Maya Chorengel

Maya is a founder of Elevar. Maya grew up in Asia, has long been active in international investing and is passionate about bottoms-up solutions to development challenges: “I believe that billions at the base of the economic pyramid lack access to fundamental services, not because providing these services is commercially unviable, but because our generation (and those before us) have not applied their imagination and will to innovate to create market based solutions for these communities.“

“Our generation has not applied their imagination and will to innovate to create market based solutions for these communities.”

She entered the impact investing space in 2004 and was the initial Managing Director of the Dignity Fund, a private investment fund, where she managed fund structuring, investing and operations and completed local currency debt financing for fifteen high-growth microfinance institutions in four continents. Maya views her role at Elevar as catalyzing the very innovation that will bring essential services to the disconnected: “A large part of what we do involves democratizing the delivery of necessary goods to those who need them most.” She lectures at conferences and graduate schools to inspire others to dedicate their talents to making a better life within reach of all.

Previously, Maya was at Warburg Pincus, a leading, global private equity investor, working in the firm’s New York, Hong Kong and Menlo Park offices. She invested in companies in a variety of industries spanning venture capital to leveraged buyouts to post-Asian-crisis balance sheet restructurings. She also previously worked as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley (Hong Kong and Singapore) and James D. Wolfensohn, Incorporated.

Maya is a Director of Aarusha Homes, GloboKasNet and Caja Rural Los Andes and serves as an advisor to MicroCredit Enterprises and Opportunity Fund/SVMN. She has served as Director on several boards, including Dignity Fund, the International Association of Microfinance Investors, Silicon Valley Microfinance Network, North Pole Ltd., printChannel and vCustomer. Maya graduated magna cum laude in Social Studies from Harvard University and has an MBA from Harvard Business School.