. She graduated with an MBA from INSEAD and a joint Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in International Relations (Hons) from Corvinus University of Budapest.
She brings a combined experience of 10 years in International Development, Healthcare and Social impact. Prior to KOIS, she worked at SYSTEMIQ managing a UK DFID funded forestry programme to scale up social enterprises in Indonesia. Previously she worked as a management consultant for Bain & Company in London, advising clients from corporate, nonprofit and public sectors on various projects.
Diana joined KOIS in 2021, where she is focused on creating and implementing innovative financial solutions in sustainable land use. She is on a mission to accelerate the shift to a sustainable economy and the implementation of the Global Goals.
Owais Shafiq
Junior Analyst, Brussels office
Owais has pursued a Master’s degree in International Management and Sustainability from Sciences Po, Paris and a Bachelor of Engineering from Bangalore, India.
Prior to joining KOIS, Owais developed 4 years of experience with purpose-driven organizations in energy access, public health, and inclusive business. His work has focused on program implementation, monitoring, management, and evaluation.
He joined KOIS in 2022 to work on innovative finance projects.
Keyi Sun
Junior Analyst, Brussels office
Keyi studied in the program of Master in Public Policy at Sciences Po, with a concentration in social policy and sustainability. She also holds a Bachelor of Economics in finance from University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.
During her studies, she experienced due diligence and financial modelling of M&A projects at First Capital Investment Banking Co.Ltd (formerly J.P. Morgan Frist Capital Securities) as an investment banking intern. After that, she worked as a Junior ESG Analyst at SynTao, a China-based consulting firm specializing in sustainability solutions, helping Internet and logistics companies achieve green transition. She also joined World Resources Institute as a Research Assistant in its Sustainable Investment Program, researching on blended finance in renewable energy projects.
In her spare time, she volunteers at the Art Dream Social Work Office, providing art courses for migrant workers’ children in Beijing. She was also a voluntary National Park Service Ranger of Jilin Xianghai National Nature Reserve.
She joined KOIS in 2022 to work on innovative finance projects.
Alejandro Sanchez
Junior Analyst, Brussels office
Alejandro holds an MBA degree from HEC Paris with a Specialization in Sustainability and Innovation. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance from ITAM, and a certificate in Alternative Investments from the London School of Economics.
He has experience as an entrepreneur in sustainable tourism, held managerial positions in SMEs in the healthcare and manufacturing sectors, and worked as investment banker involved in of portfolio management and M&A transactions.
He joined KOIS in 2022 to work on innovative finance projects.
Anusha Bhagat
Analyst, Mumbai office
Anusha holds a BSc. In Economics & Finance from Ashoka University, India. She joined KOIS in 2021 as Analyst in the India office.
Previously, she worked as Investment Specialist at Invest India, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India. As part of the execution arm of the Make in India initiative, she provided investment facilitation, strategic business advisory & policy advocacy to leading investors from the US, Germany & Eastern European region to set up or expand their presence in India.
At Invest India, Anusha also served as a Policy Consultant to the Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India.
Rumen Barjatya
Principal, Mumbai office
Rumen is a seasoned professional with 15 years of investment experience across Private Equity and Venture Capital funds. His investment experience spans across sectors including technology, healthcare, education, food & agriculture, manufacturing and retail. Prior experience includes management and financial consulting. He holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Administration and Finance.
He joined KOIS in 2021, with a role focused on investments and asset management.
Kaustubh Shanbag
Analyst, Mumbai office
Kaustubh is a qualified Chartered Accountant. Prior to KOIS, he worked at BDO India in the financial due diligence practice covering deals in Edu-tech, real estate and e-commerce space. He also interned for a year as a part of the investment team at India Resurgence Fund – focused on investing in distressed assets and turnaround.
He joined KOIS in 2021 as an analyst in Mumbai office to work on the finance & compliance function across investments, asset management & advisory.
Camille Damour
Junior Analyst, Brussels office
Camille holds a Master in Management from Grenoble Ecole de Management. She also completed an exchange program at McGill University in Canada where she studied non-profit organizations’ management and financing.
During her studies, she experienced impact investing at The AlphaOmega Foundation, a venture philanthropy company which brings financial, strategic and operational support to the biggest educational charities in France, in order to scale their social impact. She also joined Bel Group as a Junior Business Analyst to work on its corporate social responsibility.
At school, she was in charge of raising funds for a medical association and advising it in its financial campaign. During the pandemic, she volunteered for diverse charities to support medical staff in retirement homes, and to prevent pupils from school dropout.
She joined KOIS in 2021 to work on innovative finance projects.
Aadit Devanand
Principal, Mumbai office
Aadit holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management from IIM, Bangalore, has completed all three levels of CFA (USA) and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.
He has extensive experience in investment banking & financial diligence with Bank of America-Merrill Lynch & Deloitte. He also founded Altflo, India’s first deal management and portfolio intelligence platform for private companies.
Aadit joined KOIS in 2018 and helped grow our Mumbai office from 2 members to 12. He has led the transaction diligence for our investments in Asia and Europe and has worked on the structuring and placement of diverse innovative finance instruments.
Johana Svobodova
Senior Associate, Brussels office
Johana holds a MSC in Business Engineering from Solvay Business School and a Complementary Master in Development Studies from UCL. She is also a Certified Financial Analyst (CFA).
Johana brings a combined experience of 7 years in finance and development consulting. She worked for 5 years at ING Bank in Belgium and New York. Previously she was a project manager at Sogerom, a consultancy firm active in development projects worldwide.
She joined KOIS in 2019 and has since worked on innovative finance projects on topics such as the financing of a solar facility for healthcare facilities in Africa.
Abhishek Kapoor
Associate, Mumbai office
Abhishek has a Bachelors Tech degree from The Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi.
He has previously worked for two years with The Boston Consulting Group, where he worked on multiple projects with both government and private players across FMCG, Financial Services, Oil & Gas, and others.
Abhishek joined KOIS in 2018 to work as a senior analyst on different innovative finance & asset management projects.
Axelle Charlier
Senior Analyst, Brussels office
Axelle holds a Master’s degree in International Business from the CEMS as well as a MSc in Sustainability & Social Innovation from HEC Paris. During her studies, she spent a semester at Korea University.
Axelle volunteered for over 3 years at Plan International Belgium and helped in tasks such as fundraising & awareness raising. She also spent two years as a project leader & business developer for a student-led consulting company.
She joined KOIS in 2019 and has since worked on innovative finance projects on topics such as Menstrual Hygiene Management in Niger Ethiopia.
Tim van der Werf
Junior Analyst, Brussels office
Tim holds an Msc. in Financial Economics and a Bsc. in Political Science from Radboud University, spending semesters at Universidad Adolfo Ibanez in Chile and Curtin University in Australia.
Throughout his studies, he has been part of the organisational committee for the World University Championship Cycling 2020 and worked part-time at a mobility consultancy firm. Tim gained internship experience at the Dutch Authority for Financial Markets (Autoriteit Financiële Markten) and Triodos Investment Management before joining KOIS.
He joined KOIS in 2021 to work on innovative finance projects.
Alice Bighinzoli
Senior Associate, Brussels office
Alice holds a double degree in Management and Political Sciences from Bocconi University and Sciences Po Paris. During her studies she also spent a semester in the U.S. at Dartmouth College.
Alice has a divesified background, and gained experience as management consultant at BCG and in international organizations such as the European Commission and The World Bank Group. She volunteered in various pojects in Tanzania, Thailand and Bangladesh.
She joined KOIS in 2021, working in the innovative finance team.
Béatrice Delperdange
Head of Business Development, Brussels office
Béatrice has extensive experience in investment banking and business development, acquired in Tier-1 investment banks. She has held leadership roles at companies that ranged in size from an asset management start-up to Deutsche Bank, where she was a Managing Director. She was the CEO of a large not-for-profit manufacturing company in Belgium that creates job opportunities for workers with disabilities. She has a commercial engineering degree from Université Libre de Bruxelles and has received microfinance training from the Grameen Bank.
Béatrice is first and foremost interested in bringing her diverse expertise to support highly impactful projects for the left behind. Since joining KOIS in 2017, she has lent her financial structuring, business management, fund-raising and stakeholder management skills to advising the Solvay Sustainable Guar Initiative and Light for the World Belgium on their scale-up plans, and to bringing KOIS’s Refugee Livelihoods DIB to fruition, among others.
Serena Guarnaschelli
Partner, London office
Serena is an expert in innovative finance, impact investing and inclusive business models. She brings more than 15 years of experience advising clients on the design, structuring and evaluation of impact investment strategies and vehicles. She also holds a PhD from Caltech in Social Sciences with a specialization in Behavioral Finance.
She namely supported the International Committee of the Red Cross with the structuring and launch of the world’s first Humanitarian Impact Bond, financing physical rehabilitation programs in conflict-afflicted countries in Africa. She also designed and supported the launch of Convergence, a blended finance platform focused on emerging and frontier markets. Her past work also included strategy consulting with McKinsey and humanitarian assistance with Mercy Corps in Darfur.
Serena joined KOIS as a partner in 2016 and specializes in innovative finance advisory.
Pallavi Chadha
Associate, Mumbai office
Pallavi holds a Bachelors’ degree from the Shri Ram College of Commerce and attended London School of Economics.
Before joining KOIS, she worked namely for Barclays as a Global Finance intern and for Deloitte, where she built experience in strategy & operations.
Pallavi joined KOIS in 2018 to work as a senior analyst on different innovative finance & asset management projects.
Parag Vaidya
Chief Financial Officer, Mumbai office
Parag holds a Masters in Corporate Finance & Banking with a major in Financial Intermediation (Private Equity, M&A and Project Finance) from EDHEC Business School, France. He is also a qualified Chartered Accountant.
Parag has over 5+ years of experience in Investment & Portfolio Management, Infrastructure & Public Finance, Treasury & Accounts while working with CXOs at Larsen & Toubro, Reliance Power and IBM. Before joining KOIS, Parag led the Finance & Due Diligence teams at Guild Capital (a venture capital firm based in USA).
He joined KOIS in 2020 as the Chief Financial Officer to head the finance & compliance function across investments, asset management & advisory.
Ann Lanens
Office Manager, Brussels office
Ann holds a Master in translation from the Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel. She then developed over 10 years of experience as an Executive Assistant in multinational consulting & law companies.
She is also a certified nurse and has practiced in several nursing homes and hospitals.
Ann joined KOIS in 2015 to help run our operations in the Brussels office.
Krishna Gouda
Office Manager, Mumbai office
Krishna holds a Bachelor’s degree in arts from CCS University in India. He brings with him over twelve years of experience in a mix of business development & operations, in multinational consulting & public sector organisations.
He joined KOIS in 2017 and helps run our operations in the Mumbai office.
François de Borchgrave
Founder & Managing Partner, Brussels office
François holds an MBA in Business Administration from Harvard, after which he spent several years in Telecom & Technology companies. He developed over 12 years of Private Equity investment, with a specific focus on impact investing.
François also co-founded Toolbox, a non-profit providing management services to NGOs and was a volunteer for several organizations such as Mother Theresa.
In 2010, François co-founded KOIS with the belief that collaboration between the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors is the best way to scale impact solutions, and started building up an high-impact high-return portfolio.
